PLANET
The planet is dying and fashion isn’t helping. An example of this would be the disastrous 20% of industrial water pollution caused by the dyeing and treatment of textiles (Kant 2012). This industry also continues to not only waste resources on a mass scale but also mostly on uses non renewable resources- 98 million tons to be exact each year including oil to create a range of textiles such as cotton and synthetic fibres (EMF 2017,20). The lazy and unsustainable ways that are destroying the planet do not just come down to the big manufacturers however, consumers also play a massive help in hand with the average persons wardrobe actually being 70% inactive with 30% of it not being worn in the last year (Fletcher 2008) (WRAP 2012). This is where the idea of a circular economy introduces itself. A circular economy is a model of production and consumption which revolves around the idea of sharing, leasing and the “re’s” (reduce ,repair ,repurpose ,reuse ,recycle ,restore and regenerate.)The main ideology if a circular economy is to keep materials and practises in a loop in order to not keep wasting and looking for more. Sustainability in relation to fashion would refer to the strive and action of change and alternate ways. Possibly one of the biggest factors of where to start would be the colossal water consumption and waste in the industry. Textile production uses 93 billion cubic metres of water each year and to put that into perspective that is the equivalent to 37 million Olympic swimming pools (Ellen MacArthur Foundation). However the reason we shouldn’t just be focusing on consumption is because according to a 2012 report around 20% of all global waste comes from the dyeing of garments and the final production stages of fashion pieces (Alexis Morgan). The united nations have a collection of sustainable development goals(SDG) put forward to take action against poverty ,protect the planet and bring overall peace. The life on land SDG collaborates with the fashion industry and its obsession with bringing nature and wildlife into peoples wardrobes. Each year billions of animals are tortured and poached for their materials such as authentic leather, wool or cashmere (PETA) This is an outrageous and abhorrent way to continue. This is something the UN are fighting for to stop and although the fashion industry is not themselves murdering the animals they are bystanders for animal cruelty and have been for an extensive length of time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Niinimäki, K. (no date) Sustainable fashion in a circular economy – core, core.ac.uk. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301138773.pdf (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
Circular economy: Definition, importance and benefits: News: European parliament (2023) Circular economy: definition, importance and benefits | News | European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/economy/20151201STO05603/circular-economy-definition-importance-and-benefits (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
Chan, E. (2020) Vogue Australia, Vogue.com.au. Available at: https://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news/the-fashion-industry-is-using-up-too-much-water-heres-how-you-can-reduce-your-h2o-footprint/news-story/bdfea09be1ee1f28de0f32bfc10a71d4 (Accessed: 08 October 2023).
Leather, wool, and other clothing made from animals (2022) PETA. Available at: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/ (Accessed: 08 October 2023).