When thinking of pollution, you probably envision coal power plants, strip-mined mountaintops and raw sewage piped into our waterways. However, we don’t often think of the shirts on our backs. But the overall impact the apparel industry has on our planet is quite horrific.

 According to a study conducted by the Danish Fashion Institute, the fashion industry is the world’s second most polluting industry after oil. Over a quarter of the chemicals the world produces are used in textiles, from pesticides used on cotton and petrochemicals used to make nylon and polyester. The industry is a huge consumer of water (a single pair of jeans takes 7,000 liters), and after agriculture, it’s the largest polluter of clean water (europe.newsweek.com).

 Fast fashion is a contemporary term used by retailers to express those designs that move quickly from the runway to stores in order to capture the ever-changing fashion trends, according to Newsweek magazine. By optimizing certain parts of creating textiles and clothing, retailers are able to produce mass amounts of product and sell it for a cheap price. Stores like H&M, Zara, Topshop, and Forever 21 all fall victim to the fast fashion category, and while you may think you’re getting a bargain, you’re actually leaving a pretty heavy carbon footprint on our planet (newsweek.com)

   The fashion industry by design is constantly changing with the seasons, but fast fashion can change weekly, assumed up by a sign in Fashion Valley Mall’s H&M store, “New stuff is coming in each and every day. So why not do the same.” It’s not uncommon for shoppers to wear an item once or twice before throwing it away for next week’s style, aided by the poor quality of many of the clothes, which causes them to fall apart after several washes.

 Fashion is a complicated business, involving long and varied supply chains of production, raw material, textile manufacture, clothing construction, shipping, retail, use and ultimately, disposal of the garment. The apparel supply chain is extremely complex, starting with the raw material (cotton or wool are the most common agricultural sources) and going through 5-6 more processes to get a wearable product. Because the apparel sector is so labor intensive, and because globalization is here to stay, we have seen U.S. apparel production drop by approximately 92 percent since the 1960s, according to The Huffington Post. That means that in the 1960s, the U.S. was making 95 percent of its clothing, and today it is down to a mere three percent. The U.S. outsources 97 percent of its clothing production to countries around the world where labor is cheap and worker protections are minimal or non-existent, creating a race to the bottom for workers around the world (huffingtonpost.com).

 Many fashion industry labels employ “green” and “ethical” marketing to target “conscious” consumers: H&M’s Conscious collection, made of organic cotton and recycled polyester; Puma’s biodegradable InCycle Collection; Adidas’ Design for Environment gear; Uniqlo’s All-Product Recycling Initiative; Zara’s eco-efficient stores; and the Gap’s P.A.C.E. program, to benefit the lives of female garment workers (ecowatch.com). Buyers should be cognizant of these labels.

 So what can you do to help? There are so many ways. For starters, cut back shopping at fast fashion retailers. Shop at local boutiques, thrift stores, and online. Apps like Depop and websites like Etsy sell cool, unique, new, and vintage pieces for low prices that are sure to suit anyone’s taste, if thrifting isn’t your thing. Recycle your clothing instead of throwing them out. Donate to thrift stores, or sell them back to stores like Buffalo Exchange. Trade clothes with your friends to save money and spice things up.

 Senior Ilana Levy said, “It’s extremely crucial that we work towards creating a more sustainable way to recycle and buy our clothes. The world is going to be ours, and we have to do everything we can to take care of it.”

 Even if you’re not interested or involved in the fashion industry, it’s really important to know what you’re doing to the environment by shopping at these stores. It might seem cheaper and easier, but by shopping at these retailers, you are promoting the harmful effects these stores have on the world around you.