Planet – Sustaining something that is not sustainable.
Figure 1.
When you hear the word ’planet’ what do you think of? Many people will say the word ’sustainable’ but what exactly are we sustaining? Many people and brands claim to be sustainable but are they all sustaining something productive? If consumption continues at its current rate, we’ll need three times as many natural resources by 2050 compared to what we used in 2000. (World Resources Institute, 2017.) Even if they are, whatever these brands are doing isn’t adequate. We can sustain something but if that particular situation isn’t bringing out a positive impact then it is not sustainable.
Alternatively, the idea of a circular economy can be explored. This is to turn goods that are at the end of their service life into resources for others, closing loops in industrial ecosystems and minimising waste (Nature, 2016.) It is an idea that has already been regarded as it is very similar to ’reduce, reuse, recycle’ the only difference being who it is for – circular economy is a business model aimed towards large companies which is contradictory to the other concept which is for the everyday consumer. And until these preponderant businesses advance it really does not matter what we do.
Sustainability and fashion go hand in hand with each other, from the raw materials to the consumer’s wardrobe, each process has an impact on the planet and in turn sustainability. But let’s be honest, the real starting point is the people in charge. What are their values? If they don’t have the correct values to make a difference then we are not going to see one.
In this image, it states some changes that those higher up could make for a more sustainable industry. And like most things in life, one person starts, others follow. Not only would this cause a positive imprint on the planet, also on people. For example where it states supporting local economies this creates recognition for smaller communities who are taking the correct environmental approach and encouraging them to continue, as humans we thrive off of appraisal. Circling back to my point from the end of the previous paragraph, these smaller groups do have the correct values and could maybe teach those that are higher up a thing or two…
However, designers should also be concerned with the balance between social, ethical, cultural and economic issues and needs, so strategies that aim to make improvements in these areas must be considered to be equally as important. (A Practical Guide To Sustainable Fashion, 2020.) This is an example of how all these different aspects all have an impact on each other.
Perhaps quality education is an SDG that has been previously disregarded however will have a very strong impact on the fashion industry and that will be important for future generations. There will be people in education now that in the future could potentially be a CEO for one of these brands and if people can be educated on the effects of their actions and take accountability for theirs and others behaviour then maybe we have a chance of slowly reversing the effects on the planet. In turn sustaining something that really is sustainable.
Bibliography:
Drew, D. and Yehounme, G. (2017) World Resources Institute, The Apparel Industry’s Environmental Impact in 6 Graphics. https://www.wri.org/insights/apparel-industrys-environmental-impact-6-graphics?inline-read-more=
Gwilt, A. (2020) A Practical Guide To Sustainable Fashion, Chapter 2 – The Life Cycle of a Garment, Bloomsbury Fashion Central. (Online) https://www-bloomsburyfashioncentral-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9781350067059&tocid=b-9781350067059-chapter2&pdfid=9781350067059.ch-002.pdf
Stahel, WR. (2016) Nature, The Circular Economy. https://www.nature.com/articles/531435a
Figure 1 – 4tify (2023) A Brief History in Sustainable Fashion Milestones. https://www.4tify.co/blog/a-brief-history-in-sustainable-fashion-milestones
Figure 2 – Gardetti, MA. and Torres, AL. (2017) Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles: Values, Design, Production and Consumption, Chapter 1 – Slow Fashion, Tailoring a Strategic Approach for Sustainability, Google books. (Online) https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=oqk0DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=sustainability+in+fashion&ots=QHF7fniIbN&sig=i6C9OWOmvkgIOAU4QYTeJeHGAdQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=sustainability%20in%20fashion&f=false
Figure 3 – Vivek (2020) Towards Data Science, Knowledge Graphs for Social Good Workshop: Helping the United Nations achieve Sustainable Development Goals. https://towardsdatascience.com/knowledge-graphs-for-social-good-workshop-helping-the-united-nations-achieve-sustainable-a18fa338731