When you walk into H&M, the first thing you see are racks of clothing everywhere: against the

walls, lined up neatly into rows, spaced for walking room. The sea of colors blur your vision as you soak in the endless collection. If you are anything of a fashion-fanatic, the thought of this excites you.

H&M is one of the many clothing brands that sells trendy apparel at low prices. These so-called “fast-fashion” companies attract young, fashion-conscious shoppers with voracious appetites for designer lookalike pieces but no money to buy them.

The monetary price of fast-fashion clothing may not be high (ranges anywhere from $10 to $100), but the sacrifice of quality clothing is a problem. According to Newsweek, stores like Forever 21 or Zara manufacture their clothes from synthetic fibers like polyester, acrylic, rayon and nylon that are cheap and harmful to the environment. People are throwing away their clothes after wearing them only a couple of times; not so much because the clothing is poorly made, but rather that fast-fashion encourages that kind of recycling.

A study by the Fashion Theory Journal found that young millennials receive instant gratification when they buy a product from carrying stores. This is because they offer “of-the-moment design” and “evolving temporary identities,” a recent phenomenon that manifested itself into society. Young consumers are attracted to the variety of styles and the constant influx of new clothing, making clothes disposable and fun to buy.

Another appeal for budget consumers is the act of bargaining. According to The Atlantic, “The low costs mean people can buy things they don’t need without much thought. If a $30 dress or shirt drops to $20 or $15 on sale, it’s practically irresistible. That hedonic pleasure center in your brain lights up, with the price causing little competing pain.” There’s nothing better than getting a pair of $30 jeans for half the price.

The rate of consuming fast-fashion en masse exceeds the rate at which it can be disposed of. Multiple news outlets have confirmed that, annually, Americans throw away 80 pounds of clothes each, most of which end up in landfills. While people donate to organizations like GoodWill or Salvation Army, the mass amounts of low-quality clothing that filter into their systems end up doing more harm than good. Only 20 percent of clothing is sold, according to the Council for Textile Recycling, and charity organizations simply do not have enough resources to sort through the mounting piles.

It is not to say, of course, that all fast-fashion chains are ignorant of the negative effects of American fashion consumerism. In fact, H&M launched a recycling program in an effort to reuse the clothing people didn’t need anymore. While high-end designers like Stella McCartney have also launched a campaign for eco-friendly clothing, the fashion industry still has a long way to go.

Vanessa Friedman, New York Times Fashion Director and Chief Fashion Critic, points out that modern fashion sustainability is paradoxical: “On the one hand, we have the pressure to be new; on the other, the imperative to maintain.” This year, for example, fashion magazines and runways declared denim stylish; consequently, brands such as Zara advertise new styles of denim almost weekly.

Those who keep up with the fashion world would know that the “in” pair of jeans is constantly changing; from skinny to flare to boyfriend. This is counterintuitive, as consumers are less likely to reduce spending or buy responsibly when the expensive pair of designer jeans that they bought last week is suddenly falls out-of-style.

A question remains: Can the fashion industry satisfy the insatiable appetites of fast-fashion consumers while creating pieces that benefit the environment? The answer is maybe. The study by Fashion Theory showed that in the midst of the fast-fashion craze, some shoppers continued to buy better quality, long-lasting sustainable clothing from high-end, more environmentally conscious  brands. Turned off by cheap, mass-produced material, they preferred a more exclusive and minimalist wardrobe. Nevertheless, an overwhelming number of young fashion fanatics still favor the alternative — a quick fashion fix at Forever 21 or Old Navy.

Whether or not fashion brands can turn shoppers away from waste to sustainability, it is obvious that fast-fashion is here to stay. These companies are setting up shops in other countries at an alarming speed. It will take some time before consumers realize the detrimental consequences of fast-fashion.