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Every time a new “season” of fastfashion hits the racks, it comes wrapped in plastic, whether that’s thepolyester-based jumper you wear twice or the single-use polybag it came in. Butbeneath the low price tags is a deeper truth: fast fashion is one of thebiggest plastic polluters on Earth, and it’s rapidly poisoning our ecosystems, our water and our future. Get ready, I will be very dramatic in this blogpost, but only because things ARE dramatic, and we should be scared.
Let’s face the facts and explore how a shift toward slow, intentional fashion and mindful packaging can help heal this crisis.
Numbers You Need to Know:
Massive Plastic Use In Clothes and Packaging
· Around 69% of all clothing is made fromsynthetic, plastic-based fibres like polyester, nylon and acrylic - fibres that shed microplastics every time you wash them.
· Every year, fashion companies produce hundreds of billions of single-use plastic polybags to ship garments - more than 180 billion polybags annually - totalling roughly 60,000+ tons of plastic waste from packaging alone.
· These polybags don’t biodegrade, they can persist for centuries in landfills and oceans, breaking down only into toxic fragments and microplastics that work their way into food chains.
Plastic Microfibers Polluting OurOceans
· The dominance of synthetic fibres in fastfashion means that washing a single garment can release hundreds of thousandsto millions of microplastic fibres into waterways, invisible pollutants that weave their way through rivers and oceans.
· Scientists estimate up to 35% of ocean microplastics originate from synthetic clothing fibres and that’s largely fastfashion.
Waste, Overproduction and Throwaway Culture
· The fashion industry generates about 92 milliontons of textile waste every year, much of it synthetic apparel that will not decompose for hundreds of years.
· The average fast fashion garment is worn only 7-10 times before being thrown away, feeding a cycle of overproduction and perpetual waste.
· Less than 1% of all used clothing is recycled into new garments, even though an estimated 85% of textiles could be recycled with the right infrastructure.
· When you add it all together, synthetic fibres in clothes, plastic packaging, microplastics in water, and millions of tonnes of waste, it paints a picture that’s nothing short of catastrophic.
Why Does This Matter?
· Plastic isn’t just unsightly litter. It’s a toxic thread woven through our ecosystems:
· Plastics release greenhouse gases and fossil fuels throughout their lifecycle.
· Microplastics have been found everywhere - from the highest mountain lakes to the deepest ocean trenches and they’re now creeping into our bodies.
· The fashion industry’s massive use of synthetic fibers represents a direct link between clothing, climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. (read the labels, the recycled polyester in that sweater is still polyester)
Slow Fashion Is the Antidote
We could go back to the basics and make choices that value longevity, purpose and artistry, not disposability and plastic proliferation.
Slow fashion refuses the disposable mindset and embraces human creativity, craftsmanship, and meaningful design. And while sustainable packaging is a bonus, it’s the quality and intent behind the garment itself that truly matters.
Here are some brands proving this is possible and beautiful:
Stinky Socks - Creative, Community-Driven and Built To Last
Stinky Socks isn’t here to clothe the world cheaply, they’re here to express life, identity, and artistry. Their awesome socks are designed to be loved, worn, and kept, not tossed after a season. And man, they are durable. (Yes, I have over 10 pairs and I am pretty sure one is over 7 years old - unheard of for a pair of socks!) (And I wash them at 60C, so it’s even more impressive!!)
They treat fashion as a community conversation, the kind that sticks with you longer than fast fashion ever could.
WearBahari - Purposeful Apparel with a Soul
WearBahari blends performance, style and sustainability with real material intention. Their surf wear and bathing suits are crafted for active living and enduring wear - made from recycled and durable textiles that actually perform.
The result? Clothes that don’t end up in the bin after a few wears and plastic packaging that’s thoughtful because the garment itself lasts.
Randum Goodies - Functional, Honest and Designed for Life
Randum Goodies builds garments not around fleeting trends, but around real, useful design: cosy layers, versatile pieces and practical gear that becomes a staple in your life. (I know I’m preaching not to buy more than you need here, but I do have 2 bags that I wear non-stop. Really non-stop. I may have bought the same model for several friends as well. They rock a leopard and a zebra print, you can’t judge me…)
This utility-first mindset is the heart of slow fashion and it naturally minimizes waste.
#Beachlife - Designed With Heart, Worn With Purpose
More than a hashtag, #beachlife represents a style that moves with you, enjoys the world, and honours it. These designs invite experiences, not waste. And they are just fun to have and enjoy on vacation (or in your daily life, if you are one of those annoyingly lucky people who live by the sea).
Packaging Is Important, but It’s Just One Piece Of The Puzzle
· Fast fashion’s plastic problem isn’t just plastic bags, it’s the plastic culture of disposability. From polyester fibres to single-use wraps, that culture pushes mountains of waste into our environment.
· Replacing polybags with compostables or recycled materials (recycled plastic is still plastic waste and you can only recycle it so many times) won’t fix everything, but it is part of a broader transformation:
· Reducing reliance on fossil-fuel plastics in packaging and textiles.
· Designing garments meant to be worn, repaired, cherished and passed on rather than discarded.
· Moving away from “trend cycles” to timeless pieces with meaningful stories.
Together, these shifts can cut plastic waste, reduce emissions, and reclaim beauty from a system built on speed.
The Call to Action: Slow Down, Choose Better
The future of fashion isn’t faster, it’s smarter, slower, and more soulful.
Here’s how we can all be part of it:
· Buy less, but buy things you truly love.
· Choose brands rooted in craftsmanship and integrity.
· Support those producing clothing that will last years, not days.
· Advocate for compostable, reusable, and sustainable packaging.
· Ask brands to report transparently on their materials and impacts.
When we honor craftsmanship and choose alternatives to plastic and disposability, we’re not just buying clothes, we’re choosing a future that’s cleaner, kinder and more beautiful.
Turns out I’m dramatic AND cheese.
With love,
Gergana
Sources: Fashion for Good (2023); Changing Markets Foundation (2021); Greenpeace International (2024); The Fashion Pact (2024); COSH!; Sustainability Directory.