Waste deep: A growing backlash against fast fashion could spell new opportunity for US cotton

Since first arriving to the scene in the early 1990s, fast fashion, and subsequently ultrafast fashion, has enjoyed enviable growth, far surpassing growth rates in apparel spending generally.

The dark side of this growth has been the hyperconsumption that has accompanied it. Fast fashion offers consumers lower-cost items but works as a business model by driving consumers to buy more. With clothing becoming cheaper but also more disposable, the world is facing a mounting problem of textile pollution and waste. The increased use of synthetic fibers in apparel, meanwhile, has further complicated the end-of-life question for apparel, given their persistence and contribution to microplastics in the environment.

Whether being driven by altruism or by the particularly strong imperative in the apparel industry to protect brand perception, manufacturers have committed themselves to sourcing fibers more responsibly, reducing waste, and otherwise promoting circularity. Case studies have shown that not only does this amount to good corporate citizenship but that it can also be good business – monetizable with certain consumer segments.

This paper articulates the problem the apparel industry faces. Its companion piece will track industry progress in addressing the situation, the policies and technologies supporting the transition, and, finally, the financial incentives for marketing cotton based on its qualitative attributes rather than simply as a commodity. At the heart of both papers is the central question of how the transition will impact US fiber demand. Although circularity will inherently place limits on fiber demand globally, we contend that a growing emphasis on environmental sustainability and renewed emphasis on quality play to the strengths of US cotton production and should prove supportive to the sector in the longer term.