Clothing in Britain is increasingly characterised by a high volume/low value approach to business. Judging by past precedent, consumers will discard some 680m items of clothing when they spring clean their wardrobes this year. Replacements are cheap: dresses can be bought for as little as £5 from online retailers (indeed, a mere £3.75, reduced 25%, in Boohoo’s current sale).

Cheap prices are praised for providing wider access to consumers. Fashion retailers argue that they are a sign of efficiency. But there is a dark side.

A new report from the Environmental Audit Committee enquiry into sustainable fashion reveals how consumers are only benefiting from cheap clothes at considerable cost to the environment and through exploitation of poor and vulnerable garment workers.

The environmental impact of fashion is well known. Cotton production uses large amounts of pesticides and water, while synthetic fibres such as polyester are derived from finite oil supplies. Bamboo, increasingly used as a cotton replacement, sounds pleasingly natural but is a semi-synthetic fibre, the production process of which involves the use of chemicals such as caustic soda. And while British consumers with an environmental conscience may feel less guilty as they take their unwanted garments to a charity store or vintage shop, many of these end up in landfill or incinerated because they cannot attract buyers – domestically or overseas.