planet
Planet is one of the four pillars of sustainability within the fashion industry, it is crucial to recognise the impact the fashion industry has on the planet and we must take responsibility for its damaging practices. There are both social and environmental impacts along the supply chain, for example the creation of materials includes the use of pesticides and water in cotton growing, genetic modifications of fabric, use of oil in synthetics, the conditions and prices for growers and even animal welfare. Distribution and retail of clothing also impact the planet through high street working conditions, treatment of suppliers, energy use in retail outlets, environmentally harmful packaging and co2 emissions in transportation as well as the use of products which require chemical detergents and energy use in washing + drying and in addition the disposal of clothing ending up in textiles landfill (Alison Gwilt, 2020). The United Nations has adopted 17 sustainable development goals which are urgent calls of action to heal the earth and improve living conditions for all, the fashion industry is a key element in the sustainability conversation and we must apply these SDGs throughout ALL stages of the supply chain.
The fashion industry was responsible for 1,715 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2015 (Pulse of Fashion) and this is predicted to increase by 63% by 2030. A huge issue within the fashion industry is ‘fast fashion’ which causes mass pollution and poor working conditions, to combat this we must consider the 12th SDG ‘responsible consumption and production’ through circularity this means reducing harmful substances and microfibres and sharing, reusing, recycling, and refurbishing clothing as much as possible so the life cycle of clothing is lengthened and therefore waste is reduced to a minimum. A current example of circularity is the woman owned, London based brand ‘BEEN’ who were named “one of the most innovative fashion companies in the world” by VOGUE. ‘BEEN’ use discarded materials ,such as leather trimmings and landfill bound plastics and even pineapple leaves and apple peels, to create timeless trend-proof designs which helps tackle the issue that 85 percent of textiles are sent to landfills as well as contrasting the overconsumption and waste caused by fast fashion.
“waste can become beautiful inside and out”
– BEEN London
However, the fashion industry still has a long way to go with sustainability and we only have 12 years to save the planet from irreversible damage (according to the UN) but if we follow the SDGs and further our research on sustainability we can reduce the risk of a climate catastrophe.