In Toulouse, Extinction Rebellion wants to educate consumers about the damage of “fast fashion”
They are likely in front of major ready-to-wear brands to point out the overconsumption of clothing during this sales period. Activists from environmental movement Extinction Rebellion mobilized this Saturday, rue d’Alsace-Lorraine: one of the main shopping streets in the center of Toulouse.
They posed with their signs in front of shops to challenge consumers on what they call “fast fashion” or disposable fashion: clothes made in low-cost countries which do not respect – according to them – neither the workers nor the ‘environment. A system that must be put to an end at all costs for Marie (assumed name), one of the spokespersons for Extinction Rebellion Toulouse: “We want to flag brands that are mistraining their people and the planet, at the same time. We often talk about Zara or Primark, but there is also the internet brand Shein which is suspected of profiting from the exploitation of Uyghurs (a Muslim minority repressed by the Chinese government, editor’s note). They are known to be exploited to produce clothes under indecent conditions. The consumer has a role to play by avoiding buying from these brands and favoring other places of purchase. We are aware that some people cannot afford to switch to more ethical brands because they are more expensive. The solution is to try to buy only what is useful to us. and not to consume them just because we live in a society that pushes us to that.”
shared consumers
Hélène, met in rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, is torn: “The situation of the people who make these clothes touches me, But _it is true that because of the prices, we are often tempted._But it is inadmissible that children or underpaid people are made to work: it makes me think more and more and I try to buy less and less on sites or stores of this kind.”
Léa, a student, claims to give in to the sirens of “fast fashion” out of necessity: “I have a small budget, I don’t necessarily have a choice, in fact. When you go to certain shops, when you are looking for a t-shirt, it is 25 euros, whereas _you know you can pay 5 euros on the side_, The choice is quickly made.”
Thomas has embarked on a process of reducing his consumption of clothing: “What I have a problem with is that some stores are profiting from the exploitation. But there are also _the exploitation of children in Bangladesh and the ecological impact of the manufacture of these garments_. It’s quite problematic. Personally, I try to buy less and make do with what I have to limit my purchases in the kind of shops.”