The Global Fashion Glut: Too Much Fast Fashion

Don’t be fooled – that parcel filled with fast fashion items that arrives at your door doesn’t make up for what the retailers do to the global environment. No matter how much recyclable paper they wrap your garments in, there’s no getting away from it: the faster the item is manufactured, put onto a digital shelf and sold, the sooner it is likely to be discarded the moment it’s not the latest fashion trend anymore. When this happens, it harms our planet.

The reality is a slap in the face: according to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, which was formed in 2019, fast fashion clothing is produced at a high volume, which costs the planet dearly. In fact, the fabric industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions. That’s vast! Even worse news? In the UK, people buy more clothing per person than in any European country.

Statistics are mind-boggling: Because clothes are produced very cheaply, garment workers receive little pay and often work in unhealthy environments.

To understand the effect fast fashion has on our planet, read our comprehensive guide, How Fast Fashion is Damaging the Environment.

Fast Fashion – Cheap Yet Expensive

How can we afford it? Sadly, brands like Shein, Temu, Forever 21, Zara and others are inexpensive, and they often cost less than food essentials such as a dozen eggs. No matter how much cred a top designer garment from a well-known fashion brand has, its price tag is only affordable to a privileged few. The rest of us need to buy what we can afford. And having a wardrobe full of new clothes is a dream come true for many.

In 2026, the global clothing market is estimated to reach £1.057 trillion British pounds, and it’s expected to increase by at least 4.1% by 2030. For some reason, global customers don’t seem to care. Right now, fast fashion continues to boom, and very little is being done to stop this.

State of Fashion Report for 2026

As the fashion industry continues to profit, competition is tougher. And when the going gets tough, the tough worry about making ends meet, not about being sustainable. However, according to McKinsey & Co’s State of Fashion Report, the rules are about to change. It says that “Fashion leaders have moved past uncertainty, but challenges including economic volatility, evolving consumer priorities, and rapid technological disruption demand more agility and stronger capabilities to succeed in the year ahead.”

Global fashion is facing a new reality in 2026, the Report says. This is a result of the US tariffs introduced by President Trump, and suppliers have had to adjust – fast. “Consumers continue to rethink their spending, seeking value and devoting more of their budgets to achieve other goals, including their own well-being and longevity.”

However, as AI takes over every aspect of our lives, “fashion businesses find themselves in a rapidly changing technological landscape”. 

Sadly, pessimism is high. Compared to 39% in 2025, “many leaders are feeling pessimistic. Forty-six percent said they expect conditions to worsen in 2026.” However, 25% remain upbeat and “believe industry conditions will improve,” which is an increase of 20% from 2025. 

This year, the Report sees “the industry’s main agenda” as “adapting to a new environment where trade, consumer behaviour, and technology remain in rapid flux”. It believes that “Agile brands that can adapt quickly are likely to emerge as winners”.

The Sustainable Approach to Fashion in 2026

According to Oxfam, statistics show that two tonnes of clothing are bought every 60 seconds in the UK, which amounts to almost 50 tonnes of carbon emissions – the same amount as driving 162,000 miles in a car. 

What’s more, in one month, the carbon footprint of clothing bought in the UK is greater than flying an aeroplane around the world 900 times! 

As a result, various regulations have been put in place throughout the UK and Europe. From September 2026, the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT) will come into effect. This law increases consumer protection “by tackling misleading environmental claims” such as “100% sustainable” and other forms of greenwashing. 

Even without this Directive, businesses are “already facing legal consequences for misleading environmental claims under current fraud and advertising laws”. As a result, “all environmental claims in the EU must be backed by credible evidence”.

France Led the Sustainability Focus in 2025

France leads the pack when it comes to being “anti-Fast Fashion”. In June 2025, the country changed its climate bill and began imposing penalties on various fast fashion giants like Shein and Temu. This was aimed at “sending a clear message that the era of unchecked disposable fashion may be coming to an end”.

The bill enforced that, from the start of 2025, every ultra-fast fashion garment would incur a €5 tax (around £14.34), increasing to €10 (roughly £8.67) by 2030. The law would introduce certain penalties to brands that don’t meet sustainable criteria. This would be in the form of the levy above by 2030, “or up to 50% of the product’s price excluding tax”.

Most importantly, according to Sustainability Magazine, “Revenue generated from these taxes will be redirected to support sustainable fashion producers, including UK designer brand Stella McCartney.

maake has written in-depth about Why Sustainability in Fashion is an Environmental Necessity – take a look.

What Recycling Means Now

When you buy a quality item that costs a little more, you are more likely to take care of the garment to make it last. That’s what recycling is about – reducing your need to go out and purchase a replacement because you care for your clothing and make it last. The item is classic enough to withstand style trends, and its quality is unmistakable. You bought something that you can wear often, and the extra money it cost has paid off.

Sure, recycling also means reusing it differently. It may involve restyling the garment or reusing the fabric to make something else. Or perhaps recycling means reselling or giving the garment away, so someone else may enjoy it. Whichever way you recycle, remember: you are doing your bit towards a greener future by not allowing your garment to end up in landfills.

Please read the comprehensive guide we compiled on Fabric Recycling.

Transforming Our Mindsets: Fast Fashion to Slow

Slow fashion is the answer to the fast fashion problem. As we’re discussing the fashion glut, it’s a good idea to consider this more sustainable philosophy, a glimmer of hope that could make consumers pause and think before they shop. Slow fashion is the antithesis of fast fashion; it encapsulates a sustainable way of shopping for fashionable clothes, choosing quality garments that will withstand the test of time because they are manufactured with excellent materials and styled classically so they last. 

Vintage has become a glamorous buzzword, depicting fashion-forward people with the savvy to reuse clothes in their wardrobe or give a second life to worn clothing found in myriad vintage stores worldwide. These stores make a fortune by offering quality second-hand designer goods at excellent prices. Buying vintage is the perfect opportunity to show your unique creative edge, rather than dressing in the latest trend.

It's also an opportunity to purchase a designer brand at an affordable price. Once these clothes are ‘gently worn’, their price drops exponentially. Those who can afford to buy top designer clothing at the drop of a hat often wear the clothes once or twice before discarding them. In the current economic climate, even those with champagne budgets are happy to be paid a few pounds for something they won’t wear a second time.

If we consider the importance of recycling our own – or someone else’s – old clothes, we’ll be doing the planet a favour. When we purchase a quality second-hand pair of shoes, a jacket, or another gorgeous garment, we extend the life of that item. We’re being sustainable. And we’re not rushing online to purchase fast fashion clothes. We’ve changed our mindset, because we’re aware these garments will end up in landfill just like the rest of the season’s ‘latest trend’.

 If you need further assistance regarding temptation from inexpensive fast fashion garments, read our handy Guide to Combat Fabric Waste.

All About Circular Fashion

Another sustainable choice for purchasing fashion garments is ‘circular fashion’, clothing made from sustainably recycled fabrics. The term describes clothes that have gone ‘full circle’. The circular fashion industry uses materials in a way manufacturers aren’t currently doing. The fabrics made into fast fashion garments are not sustainable, or designed to be recycled or reused. This is what is known as ‘linear fashion’. Circular fashion focuses on reducing the amount of waste generated by manufacturing clothing, recycling fabrics and improving the fashion industry’s environmental footprint.

Circular fashion looks at manufacturing from a different perspective. It involves creating long-lasting and timeless items using eco-friendly materials that are recycled or upcycled and manufactured sustainably, using less water and energy and avoiding toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process. The focus is on recycling garments, which involves repairing existing clothing, perhaps transforming garments into something else.

Circular fashion is a transformative solution to the fast fashion industry; it also considers pollution and climate change. It provides an opportunity for creative minds to find innovative methods of producing clothing in an environmentally conscious way.

Follow Our Lead & Save the Environment

Follow our lead and embrace sustainability in your business. This is how maake increases our sustainability:

·      We believe in sustainable innovation: maake works daily to create less environmental impact when printing on fabric. We use 95% less energy when we print. We also use only 100% renewable energy resources, and our production process uses virtually no water.

·      Our fabric is ethically sourced: We purchase materials from trusted, ethical UK mills that are REACH-accredited. Some also have SEDEX accreditation. This way, we assist the local economy, which is another sustainable innovation, and reduce our carbon footprint.

·      We follow a Zero Waste policy: In our production and printing processes, we have implemented a ‘zero waste’ policy, which involves sending excess textiles and cut-offs for reuse in local schools, charities and educational institutions. At our North London mill, our machines are fitted with energy-saving cut-off switches to reduce consumption when not in use. We also recycle paper and ink waste so that these don’t end up in landfills.

Read about how maake minimises fabric and ink waste here.