Planet and The Fashion Industry

As the fashion business industry evolves, four fundamental pillars should be considered: the planet, people, profit, and purpose. Although these pillars serve distinct purposes, they must all work together to maintain this planet’s environmental, social, and economic components. Therefore, the industry must emphasise fashion sustainability and circular economy to maintain it.

Burns (2019) defines sustainability as “the capacity to maintain or raise living standards without destroying or depleting natural resources for present and future generations”. In fashion, sustainability can be a method to preserve both the environment and those responsible for its production (Bringé, 2023). However, in reality, the fashion industry contributed to the collapse of natural resources, especially when fast fashion existed. Fast fashion systems have many disadvantages; the apparel industry proves its supply chain is the third most polluting, and “it released more carbon dioxide annually—1.2 billion tonnes—than the shipping and aviation industries put out combined”, according to Shukla (2022). Due to their attempts to deliver trendy items, fast fashion companies also produce twice as many garments as they did previously, which could result in a rise in textile waste (Shukla, 2022).

Implementing a circular economy in fashion is one of the solutions to tackle the issue. According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation (no date), a circular economy maintains the continuous flow of goods and materials through “maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.” As the illustration (see Figure 1) shows, this economic model can support sustainability and prevent adverse environmental effects. However, applying the systems can be challenging for companies or designers.

Nevertheless, a fashion designer, Patrick McDowell, applied circularity business strategies in his collection as an example. He utilises the old material garment to create a wonderful collection of clothing that appears to be brand-new. Likewise, he made the apparel based on people’s orders and committed to buying it because, as stated by Gwilt (2020), “once a garment is purchased, the owner is in charge of its maintenance.”

Another instance is Finisterre, a British sustainable fashion brand, which perfectly represents a business that carries out UNSDG objective 12 implementation. Instead of producing new items, since 2006, they have recycled their jackets and sold them on their website – they also offer pre-loved and repairing services (Rayment & Scanlon, 2022).

Therefore, the circular economy is positively connected to Goal 12 of the UNSDGs of Responsible Consumption and Production because Mowery (2021) concurs that this business strategy can impact the fashion industry by reducing carbon emissions and decreasing waste from the production chain.

Bibliography:

1. Bell, A. (2016) The Circular Economy. Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/fashion/article/64869. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
2. Bringé, A. (2023) The State Of Sustainability In The Fashion Industry (And What It Means For Brands). Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/01/02/the-state-of-sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-and-what-it-means-for-brands/?sh=1c6120ff1c82. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
3. Burns, L. (2019) Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion. Available at: https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia?docid=b-9781501334092. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
4. Ellen McArthur Foundation. (no date) Circular Economy Introduction. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
5. Gwilt, A. (2020) A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. Available at: https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia?docid=b-9781350067059. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
6. Mowery, L2. (2021) SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Available at: https://greenbusinessbureau.com/topics/sdg/sdg-12-responsible-consumption-and-production/. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
7. Rayment, Z and Scanlon, S. (2022) Designing For Circularity. Available at: https://finisterre.com/blogs/broadcast/designing-for-circularity. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
8. Shukla, N. (2022) Fast Fashion Pollution and Climate Change. Available at: https://earth.org/fast-fashion-pollution-and-climate-change/. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).
9. Fig 1. Ellen McArthur Foundation. (2019) Circular Economy Systems diagram. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram. (Accessed: 7 October 2023).