No clothing is worth the destruction of the Earth. However, the fast fashion industry appears to disagree. This industry is one of the most unsustainable businesses in the world because of its practice of continuously overproducing clothing that will never be worn or bought by consumers. Every second, they dump a garbage truck equivalent of unsold clothing into landfills or incinerators. These disposal methods are unsustainable for the environment as clothing in landfills leaches chemicals into the soil and groundwater while incineration unleashes excess amounts of CO2 into the air.

Forever 21 is one of the biggest fast fashion companies in the world with an annual earning of over $4 billion. Currently, they have no plan or policy to recycle or donate their excess clothing. Forever 21 should adopt sustainable practices and commit to no longer sending their unsold garments to landfills or incinerators. By doing so, they can be at the forefront of change and help push the industry in a positive direction that will help to protect the planet.

— Amy Arnes, Sunnyvale

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