60% of all clothing produced ends up being incinerated or sent to a landfill within 1 year. Our collective consumption of low-cost, low-quality apparel has more than quadrupled in the last thirty years and this glorified focus on bargain hunting at the expense of all else is not only decimating the planet, but also exploiting its most vulnerable women in the process. Most of our apparel is now made from cheap synthetic fibers such as polyester (plastic), which are produced from fossil fuels and take hundreds of years to decompose, creating enormous waste and contributing to global warming. Average Americans buy around 70 pieces of apparel each year and only regularly wear about 18% of what they have in their closet. (guilty!) Apparel production is a dirty business, requiring an incredible amount of natural resources and the process results in the runoff of pesticides and chemicals into water supplies around the world, polluting the earth and causing human health problems. Our well-meaning donations are drowning foreign countries in our trash to the point that many are actively rejecting our castoffs. Our current rate of consumption and disposal is unsustainable but is expected to grow exponentially as the global population and consumption rates increase. The industry needs an overhaul and fortunately, brilliant minds are at work and there are many easy (and free) steps you can take to minimize your impact.