Planet
– Nowadays, luxury is not only a typical description for high jewelry or garments from expensive brands but also can be used for describing resources. The fashion industry as known is one of the largest industries in the world. However, it also is the second most polluting industry in the world. Almost every part of the fashion industry might harm the planet, such as from production to distribution. For instance, an investigation from Columbia University, that found cotton production consumes a large amount of water. And microplastic pollution as plastic fabric production. (Cho, 2021) People should be aware that the resource on the planet is limited.
– European parliament explained that “circular economy is a model of production and consumption”, which is aimed to extend the life cycle of products. (European Parliament, 2023) As Gwilt. As mentioned in the book, there are five main stages of a fashion garment’s life cycle: design, production, distribution, use, and end-of-life. Fashion designers play a significant role in the whole life cycle, as should consider whether all the resources can be recycled or biodegradable. In Gwilt’s book, chapter one said most textile waste will be discarded into landfills or incinerated. Gwilt (2020). Therefore, the fabric that the designer uses should be considered can be recyclable or when incinerated will not produce harmful gases to reduce the most impact.
– Nowadays, fast fashion and other niche design brands are growing rapidly. People easily get cheap and nice fashion products, resulting in many a way fashion product becoming disposable. For instance, people might only wear few times, then no longer use them anymore or just throw them which leads to textile waste. Therefore, not only fashion designers should consider how sustainable garments are designed but also as a consumer should be aware that a lifecycle of fashion products is recyclable or reusable. In order to reduce the negative impact while producing products, people prefer using natural or biodegradable ingredients. This type of material does not use any herbicide or fertilizer and uses less water and energy efficiency to save resources as well.
– There are 17 goals in SDG in total, many of which can be relevant to and impact the fashion industry. Take goal 13 as an example, which is climate change. From some perspectives, the fashion industry is accelerating climate change and plastic pollution. As the Greenpeace website mentions overproduction was the main reason for fuel climate change and plastic pollution. (Abelvik-Lawson, 2023) Nowadays, although there are many recyclable fabrics or new technology fabrics in the market, polyester still is the most commonly used one. However, this type of fabric is made from plastic, and it cannot be broken down or recycled which results in plastic pollution.
Bibliography
Abelvik-Lawson, H. (2023). How fast fashion fuels climate change, pollution and violence. [online] Greenpeace UK. Available at: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/fast-fashion-climate-change-pollution-violence/.
Cho, R. (2021). Why Fashion Needs to Be More Sustainable. [online] State of the Planet. Available at: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/06/10/why-fashion-needs-to-be-more-sustainable/.
European Parliament (2023). Circular economy: definition, Importance and Benefits | News | European Parliament. [online] www.europarl.europa.eu. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/economy/20151201STO05603/circular-economy-definition-importance-and-benefits.
Gwilt, A. (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. Bloomsbury Publishing.