Fast Fashion and the Environment | Advanced ESL Reading Worksheet PDF

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The rise of fast fashion has fundamentally altered the way the world produces and consumes clothing. Over the past three decades, major retailers have slashed production costs by manufacturing garments in developing countries and releasing dozens of new collections each year. The result is a culture of consumerism in which clothing has become effectively disposable — bought cheaply, worn briefly, and discarded without a second thought.

The environmental consequences of this model are severe. The fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions — more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Water consumption is equally alarming; it takes roughly 2,700 litres of water to produce a single cotton T-shirt. Many garments are constructed from synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon, which are derived from fossil fuels and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

A particularly insidious problem is the release of microplastics. Every time a synthetic garment is washed, thousands of microscopic plastic fibres are shed and flow directly into waterways. These particles are too small to be filtered by conventional wastewater treatment plants, meaning they accumulate in rivers, oceans, and ultimately in the food chain. Scientists have detected microplastics in fish, shellfish, and even in human blood, raising urgent public health concerns.

Beyond environmental damage, the fast fashion model depends on exploitative labour practices. Workers in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Ethiopia are frequently paid poverty wages and denied basic rights. Factories prioritise speed and volume over safety, creating conditions that have led to catastrophic incidents, most notoriously the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka, which killed more than 1,100 garment workers.

Addressing these interconnected crises requires systemic change at both the industry and consumer level. Calls for 지속 가능한 fashion — clothing designed to last, made from recycled or biodegradable materials, and produced under fair conditions — are growing louder. Governments are beginning to introduce extended producer responsibility legislation, while a growing number of consumers are choosing to buy secondhand, rent garments, or simply buy less. Whether these efforts will prove sufficient remains to be seen.

1. consumerism ____
2. disposable ____
3. synthetic ____
4. microplastics ____
5. sustainable ____
6. exploitative ____
7. biodegradable ____
8. obsolescence ____
9. sweatshop ____
10. carbon footprint ____

• a. able to break down naturally through bacterial or environmental processes
• b. factory where workers endure unsafe conditions and earn wages far below a living standard
• c. tiny plastic fragments under 5mm that contaminate ecosystems and living organisms
• d. treating people or resources unfairly in order to gain profit or advantage
• e. process of becoming outdated, unfashionable, or no longer useful
• f. capable of being maintained long-term without depleting natural resources or causing lasting harm
• g. total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, product, or industry
• h. made from chemically produced materials rather than natural substances
• i. designed to be used briefly and then thrown away rather than kept or repaired
• j. cultural tendency to equate personal well-being with the purchase and accumulation of goods