My Story

I’m Jackie Zha
And this is how I went from not knowing about sustainability to advocating for it…

A few years ago, one of the leading clothing brands that I would buy from was H&M. I would always go into the store to look for any new hoodies or jeans whenever I was in the mall, and I rarely thought twice of any purchases I made. That was until

Person wearing sunglasses sitting on a sandy beach with ocean waves in the background under a clear blue sky.
Clothing store wall with hanging vintage t-shirts, a shelf with sneakers, and a rack of t-shirts.

I saw a TikTok about fast fashion talking about H&M and their mass production, quick rotation of clothes, and lack of transparency.

Further research revealed the extent of fast fashion and how much it affected the planet. In the grand scheme of things,

according to the United Nations (UN), fast fashion contributes to approximately 10% of global emissions which is greater than the emission of both aviation and shipping combined.

What is even worse is that fast fashion uses an extreme amount of natural resources:

One pair of jeans uses 2,000 gallons of water

Synthetic materials (polyester) use around 342 million tonnes of oil a year

Clothing production uses around 43 million tons of chemicals a year

In turn, these clothes release thousands of microplastics and chemicals when washed which then spreads into water sources, ecosystems, and the food chains. According to a report in 2017 by the

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN),35% of microplastics in the ocean is because of fashion. As a result, we consume these harmful materials through food and water, which can affect our digestion, respiratory system, etc.

Person wearing a brown hoodie and glasses, sitting outside at night, using a smartphone.

After realizing the environmental impacts, I started to feel a sense of guilt and commitment, but the worst thing was, I didn’t know what to do.

I couldn’t throw all my clothes away and didn’t even know where to shop anymore: half of the stores I knew were unsustainable.

This is why I created Sustainable Apparel and Fast-Fashion Education (SAFE):

to inform others the consequences of fast fashion, but most importantly, to help others understand what their favorite brands are doing to improve the sustainability of their practices.

Black and white image of a person sitting on an ornate bench outdoors with trees and lanterns in the background. The person is wearing a dark outfit and sneakers, with two water bottles on the bench beside them.

The mission statement of the S.A.F.E. podcast is to educate you on the supply chain of different apparel brands so that you as a consumer can make more intentional purchase decisions.

Ultimately, I hope you never have to feel lost or disappointed that your favorite fashion brand is unsustainable. Together, with clear changes to our shopping habits, we can make a direct impact that is best for our planet.

INFORM. UNDERSTAND. EMPOWER.