Planet
This blog aims to educate and reaffirm the massive negative impact the fashion industry has on the planet, giving knowledge of what the circular economy is, what is sustainability in relation to fashion, and how the fashion industry is negatively impacting climate change (section 13 from the SDG).
The fashion industry is known as one of the highest waste industries in the world, not only for the disposing of a huge amount of unused and unwanted products, but for how expensive it is to make such products.
The circular economy is designing garments with 4 pillars in mind: Durability, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. This is so the materials can circulate around the economy and create less waste. This is made as a guide for designers when making garments, however, the ‘CE (circular economy) should not be seen as a replacement for sustainability.’ Alison Gwilt 2020 p11 and as such, it should be in addition to confirming the products they send for (manufacture) are being produced in the right environment, by the right people. ‘More than $100 billion worth of garments are at risk of being the product of forced labour were imported into G20 countries in 2017.’ Orsula De Castro 2021 p37-38
In more recent years, the high street has made fashion more accessible and garments are being made quickly and cheaply, especially since China has opened its international borders for production. The general public now has access to inexpensive, fast fashion, and it has become the norm to buy and throw away garments and buy something new, especially as these cheaply made garments wear and tear easily, creating more waste. This leads to a cycle of consumerism and waste.
The SDG is a UN agreement made by 193 countries to become sustainable, concluding with 17 goals one of which being climate change. Climate change has affected the world drastically and will continue to, the fashion industry has certainly contributed to this. A report from the UN states ‘Between 2010 and 2020, highly vulnerable regions, home to approximately 3.3- 3.6 billion people experienced 15 times higher mortality rates from floods, droughts and storms.’ The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 p38 A factor affecting these droughts will have been due to how much water is consumed to make garments such as a cotton t-shirt needing 2700 litres and denim jeans needing 1500 gallons for just one garment.
In conclusion, the fashion industry has had a negative impact on the planet and it needs to quickly change into using more sustainable methods, following the SDG Guidelines as well as the circular economy and meeting changing demands from its consumers.