Go sustainable fashion
By Staff Writer, écoute moi
Sustainability in fashion is the topic of discussion among small and large retailers who are competing to authenticate, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Most actors today agree that our modern society has to develop in more sustainable ways.
This includes how we produce and consume the green quality, but the wish for latest fashion makes the industry as one of the globe’s biggest contributor to pollution which is the main cause for weather change. The industry is the second largest user of water and is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combinedclothing, shoes, accessories and other textiles.
Go sustainable fashion
Virtually all major clothing companies in Sweden today have a work in progress in the area of sustainability, particularly in the production phase, but also increasingly at the user level to encourage increased reuse and recycling. At major clothing companies, CSR managers and sustainabilty heads today openly discuss how they work to realign their business models, production processes and store concepts towards improved sustainability.
Harmful chemicals, global transport of goods, and non-biodegradable packaging add to the environmental cost. The combined impact has put the industry under scrutiny among consumers who want to know where—and how—their clothes are produced. They’re demanding ethical practices and responsible retailing. The fashion industry has faced some significant challenges in the year 2019; sustainability is the biggest of them. In recent decades, sustainability has become the buzzword in the apparel and fashion industry. Web searches for Sustainable Fashion have increased by 66 percent since 2018, according to Lyst.
Go sustainable fashion
By the year 2030, the fashion industry is predicted to increase its water consumption by 50 percent, and its carbon footprint will increase to 2,790 million tons while fashion waste is predicted to hit 148 million tons, according to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. Scary. Isn’t it?
The situation can get worse if consumers don’t change their fashion habits in the coming years. Although the fashion industry has shown some seriousness towards sustainability in the recent decade, and the power is with consumerism.
Go sustainable fashion
Some manufacturers and retailers have found innovative solutions, both large and small. More sustainable fashion can be defined as clothing, shoes and accessories that are manufactured, marketed and used in the most sustainable manner possible, taking into account both environmental and socio-economic aspects. In practice, this implies continuous work to improve all stages of the product’s life cycle, from design, raw material production, manufacturing, transport, storage, marketing and final sale, to use, reuse, repair, remake and recycling of the product and its components.
From an environmental perspective, the aim should be to minimize any undesirable environmental effect of the product’s life cycle by: (a) ensuring efficient and careful use of natural resources (water, energy, land, soil, animals, plants, biodiversity, ecosystems, etc); (b) selecting renewable energy sources (wind, solar, etc) at every stage, and (c) maximizing repair, remake, reuse, and recycling of the product and its components. From a socio-economic perspective, all stakeholders should work to improve present working conditions for workers on the field, in the factories, transportation chain, and stores, by aligning with good ethics, best practice and international codes of conduct. In addition, fashion companies should contribute to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, caring and washing practices, and overall attitudes to fashion.
Go sustainable fashion
Sustainable fashion is thus partly about producing clothes, shoes and accessories in environmentally and socio-economically sustainable manners, but also about more sustainable patterns of consumption and use, which necessitate shifts in individual attitudes and behaviour. However, there are many ways for fashion companies to offer a more sustainable fashion, and for consumers to consume more sustainably. Green Strategy has identified seven forms of more sustainable fashion from both a producer and consumer perspective.
The main responsibility of fashion companies is obviously to change their production, distribution and marketing practices and strategies towards greater sustainability. But companies also have the possiblity to contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns. Some Swedish fashion companies provide fashion as second hand or have initiated rental systems for leasing clothes and accessories.
Go sustainable fashion
Other companies focus mainly on creating fashion that is of high quality and timeless design, i.e. of long-lasting style and durability. Other companies (e.g. H&M) have set up collection and recycling systems that supports increased textile recycling. Some companies choose to partner with I:CO, for example H&M, Adidas, Jack&Jones, Puma and the North Face. To manufacture clothes with certified textiles (according to environmental labels and Fair trade) is another strategy to promote more concious consumption patterns.