Young women are leading the charge against fast fashion, study finds

A new study has found that more than 50 per cent of young people want to ‘turn their backs on fast fashion’, Saman Javed reports

A young woman shops at a second-hand market (Getty Images)

Last month, the Office for National Statistics reported that three quarters of the British public felt worried about the climate crisis ahead of the United Nations’ Cop26 conference which was held in Glasgow. One of the biggest polluters across the world is the fashion industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions every year.

The need for a more sustainable fashion industry was highlighted at the climate conference by several high-profile figures, including British designer Stella McCartney. Despite the ongoing success of many fast fashion companies – Boohoo reported a revenue of more than £975 million in the six months to August this year, a 20 per cent increase on last year – public attitudes are shifting, a new study has found.

According to a survey of 2,094 adults, commissioned by the University of Hull, more than half of young people aged between 18 and 24 (58 per cent) want to “turn their backs on fast fashion” and change their shopping habits.