![\"retail-prices\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/retail-prices.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nData: Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/em><\/p>\n As new products are pumped out into Forever21 storefronts daily, customers are shopping more often than they have ever before. According to the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Americans purchased roughly 63.7 garments in 2013, which is more than one item of clothing each week on average [3].<\/p>\n This self-reinforcing cycle has serious consequences on climate change and the environment at large. Because fast-fashion apparel is so inexpensive, customers do not need to think twice when disposing of clothing they no longer want. The US Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s 2013 report stated that clothing and footwear generated 11.1 million tons of waste in 2013 [4]. This waste has major ramifications on the environment: chemicals from color-treated fabric can seep into groundwater from the landfill and release toxins into the air if the waste is incinerated [5].<\/p>\n The fast-fashion carbon footprint extends across the entire supply chain. Raw material is often sourced from countries like China or India. However, to keep prices as low as possible, fast-fashion players have started to shift manufacturing processes to countries with dirt cheap labor, such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. Raw materials are shipped to garment factories, and the finished products are shipped to retail stores worldwide. The shipment of goods across countries requires substantial transport resources, which drives up greenhouse gas emissions. Although Forever21 ships via sea versus air to curb its carbon emissions [6], one cargo ship can still produce as many pollutants as 50 million cars annually [7].<\/p>\n So, what exactly is Forever21 currently doing?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Forever21 has taken a number of steps to improve upon its energy efficiency and decrease its carbon footprint. At the store level, Forever21 has committed to using \u201cenergy efficient lighting systems to vastly cut down on the energy usage.\u201d In 2015, Forever21 installed a 5.1 megawatt solar installation on top of its DC warehouse, which is estimated to reduce production of carbon dioxide by 13 million pounds per year [6]. In addition, the company has committed to help push forth Los Angeles\u2019 Feed-in Tariff program; the target goal is to generate 33% of total energy from renewable energy sources in 2020 [6].<\/p>\n Forever21 Los Angeles headquarters\/warehouse <\/em><\/p>\n Is this enough?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n While Forever21 has taken initial strides in the right direction, it is far from where it needs to be to be. To cut down on its environmental impact, Forever21 will need to rethink how it operates its entire supply chain process, from the sourcing of raw material, operations in its garment factories, to delivery of its product to its retail stores.<\/p>\n Above all, the biggest hurdle for the company is figuring out how to reposition its consumer-facing strategy to best market eco-friendly fashion products, a major challenge in an industry in which \u201cenvironment\u201d and \u201cfashion-forward\u201d are frequently perceived as contradictions. Many fast-fashion enthusiasts are, at best, neutral towards sustainable fashion and, at worst, completely uninterested in environmental issues. However, the purchasing decisions of these individuals are heavily influenced not only by their own individual attitudes, but also by relevant social norms [9]. Forever21 must recalibrate its marketing strategy towards addressing just that \u2013 making sustainable fashion the \u201cnew normal\u201d and not just an afterthought for fashion-conscious consumers.<\/p>\n The unsustainable nature of the fast-fashion industry is very much a \u201cchicken or the egg\u201d problem. Forever21 must make the first move. As to whether to purchase the $5 sweatshirt: the ball is now in your court.<\/p>\n Word count: 798 words<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n [1] \u201c#96: Forever 21; America\u2019s Largest Private Companies,\u201d Forbes.<\/u> http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/companies\/forever-21\/<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [2] Bain, Marc. \u201cThe Neurological Pleasures of Fast Fashion,\u201d The Atlantic.<\/u> March 25, 2015. http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/entertainment\/archive\/2015\/03\/the-neurological-pleasures-of-modern-shopping\/388577\/<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [3] \u201cApparelStats 2014 and ShoeStats 2014 Reports,\u201d American Apparel & Footwear Association.<\/u> January 9, 2015. https:\/\/www.wewear.org\/apparelstats-2014-and-shoestats-2014-reports\/<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [4] \u201cAdvancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures 2013,\u201d United States Environmental Protection Agency.<\/u> June 2015. https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/sites\/production\/files\/2015-09\/documents\/2013_advncng_smm_rpt.pdf<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [5] Wicker, Alden. \u201cFast Fashion is Creating an Environmental Crisis,\u201d Newsweek.<\/u> September 2, 2016. http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/2016\/09\/09\/old-clothes-fashion-waste-crisis-494824.html<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [6] \u201cForever 21 and Corporate Social Responsibility,\u201d Forever 21 Official Website.<\/u> http:\/\/www.forever21.com\/Careers\/SocialResponsibility.aspx?br=f21<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [7] \u201cFast Fashion is the Second Dirtiest Industry in the World, Next to Big Oil,\u201d EcoWatch.<\/u> August 17, 2015. http:\/\/www.ecowatch.com\/fast-fashion-is-the-second-dirtiest-industry-in-the-world-next-to-big–1882083445.html<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [8] Shen, Bin, \u201cSustainable Fashion Supply Chain: Lessons from H&M,\u201d http:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/6\/9\/6236\/htm<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n [9] McNeill, Lisa and Rebecca Moore, \u201cSustainable fashion consumption and the fast fashion conundrum: fashionable consumers and attitudes to sustainability in clothing choice,\u201d http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu\/doi\/10.1111\/ijcs.12169\/epdf<\/a> Accessed November 2016.<\/p>\n Image Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Cover photo: http:\/\/www.forever21.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n