PLANET BLOG – Working Towards a Sustainable Fashion Industry
There is no doubt that the fashion industry has detrimental impacts on our planet from the toxic chemicals that are used to dye our clothes to the cheap, synthetic materials that are overproduced and pollute the world we live in. As well as being in an alarming climate crisis, we are unwittingly using more resources than we have available and estimates conclude that if this habit continues, we will need three planets by 2050 (UNDP Climate Promise, 2022). According to (Cariki, 2018), the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the oil sector, being responsible for an enormous amount of greenhouse gases essentially destroying our planet. Water pollution has also become a global issue because of the industry and clothing manufacturers. (YTL Group, 2019) stated in an article that ’20% of all global industrial water pollution is caused by garment production – the dying and cultivating processes alone use over 800 chemicals.’ This proves that the industry must work hard towards a more sustainable method of production as clothing consumption is predicted to increase by 60% by 2030.
In the 1970s, Dr Walter Stahel proposed the closed-loop economy which is a way of integrating recycling and reuse into the management of supply chains (Montag L., 2023). We now call this ‘circular economy’, and calculations from (UNDP Climate Promise, 2022) have shown it has the possibility of being extremely effective and could even help reduce global GHG emissions by 40% by 2050. When describing the impact of circular economy it is vital to lay out that there are 3 main principles. As stated by (MacArthur, 2010), the first principle is to eliminate waste and pollution. Ellen MacArthur also believes that waste is a result of poor design choices and that different materials can be used to eliminate waste and make recycling easier. The circular economy model is also a movement from the usual, linear mindset and so by using this, the goal where products can be reused, shared, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, and recycled is more achievable (MacArthur, 2010). In relation to fashion, the company DyeCoo has created a technology that eliminates the use of water when dying textiles (textilemagazine, 2014) fundamentally saving millions of litres of water and significantly reducing the amount of toxic wastewater that is released into our nature. In 2012, DyeCoo joined a strategic partnership with Nike which reinforced Nike’s enthusiasm toward building a more sustainable brand.
United Nations created an agenda of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. In regards to the relationship between our planet and fashion, I would say the most relevant is goal 12; to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Over the years, fashion brands have explicitly been making an effort to be more sustainable such as Stella McCartney who avoids using leather or fur, protecting endangered forests, and Veja who uses ecological materials to make their stylish, sustainable footwear. However, to move effectively towards a more sustainable planet, businesses must play their part and ensure that they avoid polluting the earth with certain materials and waste. Fashion brands can utilise the Triple Bottom Line framework to calculate their success not only economically but through social equity and environmental factors too.
Bibliography
Cariki (2018) 13 reasons why the fashion industry is destroying our planet, Cariki. Available at: https://cariki.co.uk/blogs/the-green-road/13-reasons-why-the-fashion-industry-is-destroying-our-planet (Accessed: 07 October 2023).
MacArthur, E. (2010) Circular economy introduction, Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview#principles (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
Montag L. (2023). Circular Economy and Supply Chains: Definitions, Conceptualizations, and Research Agenda of the Circular Supply Chain Framework. Circular economy and sustainability, 3(1), 35–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00172-y
textilemagazine (2014) DYECOO technology for Sustainable Textiles with waterless dyeing, The Textile Magazine. Available at: https://www.indiantextilemagazine.in/dyecoo-technology-sustainable-textiles-waterless-dyeing/ (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
The Sustainable Fashion Glossary (2020) Condé Naste. Available at: https://www.condenast.com/news/conde-nast-launches-sustainable-fashion-glossary (Accessed: 06 October 2023).
What is circular economy and why does it matter? (2022) What is Circular Economy and Why does it Matter? Available at: https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/what-is-circular-economy-and-how-it-helps-fight-climate-change#:~:text=Studies%20show%20us%20that%2C%20through,by%2040%20percent%20by%202050. (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
YTL Group (2019) Fast fashion and its impacts, GENeco. Available at: https://www.geneco.uk.com/news/fast-fashion-and-its-impacts#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20fashion%20industry%20is,modern%20car%20for%206%2C000%20miles. (Accessed: 07 October 2023).