October 2023

Sustainability is the balanced use of the global resources, provided by the environment, at a natural speed, that allows the planet to regenerate itself and maintain the equilibrium on Earth, after all there only is one planet Earth and if we keep going on this unbalanced and rapid rate, by the year 2050, we’ll need 3 planets Earth to maintain human’s life style. “Because clothing has gotten so cheap, it is easily discarded after being worn only a few times. One survey found that 20 percent of clothing in the US is never worn; in the UK, it is 50 percent. Online shopping, available day and night, has made impulse buying and returning items easier.” Fast fashion has severe social impacts throughout the production process and when it’s being discarded the environment, human health and rights are harmed. 

Non-sustainable fashion is responsible for 10% of the greenhouse gasses emitted in the atmosphere, as well as 20% of global wastewater and water pollution “one kilogram of cotton used to produce a pair of jeans can consume 7,500 to 10,000 liters of water—the amount a person would drink over 10 years.” and one of the causes of cancer due to toxic chemicals present  in low quality fabrics. It has major social impacts due to mainly the growing culture of fast fashion, like Shein, in which stocks are produced and the Labor force exploited, being underpaid, overworked, exposed to dangerous situation at work and many of them being underage too, “it’s estimated that only two percent earn a living wage.” Showing the injustice that workers in less developed countries suffer “Slow fashion is the widespread reaction to fast fashion and its environmental impact, the argument for hitting the brakes on excessive production, overcomplicated supply chains, and mindless consumption. It advocates for manufacturing that respects people, the environment and animals.”

Being 100% sustainable in the fashion industry is not possible but there is a lot that can be done in the industry for it to be more eco-friendly. Transitioning from linear economy to circular economy is ideal, the principles being “A  systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.” Shifting consumer Behavior by making people more aware of what’s happening in the industry, the places they buy from and the quality of the products they are buying. A sustainable supply chain incorporating sustainable fibers and materials used are all things that can help our planet. 

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References:

Anguelov, N. (2015). The Dirty Side of the Garment Industry: Fast Fashion and Its Negative Impact on Environment and Society. United States: CRC Press.

Niinimäki, K. (2015). Ethical foundations in sustainable fashion. Textiles and Clothing Sustainability, 1, 1-11.

Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environmental Health, 17, 1-4.

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.

Cho, R. (2021). Why Fashion Needs to Be More Sustainable. Columbia Climate School. Available at: https://news. climate. columbia. edu/2021/06/10/why-fashion-needs-to-be-more-sustainable/. Accessed on, 22(11), 2022.

MacGilp, R. (2022, April 21). Earth Day: The Fashion Industry’s Impact. Fashion Revolution. https://www.fashionrevolution.org/earth-day-the-fashion-industrys-impact/

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Maiti, R. (2023, May 21). Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact. Earth.org. https://earth.org/fast-fashions-detrimental-effect-on-the-environment/

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Consumers buying into the fashion industry often only view it on a materialistic level (fashion shows, new collections etc). However, what is often undermined are the multi-faceted issues the industry can have on a social and planetary level. To combat this, people working within the realm of fashion business have created 4 pillars which most businesses within the industry have to adhere by. The first of these pillars is referred to as the ‘planet pillar’. This pillar plays a vital role in the acknowledgement of the planet’s natural resources and how fashion businesses can make profit without unnecessary waste. 

One of the main strategies fashion brands are currently trying to implement (to reduce waste) involves the shift towards a circular economy. This can be described as an ideal system of human production and consumption, it involves reusing, recycling and sharing pre-existing products/resources for as much time as possible. The fast implementation of this system is a necessity seeing as the fashion industry produces about 10% of the worlds carbon emissions cumulatively (UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon 2018). Therefore, without any immediate changes the overall carbon budget of the industry will jump by a whopping 26% by 2050 (Adeogun, n.d). 

After seeing these troubling data metrics, it is clear that sustainable fashion is the future of the industry. So, instead of discarding a garment midway (or even at the beginning of it’s life cycle), sustainable fashion can aid in minimising the detrimental effects of the ever increasing fast fashion industry. In order to further address these issues on a global scale, the UN has formulated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main SDG that interlinks with the fashion industry specifically is number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Although, this goal isn’t quite being actualised or used by a large portion of the fashion industry various strides have been made to reach this goal. For example, an American fashion brand called Eileen Fisher has formulated a brand initiative referred to as ‘Renew’. The initiative implements a circular economy scheme that allows people to trade their old Eileen Fisher clothing for $5 reward cards (GlobeScan 2019). Additionally, the company will also assess the quality of the returned garments. The one’s that can be resold/renewed will be, and the garments that cannot will be made into new fibers. Despite being a more niche company, Eileen Fisher sets a new standard for sustainability and if the program is labelled a success, other fashion brands may follow in suit. 

The fashion business is a growing industry. A growing industry, however, results in an increased demand for garments made through non-renewable sources. Meaning, that as it grows so do global concerns for environmental pollution and calls to green activism and sustainability. Planet, one of the four pillars of the fashion business, requires us to study and understand the impact of the industry on the environment and how further harm can be mediated by ensuring garments are safely returned to the ecosystem. With the current state of the industry, there is no such thing as sustainable fashion although many brands claim to be “green”.  This is an act of greenwashing, making false claims or misleading information about a business’s impact on the environment. To commit to sustainability, new structures and systems must be put in place.

Circularity or Circular economy is the regenerative process that entails the reuse and maintenance of garments until they reach their lifecycle, which includes the initial design and manufacturing processes to distribution, consumer use, and eventual disposal. This creates a closed-loop system that ensures a reduction in energy consumption and waste minimisation. “By embracing circular practices, […] the fashion industry can break free from the linear model of production and consumption.” Gwilt (2020)

Amid the climate change crisis, sustainability concerning fashion has forefronted discussions in the industry due to its irreparable damage to the planet. The $ 2.5 trillion fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global water waste and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. According to Allwood et al, water is depleted for crop cultivation, textile processing and laundering, and some of these processes pollute our waterways with chemicals (Allwood et al. 2006).

One SDG that has relevance to the industry is ‘Good health and well-being’ as each part of the industry is dependent on people. Environmental benefits aside, mitigating the negative impacts of a wasteful industry also headlines the social welfare of people as the state of the planet directly affects its inhabitants. For example, cheap fast fashion and overconsumption come at the expense of third-world workers with little to no rights: and in some cases, the exploitation of children. “In many factories, long hours, low wages, and dangerous working conditions are the norm,” (Finn, Angela L. (2007)). This sheds light on the harsh realities faced by workers in the fashion industry, highlighting the need for ethical practices and improved working conditions.

References

Finn, A. L. (2007). Ethical fashion: The human stories driving a fashion movement. In Fashion in Fiction: A Transdisciplinary Conference.

Gwilt. (2020). A practical guide to sustainable fashion (Second edition.). Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

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.

At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the fashion industry adopted a linear business model that has persisted for nearly three centuries. (Hethorn & Wulasewicz, 2015) Today, the fashion industry is the third-largest contributor to global carbon emissions, accounting for 10%. (European Parliament, 2021) This problem has been worsened by the rapid growth of fast fashion retailers, who intentionally encourage overconsumption and impulse buying with promotional incentives and the allure of being ahead of current trends. As a result, a cycle has developed in which clothing has become disposable, resulting in a 36% drop in the use of a garment but an increase in annual clothing purchases, quantified as 26.7 kg per person in the UK. (UNEP, 2015; ECAP, 2018) The industry must employ eco-friendly practices to mitigate environmental impacts throughout the supply chain.

As part of the 2030 Agenda, the UN set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of the 17, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production most closely relates to the challenges faced in the fashion industry. (United Nations, n.d.) At the core of irresponsible consumption in the fashion industry lies fast fashion retailers like Zara, Shein, etc. The fast fashion business model relies on mass consumerism driven by impulse buying. With a focus on reduced costs and low-quality garments, consumers are compelled to frequently purchase items. Production is reliant on underpaid child and women laborers, and synthetic fabrics make up more than half of all materials used in clothing today. (Textile Exchange, 2022) The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 170 million child laborers are employed worldwide, most of whom work in textiles and garment manufacturing. (ILO, 2020)

In recent years, there has been a shift towards circular fashion, which aims to minimize input and output waste throughout the production process while extending the life cycle of garments. (Gwilt, 2021) The term ‘circular fashion’ was first coined in 2014 and follows a model in which a sustainable, ‘closed-loop’ system is used. (Niinimaki, 2018) Each garment is produced with intention in each step and is traced until the end of its life cycle. This approach incorporates recyclable materials, non-hazardous production substances, and product repair and reuse of old materials. The circular model shifts the aftercare of a garment to the consumer, focusing on upcycling and recycling.

Fast fashion brand H&M has implemented environmentally conscious practices, including the ‘CanopyStyle’ policy to prevent deforestation in its supply chain and using Bloom, a flexible foam made from algae biomass. Other brands like Patrick MacDowell, Patagonia, and Levi Strauss have prioritized using recycled fabrics over creating new garments and have begun focusing on aftercare, such as tailoring old garments or repurposing items. By shifting the fashion industry’s focus towards extending garment lifecycles and consumer-centric aftercare, we can pave the way for a more sustainable trajectory.

References:

• Hethorn, J., & Ulasewicz, C. (2015). Sustainable fashion : what’s next? : a conversation about issues, practices and possibilities. Bloomsbury, Fairchild Books, An Imprint Of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.
• European-Parliament (2021). EU progress on climate action—How are the Member States doing? https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/690663/EPRS_BRI(2021)690663_EN.pdf
• United Nations Environment Programme. (2018, November 12). Putting the Brakes on Fast Fashion. UN Environment. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion
• Used Textile Collection in European Cities. (2018). http://www.ecap.eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ECAP-Textile-collection-in-European-cities_full-report_with-summary.pdf
• United Nations. (n.d.) The 17 sustainable development goals. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
• International Labour Organization. (2020). Child labour—Global Estimates 2020, Trends and the Road Forward.
• Gwilt, A. (2020). A practical guide to sustainable fashion. London: Fairchild Books, An Imprint Of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
• Kirsi Niinimäki. (2018). Sustainable Fashion in a Circular Economy.

Fashion is an ever-evolving industry that influences our lives in numerous ways. However, it is the SECOND biggest industry that has major harm to the environment. 

Fast ‘fashion’, characterised by its rapid production and consumption cycles, has helped it become a dominant force in the fashion industry. However, the ‘fast’ fashion leads to an irreducible consequences for our environment. 

To start with statistics, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of human-caused global carbon emissions:

1.2 billion tonnes of CO2

120 billion garments produced

85% of textiles to landfills which is about 21 billion tonnes a year, with the speed of one garbage truck per second (Chen, X. 2021)

30% wasted before even going on retail!

These statistics show the fast fashion industry contributes significantly to environmental degradation.

It’s not just carbon emissions, the fashion industry is also responsible for 20% of wastewater with the use of water of 79 trillion litres per year:

ONE T-SHIRT = 2,700L one person can drink for 3 years
1KG OF COTTON = 20,000L one person can drink for 22 years

SUSTAINABILITY IS A KEY – SO WHAT DO WE DO?

Recognizing the urgent need for change in the fashion industry, their main spotlight nowadays is on ‘sustainability’. 

The fashion industry initially used the linear economy which was more complex, opaque and interconnected. All stages of the linear system model produce carbon emissions and they mainly depend on synthetic fibres for 68% which are cheap, and easy to produce. The rest is shared between natural fibres such as cotton with 26%.

As you can see, the government and the related fashion organisations MUST redesign the chain into a more transparent and reliable process. 

The circular economy has been developed by the Ellen Macarthur Foundations, according to their website it refers to ‘a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated’. The circular business models are designed to reduce costs, increase revenues, and manage risks, as well as provide possibilities for the finance sector to contribute to a transition to sustainability. (Ellem Mcarthur Foundations, 2022) 

This can be done by individually focusing on raw materials, products, use, and after-use activities. Encouraging recycling and upcycling could be one of the examples of circular economy. By adopting these sustainable approaches, fashion brands can minimize their ecological footprint and contribute to a better, greener future. 

AS A CONSUMER, HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THIS?

Also as a tip for consumers, we also play a vital role in promoting sustainable fashion by making conscious choices, for example buying from ethical and sustainable brands, supporting second-hand markets, and extending the lifespan of our garments through proper care, we can contribute to reducing the environment impact of the fashion industry. 

Bibliography

Chen, X., Memon, H. A., Wang, Y., Marriam, I., & Tebyetekerwa, M. (2021). Circular Economy and sustainability of the clothing and textile Industry. Materials Circular Economy, 3, 1-9.

Farhana, K., Kadirgama, K., Mahamude, A. S. F., & Mica, M. T. (2022). Energy consumption, environmental impact, and implementation of renewable energy resources in global textile industries: an overview towards circularity and sustainability. Materials Circular Economy, 4(1), 15.
Gwilt, Alison. A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=6234061.

In recent years, the fashion industry has undergone a significant transformation, with sustainability becoming a focal point of discussion. With increasing awareness about environmental issues and the need for sustainable practices, circular fashion has emerged as a compelling solution. This innovative approach to fashion is not only stylish but also environmentally friendly, making it a hot trend among eco-conscious consumers. Circular fashion revolves around reducing waste and maximizing the lifespan of clothing, has emerged as a promising solution to the environmental challenges posed by the fast fashion industry. It’s a stark contrast to the traditional linear fashion model, which follows a “take-make-dispose” approach, leading to massive waste and resource depletion.Circular fashion, on the other hand, is based on the principles of reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling clothing to extend their lifecycle.

Circular fashion is a concept that challenges the traditional linear fashion model, which follows a “take, make, dispose” approach. Instead, it promotes a circular economy where products are designed, produced, and consumed with the goal of minimizing waste and maximizing resource use. In circular fashion, the focus is on extending the lifespan of clothing and accessories through various strategies like repair, resale, recycling, and upcycling.

Several brands have embraced the circular fashion movement, including Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and H&M’s Conscious Collection. Additionally, online marketplaces like ThredUp and The RealReal specialize in reselling pre-owned clothing and accessories, making it easier for consumers to participate in the circular fashion economy.

Conclusion

By embracing circular fashion and supporting initiatives aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability, we can all play a part in revolutionizing the way we consume and produce clothing. It challenges the throwaway culture of fast fashion and encourages consumers to embrace a more thoughtful and mindful approach to their clothing choices. Circular fashion is not just a passing trend; it’s a necessary shift towards a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry. By embracing circular fashion and supporting initiatives aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability, we can all play a part in revolutionizing the way we consume and produce clothing.

References:

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2017). A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future.
• Patagonia. (n.d.). Worn Wear. 
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (n.d.). Circular Fashion. 
• Sustainable Apparel Coalition – Higg Index: https://apparelcoalition.org/the-higg-index/ 
• Circular Fashion Summit – Circular Fashion Summit: https://circularfashionsummit.com/