From H&M to SHEIN, it’s easier than ever to get trendy styles on a budget. While these companies save money for budget-conscious customers, their production methods come at a cost.

One of the leading fast-fashion retailers, SHEIN, has faced massive criticism for its environmental degradation and questionable labor practices. SHEIN’s large carbon footprint as well as the astronomical amounts of waste the company produces are two of the main criticisms of the brand.

Accordingly Greenmatch, SHEIN is responsible for 6.3 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. These figures are on a par with energy companies, oil and petrol companies, etc.

SHEIN has also faced allegations of unethical practices towards its employees. A quick TikTok search shows viral videosone of them even comes from a user who received a help message on the labels of their items. Numerous people have made similar comments, claiming that with so many cases of this happening, there must be something that needs to be investigated.

Zara, one of the world’s largest women’s fashion retailers, has faced similar backlash to SHEIN over the amount of waste it produces and its overall contribution to the “fast fashion” epidemic. TThe New York Times coined the term in the early 1990s to describe how Zara took a garment from a design on paper to a garment on the rack in less than 15 days.As the first example of fast fashion, it has since had to adapt to a growing consumer culture and therefore naturally has some negative impacts on the environment. Business Insider concerns the Zara produces “450 million garments, 20,000 new styles every year.” This incredible amount of clothing is probably too large to distribute to customers in a single year, which raises the question: where does it all go?

H&M, which is often compared to Zara due to similar prices, products and business models, raises the same question. A study by the Swedish company Aftonbladet tracked 10 H&M garments that should be recycled. According to Business news from Mexico“Only two garments were sent for recycling, five were lost, one was sent to India and the remaining two to Africa. The team tracked one jacket that ended up in Cotonou, a city in Benin, Africa.” Many fast-fashion companies end up sending their waste to Africa because it is a discreet and cost-effective method of disposal.

ABC describes how Accra, Ghana has fallen victim to such waste disposal practices by several brands. Unwanted clothing is brought to Ghana to be reused and resold, but many of the garments are unwearable. These garments have since been piled up in a landfill on the shores of Korle Lagoon. The dump has now reached a height of about 20 meters, with clothing making up an estimated 60% of the huge landfill.

This devastating sight is compounded by the second-hand markets on the streets of Accra, where wearable and sellable clothing ends up. Ghanaians work long hours for low wages, trying to make ends meet on “obroni wawu” or “dead white men’s clothes” that are thrown out onto the streets by Western companies.

These conglomerates and their multi-million dollar use of questionable labor practices, coupled with environmental neglect, clearly demonstrate that they have no respect for ethical business practices. From now on, they will align their values ​​with those of their consumers. This evidence alone should raise a question: “What really goes on behind the scenes at your favorite fast-fashion brands?”

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