Planet Blog
The fashion industry has always been an incredible business that catches people’s attention. However, the world of fashion is causing a huge environmental impact including water waste, CO2 emissions, and more. The Planet will be the main focus of this blog, this pillar aims to explore solutions to reduce negative impacts on the planet meanwhile staying creative in terms of fashion designs. Topics related to the pillar, such as the circular economy and UN SDGs will also be discussed.
The circular economy is a novel economic modality that enables the regeneration of value and elimination of waste by extracting more value from waste materials like used clothes through things like recycling. It could be linked to the idea of circular fashion, where it is defined as a regenerative system aiming to maintain resources until it has reached its maximum value. By adopting a circular economy, we will be able to reduce waste as textiles are recycled and reused to create more products instead of being thrown in landfills. Another important concept related could be sustainability, fashion directly impacts the earth and needs to change immediately.
Almost every process related to fashion produces carbon dioxide. Such as textile production, dry-cleaning, or even the material used undergoes CO2 emission. The industry is responsible for about 10% of the global carbon emission (Zurich, 2023). In order to overcome serious global issues, The United Nations has come up with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aiming to achieve all 17 goals by 2030. Goal 12, responsible consumption and production have targets that can be related to the sustainability of the fashion industry. One of the targets within this goal is sustainable management and use of natural resources. Water is a scarce natural resource and up to two billion people do not have access to it (SDG report 2022). Meanwhile the fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water waste (Zurich, 2023). Another target mentioned is responsible management of chemicals and waste. This is strongly related to the material used in cloth fabrics. For example, cotton seems like a natural resource, but it actually goes through multiple chemical process throughout the production. Ending up creating excessive chemical waste that harms the environment.
Overall, the fashion industry is indeed in a desperate condition where immediate action must be taken. Or else the consequences may threaten the environment of the planet.
References:
“Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.” The Global Goals, 18 Apr. 2023, www.globalgoals.org/goals/12-responsible-consumption-and-production/.
Ro, Christine. “Can Fashion Ever Be Sustainable?” BBC Future, BBC, 24 Feb. 2022, www.bbc.com/future/article/20200310-sustainable-fashion-how-to-buy-clothes-good-for-the-climate.
“The Butterfly Diagram: Visualising the Circular Economy.” The Butterfly Diagram: Visualising the Circular Economy, ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram.
United Nations, United Nations, 2022, unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/Goal-06/?_gl=1%2A16sf0qw%2A_ga%2AMTE5NTQwNTkyLjE2OTY3MTc1ODg.%2A_ga_TK9BQL5X7Z%2AMTY5NjcxNzU4OC4xLjAuMTY5NjcxNzU4OC4wLjAuMA.
“What Is Fast Fashion and How Is It Damaging the Planet?” Zurich.Com, 2023, www.zurich.com/en/media/magazine/2021/fast-fashion-5-practical-ways-to-cut-the-carbon-from-your-closet#:~:text=It%20may%20surprise%20you%20to,than%2050%20percent%20by%202030.