Planet
While the fashion sector is booming, increasing attention has been brought to the impressive range of negative environmental impacts that the industry is responsible for. Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. What’s more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year (UNECE, 2018), and washing some types of clothes sends significant amount of microplastics into the ocean（Genevaenvironmentnetwork，2023）This blog is going to talk about circular, sustainability in relation to fashion and describe 1 SDG from the UN SDG.
Let’s start by talking about what a circular economy is. The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.(Ellenmacarthurfoundation, 2023) The image below shows how the circular economy works.(Rts,2023)The first step is to design out waste and pollution, then to maintain the use of products and materials, and the final step is to return valuable nutrients to the soil by conserving and enhancing renewable resources to support regeneration and positively improve the environment.
what is sustainability in relation to fashion?
Sustainable fashion is a way in which brands create clothing that not only reduces the impact on the environment but is also mindful of the people who work to produce the garments.(Immago,2023) But sustainable fashion has been a controversial and difficult issue in recent years.sustainable means more overheads, which in turn reduces profit margins. For the industry to become sustainable as a whole, consumers must be willing to pay more to help make the change, or at the very least, stop buying from brands that have no regard for the environment.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.（United Nations，2023）The 14th of these goals is： conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Some of the water pollution generated by the fashion industry, such as the bleaching and dyeing of jeans, can pollute the ocean and endanger marine life by discharging wastewater directly into the ocean that has not been fully treated. Even this will have an impact on humans as some marine life will be caught and eaten by people.
Reference
Genevaenvironmentnetwork (2023).The Environmental Cost of Fashion. Available at : https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/
Ellenmacarthurfoundation (2023). What is a circular economy? Available at : https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
Rts（2023）.What is Circular Economy?Available at :https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/circular-economy/
Immago（2023). WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE FASHION AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? Available at : https://immago.com/sustainable-fashion-important/
United Nations（2023). 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Available at :https://sdgs.un.org/goals