“People get excited about the $2 T-shirt” and don’t think about the impact on factory workers making the clothing, Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham, told Fordham Now.

But industry leaders are looking to help companies and consumers change, in part by incorporating more sustainable practices that are better for workers and the planet.

Three Fordham graduates in the fashion and beauty worlds shared some industry and personal insights at a recent Fordham Women’s Summit.

Corporate and Consumer Responsibility Is a ‘Give and Take’

Georgeanne Siller, GABELLI ’17, an assistant buyer for women’s apparel at Macy’s, said that customers can be “catalysts for positive change” in the fashion and beauty world through their buying habits. However, oftentimes she feels “an undue amount of responsibility falls on consumers when it’s really the companies that need to be driving the change.”

“I think that there’s a lot of company influence on consumers, things like seeing the popularity of TikTok hauls, where fashion influencers will just buy an insane amount of clothing at one time,” she said, adding that influencers can end up buying tons of products each week “looking for dupes or cheaper alternatives.”

“There’s a lot of give and take, I think, with the consumers and the companies, and I think the responsibility definitely tips towards the companies, but consumers can still be a powerful voice for that change,” she said.

Companies Can Do More to Source Sustainably Created, Long-Lasting Materials

Fast fashion usually involves “cheaply produced and priced garments” that are designed and produced quickly, according to Earth.org, an environmental news organization.

Claudia Rondinelli, FCLC ’91, head of global materials, leather, and trims at Ralph Lauren, said the company is working to “take a more proactive approach when we’re talking about material research and materials we’re using—specifically on handbags and footwear—but also in apparel.”

This means sourcing materials that will last longer, leading to less turnover and waste, as well as materials that are made sustainably, such as by using recycled products.

“It is really [about] selecting materials that are truly making a difference, and focus[ing] on the circular life of the material, not just looking at it from a short term, on how it might look like it’s less impactful on the environment, but really looking at end of life,” Rondinelli said.

Stacey Ferrara, GABELLI ’10, director of strategic initiatives and operations for Estée Lauder, said the company is working to make its sourcing practices more sustainable.

“We really want to help the communities [where] we live, work, and we source our ingredients from,” she said. “We’re partnering with organizations around the world, assisting women who are sourcing our ingredients—we’re working with them to make their lives better and help them get the tools that they need to succeed.”

An Eco-Friendly Approach to Packaging Materials Can Help Reduce Fashion and Beauty Industry Waste

One way Estée Lauder is looking to reduce waste is through their packaging, Ferrara said.

“By 2025, we aim to have at least 75% of our materials be recyclable, reusable, refillable—and refillable is something that I really am hoping is going to be a trend,” she said.

Ferrara said that this is a practice she’s incorporating at home and is starting to see it more with beauty companies, where people can bring their containers and have them refilled.

But is it possible to escape our attraction to fast fashion? And will crossing these items off your shopping list make things better or worse? Fordham experts weigh in.

Human Rights Abuse

“People get excited about the $2 T-shirt” and don’t think about the impact on factory workers making the clothing, said Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham.

Catastrophic garment factory fires and forced labor charges against China’s cotton industry have brought attention to human rights abuses, and even resulted in Congress passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in 2021, which banned imports from businesses in Xinjiang, China, that use forced labor. Paltry wages for field and factory workers, the majority of whom are women, are another well-known concern.

“Labor is one of, if not the most, expensive inputs in fashion,” Scafidi said, but ”when it comes to making fast fashion, it has to be cheap, cheaper, cheapest.”

Tik Tok Temptation

Younger consumers, mainly Gen Z and Millennials, are at the forefront of the demand for fast fashion, heavily influenced by social media and desire for the latest styles, said Fordham economist Giacomo Santangelo. 

“Platforms like TikTok are pivotal in shaping fashion choices,” he said. “This constant exposure to new styles and the desire for instant gratification lead to frequent buying, fueling the fast fashion market.”

Fast fashion brands’ low prices make their products broadly accessible, he said, noting that their affordability is especially appealing because of the state of the global economy and the desire to save money during the holiday giving season. Demand is also fed by the convenience and proliferation of fast fashion e-commerce sites, he said. 

Environmental Impact: ‘A Global Crisis’

That demand for fast fashion is also impacting the planet, due to overseas factories’ carbon emissions and water pollution, as well as all the products that end up in towering landfills, according to environmental watchdog organizations.

Clothes are being cast aside more quickly and in greater quantities than ever. Donated items from countries including the U.K., the U.S., and China are sold to vendors in places such as Ghana, which has one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing markets. But because these markets can’t handle the volume, many items are never worn again and end up in landfills or rivers. 

Meanwhile, garment factories continue to pollute rivers with toxic dyes and use tremendous amounts of fossil fuel for production and shipping across the world, according to the watchdog groups. And much of fast fashion relies on synthetic fibers made from plastic derived from crude oil and natural gas.

“There is a vast amount of waste and climate impact,” Scafidi said. “It has become a global crisis in that way.”

The Flip Side

But solutions to the problem are not as simple as they may seem. For one thing, fast fashion employs and supports the global poor and fuels developing economies, said Matthew Caulfield, Ph.D., assistant professor of ethics in the Gabelli School of Business.

“Most Americans—even Americans one would typically consider to be lower income—are nonetheless, by purchasing power standards, considered to be part of the global rich,” he said, adding that a single adult earning $24,000 per year makes more than seven times the global median.

“This is not to say that [fast and cheap production]is an unmitigated good—there are environmental concerns—or that the companies themselves have unassailable practices,” said Caulfield. “It’s only to suggest that one intuition that often seems entirely clear (that buying local is ethically superior) is not entirely clear. There are trade-offs we must navigate.”