Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The only way to fix fast fashion is to end it

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Reviews Earth & Environment

View current issue Sign up to alerts

The textile industry has tried to combat the criticism of fast fashion through overly simplistic solutions at the product and operational level. Fast fashion cannot be fixed — the industry needs to be reconstructed to emphasize long material and product lifetimes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1: Sustainable textile system.

References

  1. Volgare, M. et al. Washing load influences the microplastic release from polyester fabrics by affecting wettability and mechanical stress. Sci. Rep. 11, 1–12 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Niinimäki, K. et al. The environmental price of fast fashion. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1, 189–200 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Adanacioglu, H. & Olgun, A. Evaluation of the efficiency of organic cotton farmers: A case study from Turkey. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci. 18, 418–428 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Khurana, K. & Ricchetti, M. Two decades of sustainable supply chain management in the fashion business, an appraisal. J. Fash. Mark. Manag. 20, 89–104 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Turunen, L. L. M. & Halme, M. Communicating actionable sustainability information to consumers: The Shades of Green instrument for fashion. J. Clean. Prod. 297, 126605 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Manley, M. Near-infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging: non-destructive analysis of biological materials. Chem. Soc. Rev. 43, 8200–8214 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Reike, D., Vermeulen, W. J. & Witjes, S. The circular economy: new or refurbished as CE 3.0? — Exploring controversies in the conceptualization of the circular economy through a focus on history and resource value retention options. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 135, 246–264 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management Studies, Aalto University School of Business, Espoo, Finland

    Olli Sahimaa, Elizabeth M. Miller & Minna Halme

  2. Department of Design, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Espoo, Finland

    Kirsi Niinimäki

  3. Data-driven Solutions, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Oulu, Finland

    Hannu Tanner

  4. Biomass Processing and Products, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Espoo, Finland

    Mikko Mäkelä

  5. School of Built Environment and Bioeconomy, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Tampere, Finland

    Marja Rissanen

  6. Department of Sustainability Science, LUT University, Lahti, Finland

    Anna Härri

  7. Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto School of Chemical Engineering, Espoo, Finland

    Michael Hummel

Authors
  1. Olli Sahimaa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elizabeth M. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Minna Halme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kirsi Niinimäki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hannu Tanner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mikko Mäkelä
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Marja Rissanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Anna Härri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Michael Hummel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olli Sahimaa.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sahimaa, O., Miller, E.M., Halme, M. et al. The only way to fix fast fashion is to end it. Nat Rev Earth Environ 4, 137–138 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00398-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00398-w

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation