How does Degrowth relate to Fast Fashion in the Global South?
By Dr. Soma Dhar
There is no doubt that the world will experience a Great Transformation either by design or by disaster", therefore ecological economics must embrace Degrowth if it is to truly effect significant change.
The word "growth" is prefixed with "de-" to form the term "degrowth." The term refers to the elimination, decline, and reversal of economic expansion. Rejecting the fast fashion business model is the first step towards degrowth in the fashion industry. That would entail making fewer clothes that we retain for longer, mending clothing rather than throwing it away and divorcing the economics of producing inexpensive clothing from its production. Voice of Fashion defines degrowth as a planned, democratic reduction in production and consumption in affluent nations to ease environmental pressures and reduce inequality while enhancing well-being.
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GDP growth is the basis of fashion, not the well-being of people or the environment. It is necessary to extract this growth. Planned obsolescence for capital accumulation is what fashion is. Continuous GDP growth requires consumption, but after a particular GDP threshold or level of well-being is reached, people do not benefit from consuming more. Energy is part of the material footprint, which is inextricably linked to GDP. This means that if we keep expanding our economy, we will not be able to implement renewable energy quickly enough to satisfy the goals of the Paris Agreement, which is to keep warming below 2°C. In 2023, just two out of 250 firms shared a commitment to degrowth, according to the Fashion Transparency Index,2023, at a time when the sector sorely needs to slow down and scale back.
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We are all living in the "Fast fashion" era. Early in the 1990s, Zara coined the term "Fast fashion" in the New York Times. Forever 21, UNIQLO, Zara, and H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) are the main participants in the fast fashion market. A business model in the fashion industry known as "Fast fashion" emphasizes producing reasonably priced goods quickly to meet consumer demand. Before mass-producing items at a low cost, rapid fashion labels often copy the styles of runway trends or high-end designers to continually present new designs. This commercial model, which promotes followers of the latest trends to purchase an increasing amount of clothing, relies on rapid turnover.
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Why does Fast fashion target the Global South? Who are the gainers?
Injustices in the Global South are fueled by growing trade liberalization and retailing output, which drives profits in the Global North, such as the USA and the UK. As a Global South, Bangladesh is an attractive location for manufacturing for multinational corporations (MNCs) looking to cut costs while increasing production. MNCs can raise production prices since labor is less expensive. The textile supply chain, which links Bangladeshi garment workers to brands, retailers, and customers in Europe and the US, is therefore rife with unfair and corrupt labor practices. In addition to exporting manufacturing, Western retailers continue to mistreat workers because it is "necessary" to keep costs down.
A long supply chain is used to classify the apparel industry. Semi-skilled and unskilled workers of the Global South are employed in the apparel sector, which has a comparative advantage due to low labor costs and fast, flexible production—a factor that has grown in importance when imposing quotas.
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Retailers of Global North search for methods to reduce expenses and streamline their supply chain. The cost of labor is the most expensive component of the fast fashion supply chain. The demand for rapid gratification, a burgeoning middle class, and consumers' desire to create an identity have all been tapped into by Western shops.
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Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment
Fast fashion uses synthetic fibers, such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, which are not biodegradable. Approximately one-third of the microplastics detected in the water come from fast fashion products. To produce these plastic fibers for fast fashion, a lot of petroleum and other gasses that leak dangerous substances into the atmosphere are needed. For example, 2,000 gallons of water are used to make a pair of jeans, while a cotton shirt uses roughly 700 gallons. Approximately 5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are caused by the fashion industry's production, shipping, and disposal of clothing. The industry generates more carbon dioxide per year than aviation and shipping put together. It moves at a speed of 2.1 billion tons per second.
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Solutions
We should adopt a minimalist lifestyle to avoid fast fashion. Minimalism, which is defined by simplicity, implies only acquiring necessities, making it a great way to practice Sustainable fashion. This is one of the finest methods to get started in the field of ethical fashion is through minimalism.
To prevent the Global South from recklessly pursuing growth economics, the degrowth movement needs to be implemented in both the North and the South. To create unique indigenous cultural identities, Southern nations must break free from their reliance on the North for their economic and cultural needs and retrace their histories, which have been thwarted by colonialism, development, and globalization.
Global South must adhere to the Degrowth movement. Degrowth is a movement of researchers and activists that calls for society to place a higher priority on ecological and social well-being than on corporate profits, overproduction, and excessive consumption. This calls for a drastic redistribution of wealth, a contraction of the world economy's physical dimensions, and a change in popular attitudes toward autonomy, solidarity, and self-sufficiency.
Big fashion brands might cut back on production, give their employees a livable income, and still make money. Their earnings may be distributed across the whole supply chain, promoting fair pay, sustainable energy, and a decrease in pollution. A balanced degrowth approach might even enable garment workers to make less money while yet earning more by lowering the volume of new physical clothes produced.
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About the Author
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Soma Dhar (Ph.D.) is a development economist based at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Her research interests are development economics, gender studies, and women empowerment. She is the author of the book Nexus Between Public Expenditure on Education and Economic Growth- An Econometric Approach Perspective Bangladesh (2022) and published thirteen articles in (IOSR-JEF), Journal of South Asian Studies, British Journal of Arts and Humanities, Canadian Journal of Business and Information Studies among others, and SAGE Journal Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice. She serves as a technical advisor and consultant in different national and international research institutions.
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