Module 4: “How Your Addiction to Fast Fashion Kills” by Amy Odell

"I would say the problems at Rana Plaza are not specific to that building, and they're not just specific to the brands operating in that building" — they're pervasive in the whole country, where labor goes for 14 cents an hour.

The infrastructure is awful (an engineer saw cracks in Rana Plaza's facade the day before the collapse, but nothing was done about it), the workers sometimes don't even receive their wages, and local authorities don't enforce building codes.

The infrastructure is awful (an engineer saw cracks in Rana Plaza's facade the day before the collapse, but nothing was done about it), the workers sometimes don't even receive their wages, and local authorities don't enforce building codes.

"The reason we have fast fashion is the cheap exploited labor around the world," said Cline.

Also, in 2005 the U.S. government lifted quotas on imports, allowing U.S. companies to import as many clothes from impoverished nations as they wish, which experts believe really helped fuel the explosion of fast fashion.

Also, in 2005 the U.S. government lifted quotas on imports, allowing U.S. companies to import as many clothes from impoverished nations as they wish, which experts believe really helped fuel the explosion of fast fashion.

Those factories might subcontract to other factories, which makes it really hard for even companies that have reputable monitoring agencies to keep track of everything going on in the supply chain.

Ultimately, it's the companies' jobs to ensure their goods are ethically produced, however, "The companies are not filled with bad guys rubbing their hands together saying, who cares if we lose a couple hundred workers?" noted Susan Scafidi, a professor of fashion law at Fordham.

Eileen Fisher admits that not all of their manufacturing is perfect (some things are made in China, where factory conditions have improved drastically in the last decade) but they carry a lot of explicitly labeled fair trade and organic items.

After all, what would mean more to you as a consumer? Having one more super-cheap shirt, or waiting a little longer to buy a shirt but having the peace of mind knowing that shirt was made by workers treated not just humanely, but fairly?

Shopping is an emotional and often impulsive experience for most of us — we're looking for a cheap pick-me-up after a bad day, or a dress to impress a date.

"They've fed us fast fashion, they've fed us cheap and chic, and constantly changing [merchandise], and they've benefitted a lot from that. So they have to be partners with the American consumer in changing our shopping habits," Scafidi said.