Moda ad alta velocità

With some friends I illustrated this belief of mine 40 years ago, in February 1985, in the document Against Hunger Change Your Life, which then served as a manifesto for a campaign to increase responsible consumption.
At that time, the two most important trades in the world were the production and consumption of food and textiles for the fashion industry. Today, they remain the driving force of the world economy, together with energy and new information technologies.

The dead clothes of white people
Obroni Wawu, or “dead clothes of white people” are the thousands of large bales of clothes to be thrown away that arrive every day from rich countries in a huge landfill in Accra, Ghana. They are the last step in the cycle of fashion trade, especially the so-called Fast fashion characterized by a cycle of compulsive consumption, an addiction similar to drugs. In fact, almost daily purchases are part of the FOMO syndrome (or the fear of missing out on something beautiful) and generate dopamine and adrenaline. Many people discard clothing within a year, with the average person throwing it away after wearing it no more than 10 times.
In the United States, one in three people consider an item of clothing worn three times to be discarded. In Europe, 41% of women between the ages of 18 and 25 feel uncomfortable wearing the same item of clothing twice. The fast production-purchase-waste cycle includes: Trend replication: Quickly copying high-fashion designs and producing them quickly: Quickly moving designs from idea to store, sometimes in just a few weeks.
Low prices: Making clothes incredibly affordable, encouraging frequent purchases. High volumes: Producing massive quantities of clothing to meet demand for the latest trends, always producing at least 40% more than you plan to sell. Low quality: Often using low-cost materials and manufacturing processes, resulting in clothes that wear out quickly.

A shocking waste
It is estimated that the fashion industry produces around 100 billion pieces of clothing per year (on average around 12 pieces per person). Today, we buy 60% more clothes than we did 15 years ago and keep them for half as long. In the West, each person throws away around 81 kilos of textiles per year.
Globally, 92 million tons of textile waste are thrown away every year, around one truck per second. Serious environmental impact. Microplastics in ecosystems: The manufacturing process of clothing products releases microplastics into wastewater and, once washed, the tiny microplastics end up in the drain and in our waters. In 2021, polyester fiber, a plastic material often used to make clothes, made up around 75% of the microplastics found in the Arctic Ocean. Water waste: 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced each year, and it takes 7,000 liters of water to produce a typical pair. For a T-shirt, on the other hand, it takes 2,700 liters of water to produce just one—that’s the amount of water the average person drinks in 900 days. Fast waste: In 2018, Burberry revealed it had destroyed $50 million worth of clothing. That same year, H&M said it had over $5 billion in unsold global inventory. The fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions (more than air and sea transport). The production of synthetic fibers and fabrics is energy-intensive and relies heavily on fossil fuels. Shipping clothing around the world generates significant emissions. Discarded clothing ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Dyeing and treating fabrics often involves toxic chemicals that pollute waterways.

The Link to World Hunger
Although seemingly unrelated, fast fashion and world hunger are intertwined.
Resource Competition: The land and water used to grow cotton for clothing could be used to produce food.
Economic Inequality: Low wages paid to garment workers in developing countries – averaging $3.4 per day in 2024 – contribute to poverty and food insecurity.
Fast fashion and unhealthy food practices highlight a systemic problem of unjust and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. Addressing these issues requires a shift towards more conscious consumption, ethical production practices, and a greater focus on reducing waste and promoting equity.

Sandro Calvani
Focus
NP February 2025