One of the major problems with fast fashion is overproduction: Companies churn out way more products than they can sell because they're so cheap to make, and the ones that do sell are marked up enough to cover all the ones that don't. The extras are often thrown away, clogging landfills worldwide. One Redditor was angry to report a local store using this strategy.
What's happening?
The post, which appeared in r/Anticonsumption, showed photos of the excess.
The pictures contain bargain bins stuffed with what seems to be underwear in a variety of colors and patterns, all marked for individual sale. A visible price tag has been covered with a "clearance" sticker listing the item for $14.95, but even that price has been slashed again; the whole bin is topped with a red sign that proclaims a price of $2.99 per item.
"Products 90%+ discounted because manufacturers got greedy with production and people aren't buying," said the Redditor. "When will this end?!"
Why is this wasteful strategy important?
The fact that the store can sell these garments for just $3 apiece — but originally marked them for more than $15 — shows just how high the prices of items are inflated. Rather than make a few well-made pieces, sell them at a reasonable price, and risk missing out on a sale, this company has chosen to make many products very cheaply and then charge an outrageous price to cover production. That costs consumers money and often leaves them with goods of poor quality.
Meanwhile, the company is using tons of materials, labor, and energy to make all these unneeded, unwanted extra products, not to mention shipping them on polluting trucks and trains. From the initial manufacturing to the end of these items' life cycle in a dump, they're harming the environment.
Is the store doing anything about this?
Despite the original poster's frustration, there is some good news here. The items in question were on clearance for $2.99 apiece — an excellent strategy to sell more of them quickly and limit the number that end up in a landfill.
Many businesses would simply throw excess stock away, completely wasting the investment of resources and energy that went into manufacturing them and the pollution caused by transporting them.
However, it's likely that any items left after the sale will still be thrown away.
🗣️ Should it be illegal to throw away old clothes?
🔘 Heck yes 👍
🔘 No way 👎
🔘 I'm not sure 🤷
🔘 Only if it's free to recycle them 🤌
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What can I do about wasteful fast fashion?
You can refuse to support the fast fashion industry by choosing other companies for your clothing. Support brands that try to limit their impact on the environment — you'll often end up with better clothing as a result. You can also shrink demand and keep items out of the trash by buying your clothing secondhand.
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