PLANET

The fashion industry is recognised for many things, but sustainability isn’t one of them. Fashion constantly exploits limited resources to make pieces that majority of the time will end up in landfills. All whilst being responsible for up to 10% of global CO2 emissions and many other factors that make it critical to implement changes. Aligning with the United Nation’s Sustainable development goals by 2030 will be a worthwhile challenge to preserve the resources left and limit global warming. If nothing changes, the Apparel Impact Institute has published a report that predicts how much CO2 emissions are projected to grow.

Sustainability in fashion refers to a larger commitment to environmental and social responsibility. It means considering the environmental impact of resources, manufacturing methods, and distribution throughout the supply chain. Stella McCartney is an example of another luxury brand by using alternative and innovative materials like MIRUM “an entirely plastic-, fossil fuel- and water-free alternative to animal leather” (MIRUM® Plastic-Free Alternative to Animal Leather | Stella McCartney UK, no date) made using 100% natural ingredients like cotton and rubber. However, cotton is a widely used natural fabric that factors into the overconsumption of water at a staggering rate of 93 billion cubic meters used each year, which is enough drinking water for five million people (The World Bank, 2019). As a result, Stella McCartney grows organic cotton using regenerative farming practices to prioritise the restoration of soil health. This allows the soil to perform more efficiently by retaining water for less water usage and carbon, potentially reducing up to 37% of global carbon emissions by 2030. (Organic Cotton, no date).

SDG 12 is a major sustainable goal that applies to the fashion industry, as it represents responsible consumption and production. This emphasises improving resource efficiency by decreasing waste and supporting sustainable production and consumption practices.

The fashion industry has seen a shift in the past decade, changing its focus to sustainability and embracing the ideas of the circular economy. A method of promoting practices such as recycling, upcycling, and mending to extend the life of pieces produced. Materials are sourced sustainably, clothing is designed for durability, and post-consumer goods are gathered and returned to the production cycle.

As Generation Z continues to grow conscious of the consequences of their purchases, businesses are pushed to appeal to their consumers by attempting to achieve sustainability. Many fast fashion brands have gone as far as greenwashing and making claims towards a sustainable agenda while avoiding transparency for reasons we can only assume to be that it was all a ruse.  

SDG 12 advocates the shift from fast fashion to slow fashion. Due to fast fashion brands, like Zara, manage to put out new garments every 15 days leading to overproduction and more landfill waste, whilst promoting underutilization because trends are always changing. However, Slow fashion emphasises quality, durability, and responsible production.

Finally, the circular economy and sustainability in fashion are connected concepts that fight to transform the industry for the better. The fashion industry has the ability to decrease its environmental effects and contribute to a more sustainable and responsible future by aligning with SDG 12 with circular fashion. It’s a path that will require both fashion businesses and consumers to commit, but it promises a more sustainable and fashion-forward future for all.

Reference list

MIRUM® Plastic-Free Alternative to Animal Leather | Stella McCartney UK (no date) www.stellamccartney.com. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/gb/en/sustainability/mirum.html (Accessed: 9 October 2023).

Organic Cotton (no date) www.stellamccartney.com. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/gb/en/sustainability/organic-cotton.html (Accessed: 9 October 2023).

Sadowski, M. (2023) Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero, Apparel Impact Institute, p. 10. Available at: https://apparelimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Taking-Stock-of-Progress-Against-the-Roadmap-to-Net-Zero.pdf (Accessed: 9 October 2023).

The World Bank (2019) How Much Do Our Wardrobes Cost to the Environment?, World Bank. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente#:~:text=Every%20year%20the%20fashion%20industry (Accessed: 9 October 2023).

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). 

The Fashion industry is one of the leading polluters with about 8-10% of global carbon emissions being produced by the fashion industry alone (Ro, 2020). The production of clothes as well as the manufacturing of fabrics requires more energy than both the aviation and shipping industries combined with the EU causing the third-highest pressure on water and land use and the fifth-highest in raw material use (Ro, 2020 & EEA, 2023). And about 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere (Beall, 2020).  The significance of those facts is a good indicator of how impactful the fashion industry is on the planet. With new trends on TikTok Tok people in the UK alone have spent on average 56 million tonnes of clothes, and over 60 percent of people buying more clothes than 15 years ago (Beall, 2020). The fashion epidemic has caused many governments and organizations namely the United Nations to create and commit to sustainability development goals, one of which is “Responsible consumption and production”. This alongside another SDG, “Industry, innovation, and Infrastructure”, is crucial for the plant in regard to fashion. Changing consumer behavior to be more responsible with the way products are consumed, especially those made of harmful materials, is important to creating a sustainable industry. This is alongside Industries innovating production methods and revolutionizing new technologies that can benefit the planet. A circular economy is the most optimal because, with the growth of cotton requiring 22’500 liters to produce 1 kilogram of cotton, better methods including recycling old fabrics and clothes for new products like clothes or mattress stuffing can help in the fight against climate change as well as create a self-sustaining industry (Leahy, 2015). But while the circular economy in fashion is a leap forward, the energy and water required to wash, shred and respinning are significant, but recycling and reusing fundamentally is a better solution. An example of innovation is Patagonia. The family of Chouinard sold all their shares to a designated trust and a non-profit organization (Gelles, 2022). Patagonia has set up as many systems to regulate its sourcing and manufacturing to make sure it is as responsible as it can be. This has included sourcing organically grown cotton or wool, supply chain environmental responsibility programs, and bio-based polyester (Patagonia, 2023). The key to creating an eco-friendly fashion industry is ensuring longevity and responsibility not only from the producers but also the consumers, and as the planet passes the tipping point change is required with decisive action.

Beall, A. (2022) Why clothes are so hard to recycle, BBC Future. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle (Accessed: 09 October 2023).

EEA (2023) What are the environmental impacts of the textile industry?, European Environment Agency’s home page. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/about/contact-us/faqs/what-are-the-environmental-impacts-of-textiles#:~:text=Clothes%2C%20footwear%20and%20household%20textiles,materials%20and%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions (Accessed: 09 October 2023).

Gelles, D. (2022) ‘Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company’, The New York Times, 14 September. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/climate/patagonia-climate-philanthropy-chouinard.html#:~:text=Rather%20than%20selling%20the%20company,trust%20and%20a%20nonprofit%20organization (Accessed: 09 October 2023).

Leahy, S. (2015) ‘World Water Day: the cost of cotton in water-challenged India’, The Guardian, 20 March. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/20/cost-cotton-water-challenged-india-world-water-day (Accessed: 09 October 2023).

Patagonia (2023) Environmental responsibility, Patagonia. Available at: https://www.patagonia.com/environmental-responsibility-materials/ (Accessed: 09 October 2023).

Ro, C. (2022) Can fashion ever be sustainable?, BBC Future. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate (Accessed: 09 October 2023). 

As one of the most influential industries in the world, fashion will always affect our perception of life. It is at the intersection of people’s desire for a better life and sustainable development. With the gradual change of ecology and the increasing responsibility of people for ecological protection, the word earth will not only appear as our home, but also as the source of our thoughts, a guiding principle for sustainable development, and a fashion pillar that we must consider. The concept of pillar is not only to protect our environment, but also to regulate our behavior and thought processes as human beings, and to ensure that we have a sustainable environment.
When we talk about sustainable development, one of the main factors that dominates the topic is the circular economy. Our traditional economic model is linear, with a linear path from mining to production to final disposal. But the current linear economic model has led to environmental degradation, resource depletion and excessive waste. So, we put forward the concept of circular economy. The circular economy advocates the use of recycling, reuse, and reuse of resources to change the current economic situation, so that we can ensure the maximum use of effective resources to achieve the minimum waste goal. By observing the climate of nature, we can find that the circular economy we proposed is just imitating the model of nature, and it is a model system with no end but a new beginning.
As one of the most polluting industries in the world, fashion is in urgent need of establishing a sustainable development model. But what sustainability really means for the fashion industry is not just the use of environmentally friendly materials, but more about a paradigm shift in the life cycle of clothing. From the creation of the concept to the actual use of the concept, from the production, distribution, use of the garment to the final retirement, every step needs a sustainable foundation. When we take care to develop this circular model, it will not only help us better protect the environment, but also translate into moral and economic advantages, so that we can achieve better sustainable development goals.
“Re” is transformational in nature for the fashion industry. A series of actions in the fashion industry are constantly improving the way of thinking about fashion design, constantly improving the process, reusing the previous resources, and constantly recycling the resources that are no longer used. This not only ensures the recycling of resources, but also reminds people of the circular economy in the circular use.
SDG have a leading role for the entire fashion industry. Responsible consumption and production in fashion can provide more specific goals and guidelines for the fashion industry. Of course, this is not only a goal to be completed, but also a guidance for the operation strategy of clothing. More specifically, we can save materials, reduce waste and other behaviors, but also can achieve our clothes still bright goal. The guidelines proposed by the United Nations are important for us to reflect on the behavior of the entire fashion industry, and we need to correct the previous wasteful practices in time.

The planet pillar refers to the devastation of the planet. Textiles alone produce 1.2 billion Tonnes of CO2 annually (Katerina Rimarcikova, LCF lecture) and aid significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 10% of them (Oxfam, 2019). Not only do textiles fundamentally contribute to the state of the environment, but the use of finite resources such as crude oil, which releases emissions; acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, especially from polyester manufacturing. (Luz Claudio, 2007). From the manufacturing to the disposal of clothes, it is highlighted as the second most wasteful, polluting industry and an infinite lead to the ‘dead’ planet.  

Fashion is currently under a linear fashion model. This means businesses operate with maximum production and consumption. However, regarding the planet’s welfare, a circular economy must be adopted due to the threat of resources and the consumers concern of the environmental impact when purchasing fast fashion. What is a circular economy? – Circular fashion ditches the linear “take-make-waste” model and asks the industry to close the loop on production, including responsible manufacturing, use, and end-of-life for every garment. (madeleine hill, September 2022). “The Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes CE as not reducing negative impacts but representing a systematic shift that builds long-term resilience.” (Gwilt, A 2020 p10). This shows how the journey of responsible practice and reservation of resources was not overnight; it is a process which requires re-establishment of consumers behavior. 

The fashion industry needs redesign. Global pollution and exploitative manufacture create an extensive list of social injustices. However, it has helped popularize sustainability — spotlighting greener products, alarming climate change and moving consumers from fast fashion. To achieve durable, affordable fabrics, 60% of clothing is plastic (UNEP). Globally, its estimated that just 12% of clothes end up being recylced .(Rachel Pells, journalist), with the complex composition it makes it almost impossible to always recycle and without these fibers’ clothes would not have the same properties; it is a challenge.  

The united goals (number 12, Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) are applicable to the mass amount of over consumption and the patterns in production which need to be prioritized to secure a more environmentally friendly future. To ensure sustainable consumption and production practices, it entails respecting the biophysical boundaries of the planet and reducing global consumption rates to fit with the biophysical capacity. (UN environment program). The key word is to respect the boundaries of the planet; we need to ensure effective use of resources, improve energy efficiency create a sustainable infrastructure, create green and decent jobs, and ensure a better quality of life, before the planet can be saved.  

The Planet is always in conversation everywhere, meetings, casual conversations over a drink, and even government announcements. The Planet is crucial in the future for the human race as we can’t just set up shop and move, however people need to focus on how to create a more sustainable future in specifically fashion instead of conversing about it. Earth, full of 7.888 billion people inhabiting it, is dying and fast due to rising global temperatures due to the increase of CO2 levels, which industries are pumping out into the environment. This is evident in the amount of landfill, excessive farming, fast fashion, and manmade material production. 

A way of progressing and looking to the future of fashion sustainability is the circular economy, and focusing on changing and improving the existing model that has been in place since the fashion industry began. Raw Materials – Textiles – Garment Factories – Distribution Network – Retail. This style of business shows a lack of responsibility towards environment as it disregards the fact of what happens after the garment is bought, worn and thrown away. Instead a more circular approach should be taken, for example Fibre Production – Clothing Production – Use – After Use, which then would go back round in a circle to eventually cut out the large percentage new materials and instead be revolving the materials already in circulation and creating use for the ones that have ended up in landfill. However, this could be expensive and as luxury brands like Burberry look into reducing emissions by 46% by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2040 (Moran, 2022) while being heavily backed by hedge funds and big investors, its going to be the small brands that will struggle with change into improving as the cost of production and reproduction will increase. As the luxury sector will outperform the rest of the industry, as wealthy shoppers continue to travel and spend, and thus remain more insulated (Berg ET AL, 2022) from the affects of climate change and decrease in consumer spending. 

Sustainability in fashion should be related to how we look to not let anything from waste enter environments and keep them in a flow of creating new from old in effort to reduce what enters the environment. At the moment 68% of all clothes produced are produced with oil based fibres, which are harmful to the planet and once thrown away due to the product not be regarded as needed, it ends up in parts in the world where there are city sized landfill and died the structure of chemicals it takes thousands of years to degrade and even when it does what is left is still alien to environment it degraded in. Also, due to high amounts of people overfishing garments, fibres come off in the water and when drained to their micro size they end up not being able to be filtered out and are carried into drinking water, oceans and food due to ingestion when drinking, manmade material garments also produce micro plastics that build up in animals in the wild from drinking water and can kill them over time. 

UN SDG (Sustainability Development Goals) are goals focused to improve the state of planets integrity and ability to move forward with a responsible and sustainable future. Focusing on one of the SDGs; Responsible Consumption and Production, it’s apparent that the current market is devised by the economic state of a country, the divide between rich and poor, and the mentality of the consumer when it comes to buying clothes. While statistically wealthier people will buy more high end small production clothes, on the other hand people with lower incomes will buy cheaper, more environmentally impacting garments frequently due to lack of quality and occasionally buy a middle to high end product which will be cherished and not worn as often. Brands need to make re-cycle and sustainably made garments more accessible, due to most brands that offer products aligning with these values are marked up to take advantage of market with a demand and not enough suppliers. 

Moran, G. (2022). Collaborating for Change: Sustainability Report 2022. [online] Drapers. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/collaborating-for-change-sustainability-report-2022.‌

McKinsey (2022). The State of Fashion 2023: Holding onto growth as global clouds gather. [online] McKinsey. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion.‌