Planet
Within the Fashion Industry, there are 4 pillars that make up the industry, these include Planet, Purpose, People, and Profit. Throughout this blog post, the main focus will be the pillar: PLANET and its importance within the fashion industry. Over the years the Fashion industry has had a major role in polluting the earth. Sustainability has been something the human population has been trying to improve for a few years, however with all the obstacles we have faced CO2 emissions within some countries have reached an all-time high. Even though sustainability is something everyone tries to improve on, according to WRAP (2017) 300,000 tonnes of clothes are discarded, which therefore affects our planet. (Gwilt A, 2014)
The circular economy is one that tackles climate change and other global challenges such as biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. There are three main principles of the circular economy: design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). The circular economy is meant to lead us towards a different path away from the linear system model: Take, Make, waste.
Sustainability within the fashion industry is improving every day, Even though many brands aren’t moving in the right direction many are such as Patrick McDowell. Patrick McDowell’s brand focuses on crafts that are made from reclaimed fabrics and ethically produced materials that have a low carbon footprint. Patrick Mcdowell proves that luxury fashion can still be sustainable but stylish. The term “sustainability” has a significant impact within the industry as many practices such as the circular economy, life cycle thinking, and overall awareness have led to a more sustainable industry.
There are 17 SDGS outline 169 targets that need to be met by 2030 (Gwilt A, 2014). The SDG out of the 17 that has relevance and impact on the fashion industry is gender equality, eventhough this may not seem like a significant one there are many brands lacking but also improving this SDG. A brand that has met this SDG well is H&M. H&M has 148,000 people working for them out of the 148,000 58% are female (Cornerstone OnDemand, ). This SDG has been met well as H&M is a major fashion brand, with a well-known reputation within the industry. This could have a positive impact on brands throughout the industry as many brands might take SDG into account and try to meet it, which could lead to gender equality within the fashion industry.
Bibliography:
- Gwilt, A (2014) A practical guide to sustainable fashion
- Gwilt, A (2014) A practical guide to sustainable fashion- Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017)
- Patrick Macdowell-https://patrickmcdowell.co.uk/pages/sustainability
- CornerStore Demand (2021) https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/resources/article/when-it-comes-gender-equality-what-companies-are-leading-charge/