Planet Blog
“I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just not on impact.” —Elon Musk
As highlighted by reputable Elon Musk in this quote, as well as numerous other famous figures, the human impact and implications of our actions are positing greater, and greater consequences for our planet earth. According to NASA, at the moment earth is our home planet and the only place we know of so far that’s inhabited by living things. Now, doesn’t this raise infinite questions as to why we are, collectively as human beings, still enduring the same practices when we have sufficient data to show the aftermath is damaging our planet (home)?
To hone in on the quote said by Elon Musk, in order for this to manifest, we must take into consideration the impact of our actions, no matter what it is. The fashion industry being the biggest one of them. In numbers, there are 8 billion people on earth with 120 billion garments being produced annually. What is the need? We do not have an ethical, clever system and this has resulted in mass c02 emissions and is a major contributor to world pollution and climate change; a very significant fact due to the interlinking nature of the fashion industry itself, from farming to transportation.
This results in us having to radically change the system from linear to more circularity based, as a recent report by the UN said “We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe… Urgent changes needed to cut risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty, says UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)”. A circular model in the fashion industry would entail a regenerative system whereby products are designed and developed with the next use in mind. This would promote sustainability in the fashion industry.
We now have to measure success in the fashion industry equally between financial growth, human well being and environmental sustainability. The United nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) is a plan of action for people, the planet and prosperity’. All of which the fashion industry can contribute to, one example is goal 12; which is about ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is key to sustain the livelihoods of current and future generations. A clothing brand which demonstrates this in their vision is Patrick Mcdowell as nominated by Anna Wintour for his sustainable mindset when producing his garments. Picturing the fashion industry through a sustainable lens is the only way we can make a real difference to the current state of our earth and brands like these will catalyse the effect.
References:
Earth—Nasa science. (n.d.). Retrieved 8 October 2023, from https://science.nasa.gov/earth/
Mangu-Ward, K. (2012, March 15). Space X’s Elon Musk: ‘I think it would be cool to be born on Earth and die on Mars. Hopefully not at the point of impact.’ Reason.Com. https://reason.com/2012/03/15/space-xs-elon-musk-i-think-it-would-be-c/
Martin. (n.d.). Sustainable consumption and production. United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved 8 October 2023, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/
Ssmundra2612. (2020, December 23). About circular fashion. Textile Magazine, Textile News, Apparel News, Fashion News. https://textilevaluechain.in/news-insights/apparel-fashion-retail-news/fashionvaluechain/about-circular-fashion/Watts, J., & editor, J. W. G. environment. (2018, October 8). We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report