As a strong advocate for fashion sustainability, my focus has centred on promoting the concepts of circularity and sustainability to help mitigate the impact of the fashion industry on the environment and the livelihoods of those working in the industry. Despite these efforts, it is disheartening to observe industry trends and forecasts that suggest a continued emphasis on the exploitation and use of synthetic materials. I often wonder if the collective efforts of advocates like myself will ultimately prove futile. Here are some of the reasons the advancement of true sustainability is far off.
Sustainability Trends
Like many industries, fashion has been touting its sustainability credentials through carbon-positive, organic, and vegan products and new business models, including recycling, resale, rental, reuse, and repair. The reality is that these efforts need to be revised because they are failing to reduce fashion’s negative planetary impact. Without an adjudicator informing of an appropriate sustainability response, brands define the rules, and progress remains stagnant. This a stark reminder that voluntary measures to promote sustainability alone may not sufficiently address climate change and other significant societal challenges.
Complex Value Chain
The negative environmental impact of the fashion industry is hard to measure precisely, as it spans the globe and involves a complex, opaque supply chain. Only a few brands own the assets of their upstream manufacturing factories, and most of them outsource final production, which means that very few of the brands know where their materials come from or have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint. According to Linda Greer, an environmental scientist, “There are still very, very few brands who know where their stuff comes from in the supply chain, and even fewer of them have entered into active relationships with those suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint,”. The industry’s carbon impact estimates range from 4% (McKinsey and the Global Fashion Agenda) to 10% (U.N.) of global carbon emissions.
Fashion’s DNA
Fashion in itself is nested in a broader system that prioritises growth. It is wired to sell more and encourage consumers to purchase more, resulting in many clothes ending up in landfills. According to Michael Stanley-Jones, co-secretary for the UN Alliance for Sustainable fashion, “The urge to sell more and get consumers to buy more is still in the DNA of the industry. Even with improvements in technology and communications, predicting demand across tens of styles that are launched seasonally is much easier than doing the same for thousands of styles released monthly. Therefore, fashion inventories inevitably accumulate and are sold at discounts, with more than 40% of fashion goods being sold at a markdown.
The speed of the fashion industry’s hedonic treadmill continues to increase, with the proliferation of “newness” driving consumers to stores and websites. Fast fashion company Shein has overtaken Zara and H&M, with its website ranking number one worldwide for fashion and apparel web traffic. But to achieve low price points and fast-changing styles, these brands rely on fossil fuel-based synthetic materials like polyester, derived from non-renewable resources, require significant energy for extraction and processing, and release substantial byproducts.
Voluntary Measures
The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, was established to promote transparency and initiate holistic collaboration across the entire fashion supply chain – from farmers to textile machinery manufacturers. Big names in the fashion industry, such as Chanel, Nike, H&M, and Puma, have joined the initiative and regularly publish climate-related reports. However, the industry has yet to see a significant change in implementation, according to Simon Stiell, a United Nations Climate Change Executive. Only less than half of the brands have complied with the necessary climate targets to prevent global heating to 1.5°C, and many of their suppliers are not aligned with the goals of the Charter. Emissions from the fashion sector remain high, despite 45% of companies appearing to comply with the Paris climate target of 1.5°C. It is crucial to regulate the industry, like the cigarette and banking industries, to achieve better results, prevent overproduction, and combat climate change.
More Needed
The fashion industry has been making efforts to promote sustainability and address the environmental impact of its operations, but more is needed. The industry’s continued focus on synthetic materials and the pursuit of growth at the expense of sustainability is causing significant harm to the environment and communities. While initiatives like the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action are steps in the right direction, more than voluntary measures are needed to combat climate change and other significant societal challenges.
While it is clear that some companies have recognised the need for sustainability in their operations, their efforts have been less effective than intended. Many common steps, such as transparency and recycling, have been unable to limit environmental damage. Bio-based materials and new business models, such as resale and rental, have been introduced as alternative solutions, but they still face many obstacles.
To overcome these challenges, regulation, transparency, and consumer choice must all play a role in creating a truly sustainable fashion industry. Businesses must stop using the term “sustainability” and, instead, work towards achieving true sustainability. This includes disclosing their lobbying efforts and using their clout to bring about positive change while engineering a sustainable fashion industry.
As consumers, however, we must be willing to make conscious choices and hold companies accountable for their actions. Only then can we move towards a more sustainable future.