Planet Blog
Planet, one of the 4 pillars behind the Fashion business school, it really focuses on the ways in which business and companies can be more sustainable in regard to their designing, making, and distributing. It allows the businesses to rethink their decisions as well as aid them into making more concise and conscious choices in favour of the environment. A way in which businesses can help this fight for the environment is through using the Circular Economy. This is a diverse model in comparison to the regular linear model, where garment’s life spans are maintained and prolonged, as well as reducing waste and pollution. This is mostly done through repairing, upcycling, reusing fabrics and fibres, and regifting the garments. Throughout the pre-industrial world this concept was widely used because clothes were considered a luxury. The common people would “adapt their dresses” to demonstrate the changing of trends, as well as repairing and fixing the clothes in order to “extend their wear”. (Hethorn & Ulasewicz 2015). The world has gotten used to the idea of overconsumption of clothes, and there is a big problem with the amount of fabric and resources wasted, 85% of textiles are sent to landfills this is 21 billion tons a year. (Rimarcikova 2023). In addition to this waste, synthetic fabrics cannot be broken down, it takes 600 years for a fishing net to degrade. Overproduction and consumption within the fashion industry is ruining the planet , in fact 1.2 billion tonnes of Co2 gas is emitted annually by the fashion industry alone. Nevertheless, big brands and companies such as Fibersort and Worn again technologies have been developing and creating new fibres which can be recycled. They are named biofibres, some examples are Pinatex made from pineapple leaf fibres, orange fibre made from citrus by products and Microsilk, which is created from spider silk threads. (Gwilt, 2020). Indicating that some organisations within the fashion industry are to understand the consequences and are trying to correct them. Furthermore, the sustainability battle has been overshadowed by the United Nation’s 17 Sustainability Development Goals. Goal 12: responsible consumption and production is the most relevant in regard to the fashion industry. The predominant example is exhaustion of the world’s natural resources and the high levels of wastage produced. Although, in relation to this goal some manufacturers have started to use the concept Just in Time (JIT). This means products can be manufactured 30/40% quicker, and there being no unnecessary stock. (Gwilt 2020). Reducing waste as well as emissions from production levels.
Hethorn, J., & Ulasewicz, C. (eds). (2015). Sustainable Fashion: What’s Next? A Conversation about Issues, Practices and Possibilities. New York: Bloomsbury
Rimarckiova, K. (2023) Planet, Earth and Fashion (assessed 2nd October 2023).
Gwilt, A. (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion.