Political Engagement Activity: Impact Of Fast Fashion

Political Engagement Activity Final Report The political issue I have explored through engagement is the impact of fast fashion. In high school, I purchased clothing from fast fashion brands like Shein. As a student with little income, these cheap, trendy brands caught my attention. Upon learning of the terrible labor conditions in which the pieces are produced and the pollution emitted during manufacturing and shipping, I was appalled that I ever supported these companies. I educated myself about the impacts of the fast fashion business model, which pumps out new pieces of clothing at an extremely unsustainable rate. Now, I find it important that I express my concerns as a consumer and share what I have learned with others. I decided to

As the US economy grows out of our current recession, consumers will have the ability to be more intentional with their spending. Fast fashion has grown in popularity since the economy plummeted in 2020 (UNEP). However, as we emerge from the pandemic and our economy appears on track to recover, these companies need to ensure their longevity by meeting the shifting consumer desires. In researching to write these emails, as well as drafting the emails, I learned about the complexities of regulating labor conditions and pollution emissions from transnational corporations. There has been difficulty in getting Fashion Nova to release information about where its materials are sourced from. Although Fashion Nova claims to have a sustainable clothing line, they do not disclose exactly what this means (Good On You). It is difficult to force these companies to disclose sources of materials or labor, which allows them to potentially mislead consumers. At one point, a coalition of US senators wrote to Shein demanding information regarding its potential use of forced labor since it is using cotton sourced from Xinjiang amid the Uyghur genocide, which would violate the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. However, Shein is able to avoid repercussions for this by using a tax loophole (Pearson). From my research, I learned how difficult it is to regulate and punish corporations, especially when production occurs outside Western