Over the past few months, I have been working on my thesis as part of my masters in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. This has been both challenging and beneficial for me. My research was titled ‘Fast Fashion, Climate, Sustainability’. After putting a lot of time and effort into the completion of the thesis, the submission last week was very satisfactory.
I enjoyed completing the thesis and researching the topics involved. I had a keen interest in the fashion industry and its effects on the environment which led me to the topic for the thesis. The fashion industry is a significant contributor to unsustainable development, particularly in relation to resource consumption, climate change, pollution and social inequity. In the past few decades, the concept of “fast fashion” has become prominent and successful within the fashion industry. This fast fashion cycle has been intensified and the fast fashion supply chain impacts significantly on climate.
The review found that fast fashion is having a significant impact on climate and more sustainable approaches are needed. Future work should address microplastic pollution, wastewater treatment, new more sustainable fibres, the use phase of the garment such as washing, drying and duration of life, and disposal methods.
Throughout writing the thesis I received assistance and invaluable support. I would like to thank my supervisors, Prof Charles Spillane and Dr Peter McKeown. They provided me with guidance and feedback throughout the completion of the thesis and I am extremely grateful for this.