Planet
When it comes down to operating in a sustainable and ethical manner in fashion, we can look to the pillar of planet. The aim is to keep finite resources in closed loop, considering that the fashion industry is a major contributor to world pollution and climate change, this should be promptly prioritised.
‘’More than USD 500 billion of value is lost every year due to clothing underutilisation and the lack of recycling.’’(Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
There are many local and large-scale solutions to this issue, which include pushing towards a circular fashion economy. This system can be defined as regenerative, aiming to circulate garments for as long as possible before returning them safely to the biosphere at the end of their lifetime. There are three key principles of circular fashion: keeping clothes in use, using renewable and safe materials, and up-cycling. These principles minimise waste along with reducing resource depletion.
Sustainability in regard to fashion involves prioritising quality over quantity, in attempts to prolong the lifespan of the garment preventing unnecessary waste. It has the potential to reconstruct the fashion sector at its core, conditioning everyone working in the industry along with everybody who comes into contact with fashion and textiles. (Fashion & Sustainability, K. Fletcher & Lynda Grose. 2012). By encouraging individuals to shop pre-loved garments, along with repurposing, repairing and recycling the clothes they already own, sustainability in fashion gains popularity and contributes to the UN’s sustainable development goal (SDG) of Production and Consumption.
The 12th SDG involves ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. This is fundamental in order to sustain the livelihoods of not only future generations, but our current one. (UN.org). As the world’s population continues to grow, our planet is running out of resources. The fashion industry produces 20 percent of global water waste, and 10 percent of global carbon emissions. If the current consumption rate continues, there will be three times as many natural resources needed by 2050.
This particular Sustainable Development Goal has huge links with the fashion industry, as “Fashion is not a sector that exists in a vacuum. In fact, the fashion industry is not unlike any other key economic drivers; it is a key component of a global economy and certainly an important sector to consider when thinking about the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.” (Planet Earth & Fashion lecture, Katarina Rimarcikova 2/10/23).