Maria Carolina Cena
Sustainability is a central theme in everyday discussions. It is becoming increasingly necessary to preserve and protect our planet, its resources, and its potential from inconsiderate and polluting interventions.
The fashion industry is certainly not exempt from responsibility, being the second most polluting sector globally, behind only hydrocarbons and refineries. The attempt to remedy this is at the centre of numerous political and institutional debates. It is slowly becoming an integral part of the activity of every significant fashion manufacturer and importer.
Thanks also to the growing awareness of consumers, the prominent fashion industry representatives are taking measures against overproduction, favouring a circular economy more in step with the blue economy, in which the system will be guided by a logic of virtuousness and the environment will be seen as a primary source of wealth since the most significant investments will derive precisely from this protection.
To mention a few interventions, in 2018, the British Parliament set up a mid-term monitoring committee to analyse the environmental impact of the business models of the sixteen largest British retailers.
The French government is preparing a law to come into force in 2023 that will restrict unethical practices in the fashion industry, such as the destruction of unsold clothes.
The European Union is placing a legislative focus on the issue of chemicals, which will be mandatory for the 26 EU member countries.
In the United States, the textile industry already has laws in place to protect consumers and reduce waste through regulations limiting the environmental impact of fabrics, and regulating the dispersion of water used to treat materials.
All these measures and more are being taken as awareness grows that “Fash fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere, is paying.
The question should be asked what the most polluting factors in this sector are; if we take the example of the sale of simple T-shirts, it is well known that approximately 2 billion T-shirts are sold and bought annually worldwide. Where and how are they produced? What is their average environmental impact? Considering the journey of a simple white shirt, whose cotton originates in a plantation in America, China, or India, it has to be harvested and processed. Cotton is also the material that uses more pesticides than any other fiber, thus harming the health of workers and the ecosystem. Unfortunately, according to recent data, organic cotton that does not use pesticides accounts for only 1% of the total tons of cotton produced annually. Once the cotton leaves the plantations, it travels for kilometers in boats or lorries to another factory in China or India, and once it arrives it is processed until it is a piece of grey cloth which is then bleached and dyed with chemicals, which, as well as being carcinogenic, are then poured into the rivers causing irreparable damage to the environment.
The fabric is transported thousands of kilometers further, where poorly paid workers finally cut the material and make the T-shirts. But the journey of these white T-shirts is not over yet as they are transported again, increasing CO2 emissions before being displayed on shop shelves.
To sum up the significant problems of sustainability in the fashion industry: the fight against climate change, water scarcity, hazardous chemicals used, land use and biodiversity, forced labor, human trafficking, and child exploitation.
While it is true that there is still intense pressure to buy and that there is sometimes no brake to reduce production and over-consumption, in part, this can be achieved thanks to the behaviour of consumers who increasingly prefer a circular economy characterized by exchange platforms, the sale, and purchase of second-hand clothes or vintage one-offs or rental venues. Generation Z appears to be more sensitive to environmental issues
Following the G20, there is a big step forward in sustainability. The news comes directly from the forum of heads of state and government of the G20 countries, the Fashion taskforce chaired by Federico Marchetti within the initiative of the Smi-Sustainable market of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has launched the digital passport and a sustainability protocol with circular data. Implementing this data technology will be launched and executed with immediate effect by members of the business unit set up last May.
Thanks to the passport, customers will be informed of the sustainability credentials of their purchases; this will enable key players in the supply chain, from manufacturers, brands, and retailers to online platforms and resellers, to provide transparency and traceability of the products they sell. As well as stimulating consumers to shop greener, the project aims to extend the longevity of products and enable brands to scale circular business models.
Aside from the emergence of brands with strong ethical and environmental values, such as Veja, a well-known Portuguese brand of sustainable shoes, there is also a lot of activity on the horizon from the leading players in the retail, fashion, and luxury sectors, such as the Maison LVMH, whose social and managerial objectives include acting for the climate by improving energy efficiency and reducing the impact of transportation, leaving the smallest possible footprint and striving to achieve neutrality of emissions by 2030
Proper environmental protection can only be achieved through the combined efforts of industry players and consumers.
