Environmentalists are getting more worried about the effects of fast fashion on the environment. Fast fashion is the mass production of clothes at a low cost. They are put in shops and online quickly to create a high demand. Manufacturers make 100 billion items of clothing every year. This is expected to grow by 60 per cent by 2030. The fast fashion business model is having a negative effect on the environment. Many of the clothes end up in landfills and are not recycled. Another negative effect on the environment is caused by the chemicals used to make the clothes. These cause health problems for people working in clothes factories. There are reports children make many of these clothes.

The way people are buying clothes is adding to the problem of clothing waste. Many years ago, people went to stores and tried clothes on. People took more time and thought more carefully before they bought clothes. They also wore them for longer. Today, people order cheap clothes on the Internet and if they don't like them, they send them back. Some people say this is causing a throwaway society. Some people buy clothes and never even wear them. The German media company Deutsche Welle wrote: "Every year in Europe, four million tons of clothing ends up in the trash. Less than one per cent of this is recycled." It seems the fashion industry is not so sustainable.