Planet
Worth over $2.5 trillion and employing more than 75 million people worldwide, the fashion industry represents a significant part of our economy and is the largest contributor to global sustainability challenges. It’s unfortunate that a lot of manufacturing processes involve unsustainable materials and practices. Many of these problems stem from Fast Fashion, where brands quickly produce new styles at low cost, which has become increasingly popular in recent years due to being affordable and easily accessible. The increase in textile waste is accompanied by a decrease in quality clothing over time.
The term sustainability is often used to refer to programs, initiatives, and actions that aim to protect a particular resource across three pillars: environment, economy, and society (also informally referred to as planet, profit, and people). The goal of environmental sustainability is to consume natural resources at a rate that allows to renew themselves. The importance of international collaboration in promoting sustainable fashion is due to the globalization of fashion value chains, which has a significant impact on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the fourth UN Environment Meeting (UNEA-4), the UN Sustainable Fashion Alliance was launched to combat fashion’s environmentally and socially harmful practices. By analyzing efforts to make fashion sustainable, identifying solutions and gaps in action, and presenting these findings to governments to initiate policy, the alliance enhances cooperation between UN agencies. Global efforts are being made by many other international organizations to promote more sustainable fashion. Nike has set sustainability goals that aim to minimize their environmental footprint by analyzing their supply chain to ‘use less, use better, and reuse’.
Manufacturing industries and brands are constantly working towards reducing their carbon footprint, packaging waste, water usage, and overall environmental impact. But some brands hide their behavior behind Greenwashing, misleading the public into thinking they are making efforts to protect the environment. Also, companies have come to realize that these sustainable initiatives also have a positive financial impact. One of the sustainable fashion trends (following Corporate Social Responsibility, Sharing Economy, Technological Innovation, Consumer Awareness), is Circular Economy, which involves recycling, reusing, upcycling, reselling, and renting old clothes. PacSun announced on World Cotton Day last October that it would launch the ‘PacDenim for Good’ initiative by joining Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green program. “As a brand committed to inspiring positive growth through fashion, we believe small changes today will lead to a better tomorrow,” said Brie Olson, president of PacSun.
As a result, reducing the amount of waste and pollution while continuing to produce the fashionable clothing that consumers deserve is crucial to the future of the world.
Bibliography:
https://www.hercircle.in/engage/get-inspired/trending/creative-yet-sustainable-all-about-copernis-spray-on-dress-3579.html Creative Yet Sustainable All About Coperni’s Spray-On Dress, Team Her Circle, 2022
The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Fashion, Sandra Keiser ,Phyllis G. Tortora, 2021, circular economy, page 29
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/sustainable-business/0/steps/78337 The four pillars of sustainability, RMIT University, 2017
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10946-greenwashing.html What Is Greenwashing?, Carlyann Edwards, 2023