Planet
The fashion industry has had long lasting effects on the planet, some even deemed as irreversible. The rise in fast fashion and short-lived clothing has led to 92 tonnes of waste produced per year.
Circular economy has been introduced as a solution for this by making production and consumption less short-lived and thereby circular. This is the opposite to our current linear economy. Circular economy entails transforming the fashion industry; from producing garments from upcycled materials, to looking at consumer behaviour and attitudes towards sustainability. By keeping waste to a minimum, a circular economy would create a chain of long-lasting garments that continue to regenerate.
The alarming and urgent shift to needing change has led to sustainability being a big topic in most fashion brands. While this acknowledgment is a step forward, brands are still free to dictate what sustainability means for them, which has led to a lot of green washing and false hope. If we continue to produce and consume at the rate we are, by 2050 we will need 3 planets worth of human resources (Rimarcikova 2023).
The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the UN in 2015, are 17 goals set to ensure that by 2030 everyone lives in peace and harmony. A goal set by the UN is “responsible production and consumption” which fashion needs to be responsible for directly. In the last two decades production and consumption have both doubled. This throwaway culture has had serious effects on all aspects environmentally and socially. Pesticides used to help cotton crops grow at a faster rate have been found cancerous; micro plastics released in the sea have emerged in the fish and eventually contaminate food chains. This ripple effect has caused the starting problem of over production and consumption to impact further than just the apparent. However, some brands have adapted the goal of the EU and have been successful. Patrick McDowell is a clear example of this, with clear goals of thoughtfulness in reusing textiles and the importance of afterlife. Done by producing custom pieces and accommodating to each consumer individually. However, brands that have been able to build foundations on these goals are suited for more privileged target audiences, which raises questions as to whether suitability and fashion can both coexist. Suitability can be adapted for fashion brands, but is this sustainable for consumers?
References:
Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H., Perry, P., Rissanen, T., & Gwilt, A. (2020). The environmental price of fast fashion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(4), 189-200.
Wagner, M. M., & Heinzel, T. (2020). Human perceptions of recycled textiles and circular fashion: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 12(24), 10599.
Shirvanimoghaddam, K., Motamed, B., Ramakrishna, S., & Naebe, M. (2020). Death by waste: Fashion and textile circular economy case. Science of The Total Environment, 718, 137317.