Trudie Forrester

Although the fashion industry contributes positively to economies and cultures worldwide its rapid growth and continuous consumption patterns has led to serious damage to our environment. This destruction has had impact on our water, soil, animals, forests and people. This blog will explore the ways in which this industry is destroying our planet and the ways in which we can patch the damage that has been done.

Circular economy is an economic system designed to minimize waste and resource depletion by emphasizing the continual use, reuse and recycling of products and materials, thereby promoting sustainability and reducing environmental impact. It is important that brands take circular thinking into consideration because it will ultimately help save our environment. Levi’s is a good example of a brand that is trying to recycle their products with the initiative that they will give their customers 10% off an item when they hand in their used Levi’s products. If enough brands used this initiative, then they could reduce the ‘350,000 tonnes of unwanted clothing put into unsustainable landfills every year.” (Carlson, 2016)

Sustainability in fashion is a controversial and difficult topic. With many fast fashion brands producing poor quality goods with little to no consideration for their impact on our environment, there are many steps that we must take to attempt to reverse this damage. An example of one of these brands is Shein, which is an online fast fashion brand that is constantly churning out cheaply made clothing. This appeals to a certain demographic of people who want to follow trends but cannot afford expensive brands. Brands like Shein are an easy option for people on a budget however many people don’t realize the damage that its causing. ‘The manufacturers’ rapid use of virgin polyester and large consumption of oil churns out the same amount of CO2 as approximately 180 coal- fired plants.’ (Rajvanshi, 2023). Even with this knowledge of the brand there has been no changes to their methods of production which ultimately means they’re doing continuous damage. To reduce this harm Shein could use alternative methods of production for example, the fashion brand House of Sunny only produces two seasonal collections, and they pride themselves on using recycled fabrics wherever possible to reduce waste. If Shein were to use these methods, they would become more sustainable.

The fashion industry has an indefinite effect on our water this is caused by chemicals in the dyes that are used and plastic fibers that are polluting our oceans. The UN created the 17 sustainability goals made to solve poverty, hunger and climate change by 2030. This includes goal 6: clean water and sanitation. For the fashion industry to act upon this goal and make it happen action must be taken on the toxic and harsh chemical dyes that are used when colouring materials. Natural dyes are a much safer alternative because they do not pollute our waters. Higher end brands could set a trend of using natural dyes to produce their products to have a domino effect on smaller brands therefore reducing the use of harsh dyes. 

Rajvanshi, A. Time: Shein is the World’s Most Popular Fashion Brand- at a Huge Cost to us All. https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/Carlson, L, C. (2016) Fashion Network : Levi’s brings recycling initiative to the UK. https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/levi-s-brings-recycling-initiative-to-the-uk,663917.html