Nowadays, everyone seems to be obsessed with fast fashion, and for good reason, it's mass-produced and cheap. It's trendy, and new designs can be made quickly to keep up with the latest "thing" or controversial issue someone wants to wear on their t-shirt. The appeal is understandable... Who doesn't love being able to buy a new outfit for every day of the week without breaking the bank? But before you go on your next shopping spree, let me give you a few reasons why fast fashion is not only bad for your wallet, but also for the environment.

1. The materials used to make the garments are extremely low quality. Poor quality, generally synthetic fabrics used by fast fashion brands don't only wear down after a few of wears; they also take hundreds of years to degrade. If you ask me, spending money on something you can only wear a few times is wasteful. And adding to a mountain of trash that will exist for centuries is even worse.

2. The fast fashion industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to wasting resources like water and polluting the environment. According to Bloomberg, the fashion industry is responsible for close to 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water. You see, the environmental cost is NOT a line item on your receipt. Currently, that cost is being subsidized by future generations who will be impacted.

3. The fast fashion industry is a major contributor to the exploitation of workers in third world nations. Workers in the fast fashion industry are generally given poverty wages and subjected to deplorable working conditions since the industry often outsources manufacturing to nations with cheap labor. If you do this, you are contributing to environmental degradation and enabling the exploitation of individuals who are trying to earn a life.

While fast fashion may seem inexpensive at first glance, it typically comes with lots of hidden costs. Remember this while you shop for your next wardrobe addition!