Australians are in the grip of a toxic relationship with fast fashion. Fashion is a great way to express our personalities to the world – and fast fashion is a cheap and easy way to update our looks. Yet fast fashion also comes at a huge cost to the environment.

It has resulted in what’s known as the sustainable fashion movement; a movement that’s being embraced by Camberwell Junction.

Every piece of clothing manufactured has a huge environmental impact. Fast fashion is often produced overseas, in countries that have low environmental standards. A large amount of energy and water goes into its production, and additional carbon is emitted transporting it into Australia and to stores.

Fast fashion is not made to last, which means we buy more of it, more often, exacerbating the problem. Then, the items are sent to landfill, creating another environmental issue.

It’s estimated that every year every Australian acquires and throws out 23 kilograms of clothing and textiles. Ninety per cent of this ends up in landfill.

So bad is fast fashion to the environment that recently clothing textile waste was added to the National Priority Waste List alongside electronics, and plastic oil containers.

The good news is, at Camberwell’s Rotary Sunday Market and the Camberwell Junction shopping precinct, you can still indulge your love of fashion and also be part of the sustainable solution.

Here’s how.