Fast fashion and sustainability: For decades, roti, kapda aur makan—food, clothing, and shelter—have been seen as the basic pillars of dignity in India’s development narrative. Today, speed, scale, and disposability are redefining each of them. Instant meals replace slow cooking, trend-driven wardrobes push clothes into landfills, and concrete towers rise in weeks where farmlands stood for centuries. These are not mere lifestyle shifts; they are fuelling ecological stress and social inequities.
India, one of the largest textile producers, is also among the fastest-growing fashion markets. The age of influencer hauls and viral trends has made clothing disposable. It takes about 2,700 litres of water to make a cotton shirt and over 7,500 litres for a pair of jeans—enough to meet one person’s drinking water needs for seven years. Yet, most garments are worn fewer than ten times before being discarded.
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Environmental cost of fast fashion
Globally, fashion accounts for 10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 20% of industrial water pollution, much of it from textile dyeing. In Tiruppur, untreated dye effluents have turned rivers toxic. Polyester, a fast-fashion staple, sheds microplastics that add an estimated 500,000 tonnes to oceans each year.
France has moved ahead with a draft law aimed at ultra-fast fashion brands such as Shein and Temu. It proposes an “eco-contribution” tax of up to €10 per item, based on environmental impact, and bans advertising that promotes overconsumption. This builds on its 2022 law prohibiting the destruction of unsold clothing. The message is clear: if you pollute more, you pay more.
For India, ignoring these shifts is not an option. Exporters will face tightening sustainability-linked trade rules from the EU and other markets. A national roadmap for circular fashion is overdue—one that includes Extended Producer Responsibility, eco-labelling, textile recycling zones, and incentives for biodegradable fabrics.
The diet shift and its costs
As cities expand and lifestyles quicken, ultra-processed foods, quick-service restaurants, and app-based delivery are edging out seasonal, home-cooked meals. The environmental footprint is growing—energy-intensive cold chains, plastic packaging, and long-haul supply chains drive up emissions.
Public health is also paying the price. Diets high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats are pushing lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart ailments to record levels. Behind every Rs 129 burger is a chain of ecological and nutritional compromise—from pesticide-heavy monocultures to plastic waste that clogs drains and landfills.
A corrective lies in strengthening local food systems, reviving traditional diets, and promoting community kitchens. Urban policy can support composting, plastic-free kitchens, and rooftop farming—solutions that cut waste while improving nutrition.
The rise of fast housing
In the rush to deliver affordable shelter, India is embracing what may be called “fast housing”—high-rise, uniform projects prioritising speed and volume over sustainability. Wetlands, forests, and farmland are being replaced by glass-and-concrete structures that guzzle energy and fare poorly against heat, floods, and pollution.
Construction is responsible for nearly a quarter of India’s greenhouse gas emissions and is a voracious consumer of sand, steel, and water. Urban sprawl and speculative real estate are crowding out inclusive housing, replacing it with gated towers disconnected from public transport and green spaces.
Green building codes, incentives for climate-resilient vernacular architecture, and accountability for lifecycle emissions must become the norm. Housing ratings should assess energy and water performance, not just carpet area. The principle that drives France’s action on fast fashion—regulate the harmful, reward the sustainable—should guide India’s housing policy too.
Breaking the take–make–waste cycle
The common thread linking fast food, fast fashion, and housing is a linear consumption model: take, make, waste. What appears cheap at checkout is often subsidised by environmental damage and underpaid labour. From discarded polyester garments to plastic food wrappers and heat-trapping concrete cities, the real bill is paid by the planet.
India’s traditions already offer alternatives—khadi and handloom textiles, home-cooked regional cuisines, and vernacular architecture adapted to climate. These need modern reinforcements: better design, digital marketing, regulatory incentives, and fair pricing. Consumers also have power. Every meal ordered, garment bought, and apartment booked is a choice with political weight. Buying less, choosing well, repairing more, and demanding transparency are not lifestyle statements—they are acts of environmental responsibility.
The question is no longer whether food, clothing, and housing can be sustainable. It is whether we will demand that they are. If India wants to lead in sustainable development, it must begin by reimagining the basics. Fast consumption dazzles for now, but its costs are etched into our rivers, our soil, and the future we risk discarding.
Dr Chitra Saruparia is Assistant Professor (Economics), Assistant Dean (UG Council), and director, Centre of Economics at the Center of Economics, Law and Public Policy, National Law University, Jodhpur.