Overproduction undermines fast fashion’s sustainability claims

Fast fashion companies are promoting sustainable materials and circularity, but their high-volume, trend-driven business model remains fundamentally at odds with sustainability. Javad Nasiry, professor of operations management at McGill Desautels, argues that producing inexpensive clothing at high speed often compromises quality, limiting how long garments can remain in use or circulate through resale markets.

He also cautions that reducing the environmental impact of individual products does not necessarily reduce a company’s total footprint when production volumes continue to grow. “The fast fashion business model, by design, is difficult, if not altogether impossible, to be made sustainable,” Nasiry said. Meaningful progress, he suggests, will require addressing overproduction rather than relying primarily on sustainable materials and other green initiatives.