MPs to examine the impact of fast fashion

Clothing bosses have been asked by MPs (BSE: MPSLTD.BO - news) to reveal their environmental record, due to concerns about fast fashion.

Fast (Shanghai: 600391.SS - news) fashion is the phrase for high street imitations of designer wear, intended to last for only a few months.

There are concerns that it has led to a rise in the amount of clothing bought and, therefore, a rise in the amount being dumped each year.

There are also concerns that the industry is seeing an increase in poor working conditions in the factories that produce fast fashion.

Westminster's environmental audit committee has asked 10 bosses at UK clothes shops to reveal their environmental record, including those at Marks & Spencer (Frankfurt: 534418 - news) , Primark, Next (Frankfurt: 779551 - news) , Tesco (Frankfurt: 852647 - news) , Asda and Sports Direct.

Some of the bosses will be invited to parliament to face further questions from November.

Committee chairwoman Mary Creagh said: "The way we design, produce and discard our clothes has a huge impact on our planet.

"Fashion and footwear retailers have a responsibility to minimise their environmental footprint and make sure the workers in their supply chains are paid a living wage.

"We want to hear what they are doing to make their industry more sustainable."

The UK fashion industry is worth £28bn a year and people in the UK are buying twice as much clothing as 10 years ago and more than people in any other European country.

Meanwhile, a single load of washing can release 700,000 fibres into wastewater, according to research from the University of Plymouth.

And the fashion industry globally produced more CO2 emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined in 2015, according to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.