Planet

Brian Caamano Lema ⋅ 8th October 2023

“We are on earth to take care of life. We are on earth to take care of each other.” (Xiye Bastida) Planet Earth is something that we all share as a community. Considering there is only one Earth, our purpose should be to care for it rather than to let it deteriorate. There is so much we can do collectively to make the world a better place; it is up to all of us to make a difference. Nobody ever said life was easy, so what makes it so difficult to try to be more environmentally conscious and to be more sustainable in order to maintain this vital pillar for future generations to carry on with what we started? The key is starting somewhere and not relying on hopes that someone else will. It starts with yourself in order to make a change

The circular economy is a system in which materials are never wasted and nature is renewed. Products and materials are kept in circulation in a circular economy through operations such as maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. By disconnecting economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, the circular economy addresses climate change and other global concerns such as biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. The three basic concepts that drive the circular economy are to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their best possible value, and regenerate nature. (Ellen MacArthur foundation, 2023)

Following through on what the circular economy strives for while also taking into account the SDGs’ support on the three essential pillars (society, environment and economy) all fall into the goal for sustainability and progressively becoming friendlier towards the environment and common goal to take care of our home.

Throughout, the most important thing that makes the circular economy strive is sustainability which is equally divided which is known as the triple bottom line which are people, planet and profit (RMIT University 2017). But, sustainability is a very broad statement which lies in different aspects and understanding for many, so, what is sustainability? Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain or support a process continuously over time making good use of a perfectly good item. In business and policy contexts, sustainability seeks to prevent the depletion of natural or physical resources, so that they will remain available for the long term. In the fashion industry, sustainability is a way in which brands attempt to create clothing that not only reduces the impact on the environment but is also mindful of the people who work to produce garments we wear. In a more simple way, it is “fashion that is ethically made and environmentally friendly”. (David Marshall 2022)

The United Nations produced a list of 17 Sustainable Goals that were proposed as a solution to the world’s problems in the hopes that they would lead to a beneficial end. All of these objectives are related to what sustainability tries to provide/achieve. Goal number four is assigned to the social pillar and addresses educational quality. Its mission is to foster inclusive and equitable quality education and to encourage opportunities for lifelong learning for all. This goal may not appear to be a major concern to the fashion industry at first glance, but there are approximately 17 million cases of children (ages 6-14) working up to 6 days a week across Asia and the Pacific to ensure fast fashion brands such as H&M have enough clothing to display in their stores, which sell for much more than the 0.13p these children get paid. (Gethin Chamberlain, 2017)

Bibliography –

Emeritus 09/01/2023

Available at: https://emeritus.org/blog/sustainability-sustainable-fashion/#:~:text=Sustainable%20clothing%20uses%20biodegradable%20components,carbon%20footprint%20of%20these%20brands. (Accessed on 07/10/23)

Investopedia (Thomas, D) 08/04/23

Available at:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sustainability.asp (Accessed on 07/10/23)

Immago (Marshall, D) 15/09/2022

Available at:

https://immago.com/sustainable-fashion-important/#:~:text=Sustainable%20fashion%20is%20a%20way,ethically%20made%20and%20environmentally%20friendly. (Accessed on 07/10/2023)

United Nations

Available at:

https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal4 (accessed on 08/10/23)