PLANET
Circular economy refers to the efficient use of resources, recycling as the core, as far as possible to achieve zero waste and zero pollution in the entire life cycle of materials. After a material has fulfilled its mission it can be returned to the cycle, reused or recycled. The circular economy does not just mean recovering energy from discarded materials, but rather a strategy that considers keeping products in economic use for as long as possible from an early stage. Extracting, manufacturing, consuming and discarding is a traditional, one-way, linear economic model. It promotes economic growth while causing significant resource consumption as well as pollution. The circular economy seeks to solve this problem by getting out of the unidirectional development dilemma, forming a closed loop of material circulation flow, extending the life cycle of products, thereby creating more value and realizing sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment.
The fashion industry is currently the second largest source of pollution manufacturing in the world, second only to the petrochemical industry in terms of harm. The manufacturing of clothes in factories wastes a lot of resources, and clothes that are not recycled after use cause secondary pollution. Sustainable fashion means that fashion products are created with consideration for their impact on the environment and society, extending the life cycle of the material, increasing the value and longevity of the product itself. Brands send messages to consumers through media campaigns, encouraging them to buy green products, and create digital technology through the use of VR, AR, and AI for online visualization. Consumers can also choose to buy second-hand products, which allows them to be reused and reduces the amount of waste in the production and consumption process at a certain level, thus reducing the damage to the environment.
Among the UN Sustainable Development Goals, “PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS” is closely related to the fashion industry. Building a green and healthy fashion industry cannot be accomplished by one country. Strengthen partnerships between national fashion industries to mobilize and share knowledge, expertise and technology related to sustainable development. Drawing on the experience of partnerships and financing strategies, mobilize and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. Collaboration between countries will enable industry to develop faster and more up-to-date pollution-reducing and recyclable technologies. A stronger media presence to increase awareness and understanding of sustainable development strategies. Leads to green, sustainable and recycled lifestyles. This will enable the fashion industry to move towards the right path on the road to sustainable development.
References:
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The Circular Economy–A new sustainability paradigm?. Journal of cleaner production, 143, 757-768.
Ordonez-Ponce, E., Clarke, A., & MacDonald, A. (2021). Business contributions to the sustainable development goals through community sustainability partnerships. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 12(6), 1239-1267.
Strähle, J., & Müller, V. (2017). Key aspects of sustainability in fashion retail. Green fashion retail, 7-26.
Van Huijstee, M. M., Francken, M., & Leroy, P. (2007). Partnerships for sustainable development: A review of current literature. Environmental sciences, 4(2), 75-89.