Victoria’s Secret Swim 2012 by Cyril Attias
STYLE VS SUSTAINABILITY
October 29, 2024
Elsa Lagercrantz
As a member of F@B for over two years, as well as a fashion fan my entire life, I’ve written creative articles, walked in shows and tried out numerous trends. However, I’m consecutively haunted by the notion of a ticking clock, reminding me of our generation's greatest challenge — the ever-prevalent climate crisis. The destruction of our environment from over-consumption and carbon dioxide is evident and the fashion industry plays a significant role, subsequently begging the question: what responsibility lies on the individual versus the industry?
The force of fashion is everywhere, penetrating society on various levels. It wields the power to operate as an extension of selfhood and to mould the collective identity of a community. Take for instance, the power a scarf can hold, representing everything from religious symbols to political standpoints. Though ultimately, this “force” of fashion is arguably the most influential in terms of its effect on the environment. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, and only 1% of used clothes are recycled (EU, 2024). “Circular Economy and Sustainability of the Clothing and Textile Industry” explains that the problem lies within production, consumption and the absence of a non-waste management system. In 2021, 92 million tons of textile waste was generated by the industry, and this number is estimated to reach the daunting figure of 130 million tons of waste per year by 2030. The fast fashion sector is cited as the key driver of this rapid inflation because its entire infrastructure relies on the mass production of short-lived clothing sold at low prices (Chen, 2021).
There is an apparent imbalance between the fashion market’s consumption tendencies and the life-span of clothes and materials. Having to come to terms with the deplorable ramifications of today’s fashion industry feels grim. It makes me wonder: can consumer behaviour change and production methods modernise without diminishing the art, variety and creativity that is the essence of fashion?
As aforementioned, the influence of fashion occurs on both an individual and societal level. Hence, I believe the answer to these problems will require an effort from both parties. Though attitudes and norms are difficult to tackle, consuming less and sourcing materials consciously is possible. To jumpstart such efforts, global incentives are needed to combat the fashion industry’s grand challenges. Similar to the recent growth of electric vehicles, a massive change to the fashion industry’s supply chain is needed.
Several new companies have decided to take action to decarbonise and make the consumption aspect of clothes more circular, emphasising reprocessing and the reusing of materials. Presented below are various strategies aiming to tackle this issue that could have significant impacts on the fashion industry’s development:
BESTSELLER, Gap, H&M and Mango have joined forces to decarbonise the fashion industry's supply chain through a global effort called The Future Supplier Initiative. Launched in Bangladesh, this initiative is facilitated by The Fashion Impact in partnership with Apparel Impact Institute, Guidehouse, and DSB bank, who, through offering a financial model, hope to decrease GHG emissions produced by the fashion industry (Sustainability Magazine, 2024).
In Stockholm, Sweden, a newly established company, SYRE, aims to recycle polyester by employing a textile-to-textile solution. While the recycled polyester quality levels will remain the same as virgin polyester, up to 85% of carbon dioxide emitted from oil-based polyester production will be reduced through recycling (SYRE, 2024).
Based in Portland, OR, Columbia Sportswear increased the amount of recycled polyester used for producing their clothes from 14% in 2020 to 48% in 2022 (Carbonfact, 2024).
The workout shoe brand Lane Eight, founded in Hong Kong, has created a sustainable production method, using sugarcanes processed into pellets and renewable power, to avoid over-reliance on fossil fuels for their shoe manufacturing process (Carbonfact, 2024).
Based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, PUMA tackles Scope 2 emissions by using solely renewable energy for production. The company has also recently released an initiative in Europe called RE: JERSEY, in which they refashion worn-out clothing or discarded polyester into football jerseys (Carbonfact 2024).
Evidently, various sector-broad and company-specific actions are being undertaken to fight the ongoing climate crisis. Yet even still, a joint effort is needed between producers and consumers. During Climate Week in NYC, Vogue Business voiced the “urgent need for progress” in a panel with H&M and JCrew (Vogue Business, 2024).
The clock is ticking, and rapid action is required to battle the consequences of fast fashion for the statistics are sinister, to say the least. A shift to sustainable sources is needed, and cyclical reprocessing for clothes must be implemented. Still, it gives me hope to see an increasing awareness of the need for sustainability within the fashion industry and beyond. In addition, a consciousness must likewise be impregnated in consumers’ mindsets. Perhaps a coming article will explore the effect and responsibility of influencers promoting consumption.
I’m a member of F@B because I love fashion. It is fun, and I hope it becomes a “clean” industry where individual creativity can continue to flourish. By adopting a “use more from less” mindset, we can pave an environmentally conscious way for our natural world to flourish in tandem with the evolution of fashion.
LINK: ​​https://magazine.impactscool.com/en/future-society/industria-fast-fashion-e-moda-sostenibile/
LINK for the article:
https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/gap-h-m-bestseller-mango-uniting-for-sustainable-fashion
https://www.carbonfact.com/blog/knowledge/decarbonizing-fashion