The True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion Introduction The True Cost by Andrew Morgan is a documentary film a
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The True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion
Introduction The True Cost by Andrew Morgan is a documentary film about the clothes we wear, how the people make them (chemicals, their salary a day or montly, the effects of harmful chemicals to their children). The true cost film is not about attractiveness to the clothing or excitement of the fashion trends. Instead it shows us the dark side of global fast fashion supply. A story about greed and fear, power and poverty. Examining the fashion human, social and enviromnetal cost. The team traveled over thirteen countries to collect information and they conducted interviews with different actors, influencers of fashion industry, including environmetalists, garment workers, factory owners etc.
Discussion The True Cost after Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013. After discovering the idustry’s human rights violations and environmental impacts encouraged them to make a documentary film. Morgan discusses how people can make a difference. As awareness to growing fashion industry imapacts on our world on careless production and endless consumption and who believe that there are better ways of making clothers. These are the famous brands on making high profit Topshop, Zara, H&M, Forever 21 etc. Patagonia, Rideway the VP of Environmental Affairs argues that without a reduction consumption, the health of our planet will continue to decline. And the overty will continue to risen up. They want the consumer to realize that true happiness is not achieved by owning more stuff and recognize the impacts of their consumption.
Human Cost In Bangladesh, garment workers only earn less than 3 dollars a day and those workers who are new only earn 10 dollars a month based on Shima Akhter (garment worker) salary. In the Rana Plaza disaster as the year 2013, thousands of people killed and many of them were injured and still they were forced back in to work. According to Morgan, the Rana Plaza incident brought into light of global inequities behind chea clothing and was a call to action. Workers have no voice and face difficulties demanding their rights. Shima states that they were beaten up by their managers for demanding better working conditions yet they are not giving their workers enough salaries for their works. The film light on high level of inequality and the fact that we are increasingly disconnected from the people who make our clothes.
Environmental Cost In the film, illustrates the environmental damage resulting from the industry’s massive growth. Morgan addresses that the garment industry is the second most polluting industry next to oil industry. Schragger oints out that a lot of resources we use are not accounted for the cost of producing clothes. Cotton represents nearly half of the total fiber used to make clothing today. But based on Pepper 80% of cotton has generatically modified using vast amounts of water and chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides have impacts on both land and human health. The skin is the largest organ on the body and these chemicals are assed into the bloodstream of the people who wera those clothes.
Social Cost On the other hand, the film also looks at the consumption side. Clothing has been something we used fo a long period of time, but with availability and accessibility of chea clothing it has becaome disposable. (Ozdamar-Ertekin and Atik 2015). As for Siegle states fast fashion instead of the tradictional two seasons a year, we now have fifty-two seasons a year. Which means that the stores have new coming clothes every week. In western countries the need for governments and corporations to have consumption at such high levels is the economic system.
Let the benefits be shared globally .
Insights/Reflection (Yarza) For me, as a student, this film is an eye opener. Some people will choose to harm you so that they will have good or high income. Film shows how greedy and selfish Americans are. It also breaks my heart watching those people risking their lives for us to have clothes to wear. They are risking their children’s health beacause of chemicals like pecticides. Plus they don’t have access in health care, not gaining enough salary. The fact that government should be the one whose fighting for their country but they chose to make money out of it. If I will buy clothes I will use it for a long time not like a chewing gum. We must stop using people like things and start treating them in human ways.
Conclusion and Recommendation