Planet
Fast fashion has completely revolutionised the apparel industry, but not for the better. Behind every article of clothing you see in a store is an industry that depletes the planet’s finite resources and takes advantage of the labour force employed in its garment factories. This industry generates enormous waste, which depletes healthy soil, pollutes our air, oceans, forests, fresh water supplies, and damages ecosystems and the health of their biodiversity. This ecological agenda is explored in the first pillar “Planet.”
In order to reduce waste and the environmental impact of the fashion industry, a circular economy is a sustainable strategy that emphasises designing long-lasting and recyclable clothing, encouraging repair and upcycling, using eco-friendly materials, guaranteeing ethical production, and promoting responsible consumption, although, currently the fashion industry produces over 100 billion garments a year and 87% of these will end up in a landfill or an incinerator (approximately 40 million tons) with only 1% recycled. Moreover, the average person today buys 60% more items of clothing than they did 15 years ago, but only keeps them for half as long. The average garment may be worn as few as ten times before disposal, making the fashion industry one of the least sustainable industries in the world that is responsible for more pollution than the aviation and shipping industry combined (United Nations).
A significant global movement towards sustainable fashion practices should be implemented to solve these problems. Adopting eco-friendly materials, minimising waste through recycling and upcycling, and ensuring ethical working conditions throughout the supply chain are all part of this. By encouraging responsible buying habits and ecologically friendly production techniques, sustainable fashion is aligned with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDG), mainly SDG 12 and eventually works to create a more just and environmentally conscious society.
The well-known fashion company Patagonia is renowned for its steadfast dedication to sustainability and social responsibility. Their comprehensive strategy includes using recycled materials, acquiring Fair Trade certification to guarantee fair wages and secure working conditions, implementing the innovative Worn Wear programme that extends product lifespans, actively promoting product repair and recycling, making substantial environmental donations, and maintaining an open supply chain. Patagonia’s initiatives perfectly exemplify the values of the 12th UN SDG, “Responsible Consumption and Production,” by lowering waste, promoting moral workplace behaviour, and inspiring customers to make sustainable decisions. They are a remarkable example of a fashion business actively promoting a more responsible and sustainable sector.
bibliography
Fashion for the Earth (2023) Earth Day. Available at: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/sustainable-fashion/ (Accessed: 09 October 2023).
Perrett, M. (2016) Patagonia launches UK environment campaign in London’s Shoreditch, Campaign UK. Available at: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/patagonia-launches-uk-environment-campaign-londons-shoreditch/1414216 (Accessed: 09 October 2023).
Sustainable consumption and production (no date) United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/ (Accessed: 09 October 2023).