Planet is one of four essential pillars in the fashion industry, alongside purpose, people, and profit. It highlights companies’ commitment to reducing their negative environmental impacts and aligns with the principles of sustainability.
Sustainability is a word that has been circulating the fashion industry since the 1960s, however many perceptions have been manipulated by marketing strategies. King (2013) has even gone as far as to say the word “has become so corrupted as to not only be meaningless but to actually obscure the real issues”. The Brundtland Report (1987) defines sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the abilities of future generations. Essentially, in the fashion industry, a product must be made whilst respecting the environment and the welfare of animals and humans. But unfortunately, multiple workers still endure unsafe conditions. Italian tanneries are an example of this, where 18000 to 23000 workers are employed annually and forced to work in dangerous conditions with 13-hour-long days. Often leading to muscular and skeletal disorders. On top of this, an estimated 20% of workers in the tanneries experience accidents due to faulty machinery and insufficient training. To combat the issue, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 focuses on decent work and economic growth. The goal is one of 17, proposed by the United Nations, that aspire to reach a more sustainable future by 2030. The approach consists of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring that all people enjoy peace.
Clothing production has almost doubled in the last two decades, mainly due to the “fast fashion” phenomenon. Driven by trend-based consumption, fast fashion is the demand for “disposable” clothing at low costs. Frequently resulting in the disposal of garments after just seven or eight wears (Remy et al. 2016). However, extending the life of clothes by nine months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by twenty to thirty percent, which explains why companies are urged to focus on “closing the loop”. Also known as a circular economy, “closing the loop” is based on the concepts of eliminating waste, keeping products and materials in circulation, and the regenerative nature. Early Majority is a brand that values these concepts and believes its paid-for, membership-driven community will reduce its environmental impacts. All Early Majority garments come with a lifetime guarantee and free repairs. If a customer no longer wants their products, they are encouraged to return the item to be cleaned, repaired, refurbished, and then resold. Therefore reducing its carbon emissions by a potential 30% (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017).
We can see that companies are taking action towards a more sustainable future, starting with tracing their environmental footprint, which could take years. Carriere-Pradal argues that the “cost of having to catch up could be too big for some businesses”. So, what does the future hold?
References
- Hethorn, J. and Ulasewicz, C. (Eds.). (2015). Sustainable fashion: what’s next? A conversation about issues, practices and possibilities. Second Edition. New York: Bloomsbury. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1161923&query_desc=
- Lowe, A. (2023). Fashion brand management: plan, scale and market a successful fashion business. London: Kogan Page. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1533304&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A%20fashion%20management
- Mitterfellner, O. (2023). Luxury fashion brand management and sustainability: unifying fashion with sustainability. New York: Routledge. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1546849&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A%20Mitterfellner
- Jacometti, V. (2019) ‘The New Frontiers of Fashion Law’, Circular Economy and Waste in the Fashion Industry, 8, pp. 1-13. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/8/4/27
Leave a Reply