Protest against fast fashion

Islamabad:Youth climate activists protested against fast fashion in Pakistan in front of brands causing high level of consumption, pollution caused by constantly making new designs of clothing, and resources wasted because of these trends.

Young activists made posters in different languages like Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, English and Urdu to explain what fast fashion is and how Pakistani and international brands are contributing to this by hopping on trends. Activists from Peshawar and Karachi also participated in this online protest.

Hania Imran, organiser of the protest, said, “Fast fashion means new clothes constantly being made for new trends and being sold at cheap prices, causing environmental degradation. Clothes get wasted as well, as not all are being bought. Making these clothes is causing pollution in our lakes and wasting many resources. This is why we call it fast fashion, because the clothes quickly get made and then thrown out.”

Marina Saíd, one of the protesters said that fast fashion directly impacts environment and the basic rights of workers. “We need change and action in Pakistan for industries and us as consumers, no more or no less one action can bring change,” she said.

Arishah Tahir Bhutta, another protester, said that fast fashion is not just a crime against humanity in developing nations but is also a criminal act of polluting the world. “The more we indulge in it, the more we allow this crime to normalise. So we stand here not only for the rights of our people but also for the cause of our planet.”

Ammar Murtaza, commented that fast fashion causes divergent forms of environmental pollution. “To sustain this issue we as consumers should buy less and wear more. Industries manufacturing clothes should use organic cotton which can minimise the environmental impact.”

Sophia, an activist, said, “The climate crisis is looming nearer. We the youth are questioning if we will even have a future! So today we stand here to let people know that making a simple change and buying second hand clothes will help us tackle this crisis.”

The protesters raised awareness and asked corporations, the government and big Pakistani and international brands to think about what they are doing and to act on reversing the climate crisis urgently.

Youth climate Activists is a group of 60+ activists from all over Pakistan working on stopping the climate crisis. According to them, fast fashion is a relatively lesser known phenomenon, but it is contributing to climate change on a massive scale.