Planet
The fashion industry is currently the second largest source of pollution after the petrochemical industry. According to the United Nations prediction, the consumption of the fashion industry will surge from 62 million tons to 102 million tons. If the global population reaches 6.5 billion by 2030, the fashion industry will occupy the top spot in environmental pollution.
There are three pillars of the SDGs, which including economy, society, and environment. The economy is one of the core pillars of sustainable development. Its role in sustainable development can be described as a ‘lifeline’. Only a healthy economic situation can ensure the prosperity and sustainable development of society. Society is another pillar of sustainable development. Social development is not only closely related to economic conditions, but also requires inclusiveness and promotion of lifestyles of all social classes, as well as communication between different cultures (Ahmed et al., 2021). The environment is an indispensable pillar in sustainable development. Environmental protection is not only about ecological protection, but also closely related to human health and economic conditions. A beautiful natural environment can bring better human life. The three pillars of sustainable development are not only isolated, but also interdependent and interdependent with each other. We need to consider all aspects comprehensively to achieve the goal of sustainable development.
Circular economy, which reconstructs the economic system according to the laws of material circulation and energy flow in natural ecosystems. Based on the concept of sustainable development, the production process of implementing comprehensive utilization of energy and its waste in a clean production manner (Mejias et al., 2019). Circular economy is the necessary path to achieve SDGs.
According to the Earth’s Pledge, at least 8000 chemicals are used as raw materials in the manufacturing of textiles. In addition, the use of pesticides in non-organic cotton cultivation accounts for 25% of the global usage. These damages to the Earth and humans are irreversible, and 2/3 of carbon emissions continue to occur even after purchasing clothing. Also, the processing of clothing fabrics consumes tens of gallons of water, particularly during the fabric dyeing process. which need 2.4 trillion gallons of water (Fernandes et al., 2019). The lack of water resources affects 1/3 of the population on each continent. Therefore, if sustainable design solutions are adopted to optimize the product processing process in the clothing industry, it will bring incalculable benefits to humans and the environment.
SDG 6 proposes to ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. In most countries that produce clothing, untreated toxic wastewater from textile mills is directly dumped into rivers. Wastewater contains harmful substances such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. These substances are extremely harmful to the health of aquatic organisms and millions of people living along riverbanks. Wastewater will also enter the ocean and eventually spread to various parts of the world. Another major source of water pollution is the use of fertilizers in cotton production, which seriously pollutes runoff and evaporation water.Faced with such an alarming problem of water pollution, we can not only choose to give away clothes to avoid waste, but also choose clothes made of organic and natural fibers that do not require chemical production.
References
Ahmed, A.A., Nazzal, M.A., Darras, B.M., 2021. Cyber-Physical Systems as an Enabler of Circular Economy to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals: A Comprehensive Review. Int. J. Prec. Eng. Manuf.-Green Technol. 1–21.
Fernandes S, Lucas J, Madeira M J, et al. “Exponential system strategy for sustainability in fashion design”. Procedia CIRP, 2019(84): 447 – 450
Mejias A M, Bellas R, Pardo J E, et al. “Traceability management systems and capacity building as new approaches for improving sustainability in the fashion multi-tier supply chian”. Internationa Journal of Production Economics. 2019, 22(3): 143 – 158