Planet

The term sustainability is used frequently in today’s fashion industry to present a brands integrity towards how they produce clothing and whether its ethical towards the planet and people. Defining the word sustainability as a general term is for, something to have the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Relating back to today’s fashion economy it suggests the sustainable changes brands are beginning to make must become permanent, it must stop focusing on temporary fixed and symptoms and instead commit to finding long-term solutions that address the underlying causes of the extremely high environmental and social costs of fashion. (Gwilt, The Sustainable Fashion Glossary, 2014). The fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions (Adamkiewicz, 2022), however using more sustainable materials and production methods with reduce the impacts. If these changes aren’t pursued the environmental impacts on the planet from the production of fashion will be catastrophic and irreversible if we leave it much longer.

The SDG goals contain a set of 17 measures to foster sustainable development, they offer a good opportunity to reinvigorate sustainable development in the industry. (Brandli, 2017). Sustainable consumption and production patterns,  is one of the SDG (sustainable development goals). Brands are taking onboard sustainable consumption by reusing old collections and recycled materials, this decreases the ricks of land fill and overproduction of clothing. 

Linking back the idea of maintaining the sustainability of today’s fashion industry, brands and companies also need to think about the future. To eliminate the side effects from unsustainable fashion which will impact the planet, some brands have changed their views on production and sale and created the concept of a ‘circular economy’. 

Many sustainable brands have incorporated circular thinking into their processes, It’s all about minimising waste by reusing their existing materials and being conscious about the materials used. There are 4 main points to maintaining a circular economy; maintaining, reusing, refurbishment and recycling. Lastly, on this topic one of the main contributors to solve this issue is for brands to come together and share their knowledge to achieve a more sustainable future for fashion.

References 

Gwilt, A. (2014) The Sustainable Fashion Glossary , Condé Nast. Available at: https://www.condenast.com/glossary/key-elements-of-fashion-and-sustainability (Accessed: 06 October 2023). 

Author links open overlay panelJulia Adamkiewicz 1, J. et al. (2022) Greenwashing and Sustainable Fashion Industry, Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452223622001225 (Accessed: 08 October 2023). 

Nations, U. (no date) Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12 (Accessed: 08 October 2023). 

Brandli, L. (2017) Reinvigorating the Sustainable Development Research Agenda: The role of …, Reinvigorating the sustainable development research agenda: the role of the sustainable development goals (SDG). Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504509.2017.1342103 (Accessed: 08 October 2023).