The fashion industry is in a sustainability pickle. Governments are starting to regulate green claims, and legislators have just introduced a bill for fashion companies.
While a sustainable fashion industry might seem impossible, individuals can make an impact. There are many steps they can take to encourage sustainability, including avoiding synthetic fabrics and opting for organic cotton.
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Recycle
Upcycling is one of the best ways to be more sustainable in an industry where 65% of clothing is in landfills. By giving old clothes a new life, you avoid using up natural resources and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, you can save money by not purchasing new clothes and swapping or selling them to friends and family.
While many brands do a great job of marketing themselves as green, the truth is that most big fashion chains are still guilty of unethical and often inhumane manufacturing practices. To be sustainable, they must change how they produce and design their products.
This means lowering their carbon footprint, reducing water usage, and using more renewable materials. Additionally, they need to start recycling their products. One way to do this is by using recycled polyester from repurposed plastic bottles that would otherwise end up in landfills or oceans as microplastics.
Reduce
The growing concern about sustainability is that the precise negative environmental impact of the fashion industry is difficult to pin down because of a lack of transparency. McKinsey estimates that the industry contributes between 4% and 10% of global carbon emissions, with most fashion brands outsourcing final production.
For example, one kilo of cotton requires 10,000 liters of water to grow. Moreover, acrylic and polyester textiles shed tiny microplastic waste that pollutes the water supply for downstream fish and animals. The fashion industry is beginning to reduce these harmful impacts.
Reuse
Fashion brands are experimenting with reducing their environmental impact by reusing their products. Some companies use recycled polyester fabric, which produces half to a quarter of the carbon emissions of virgin polyester and doesn’t release microfibres into the environment. Others use cotton fabric made from scraps and leftovers (known as deadstock).
Other brands are experimenting with clothing rental or resale models, which lengthen the product life cycle and reduce waste.
Other companies are working on sustainable fabrics with a lower impact. In addition, companies are improving transparency by publishing their environmental, social, and governance reports with standardized language and regulated frameworks.
Reduce Carbon Footprint
The fashion industry is responsible for around 10 % of global carbon emissions, more than maritime shipping and international flights. And it’s projected to grow by 50 % by 2030.
As a result, it plays a crucial role in the campaign to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, as stipulated by almost 200 nations in the Paris Climate Agreement. The good news is that there are many things we can do as customers to assist.
For example, shopping with brands that use recycled materials or organic cotton and swapping and trading clothes instead of buying new ones. Or wear clothes for longer, mend them and not wash them as often, or even let them air dry rather than use the tumble dryer.
And the good news is fashion companies are starting to do their bit. Nearly all public clothing manufacturers now publish environmental, social, and governance (CSR) reports the size of small books, and some have made sustainability a core strategic plan.
Reduce Water Footprint
Undoubtedly, the fashion business is thirsty. A single cotton T-shirt can require up to 2,700 liters of water to create, and the denim pants you have hanging in your wardrobe require even more.
Unfortunately, much water is polluted and used inefficiently, contributing to water scarcity worldwide. The good news is that more and more brands are addressing this problem by switching to recycled fabrics, adopting sustainable sourcing practices, and using water-efficient technologies.
But consumers can also do their part by buying second-hand clothing, refusing to buy new clothes made with raw materials that contribute to the climate crisis, and supporting ethical fashion companies. Nonprofit organizations and apps are shining a light on unethical garment manufacturing, giving consumers the power to hold their favorite brands accountable. And technological advances keep enabling fashion companies to maintain transparency throughout the supply chain so that their sustainability KPIs are accurately measured and reported.
Reduce Waste
Over 100 billion garments are produced each year, and unchecked, 87% of them end up in landfill or incineration, with only 1% recycled. This makes fashion a major contributor to climate change.
The ‘throwaway’ mentality in fashion is hard to reverse, but there are steps companies can take. One is to promote slow fashion with the ethos that clothing is meant to last. Many other companies are also taking innovative approaches to waste reduction. Examples include a company that uses once-trashed materials, such as fire hoses and airline seat covers, to make sunglasses and an eco-fashion competition that challenges contestants to create clothes out of trash.