In recent years, consumers have begun to realize the fashion industry brings up negative impacts on the environment and society, and therefore have expressed their hope that brands and retailers should take social responsibility to reduce the burden on the environment and society.
In order to stimulate the shopping desire of consumers, these companies try to provide the latest and the most popular fashion styles, by selling them at a low price with a small quantity but a large variety of styles to meet the needs of consumers as much as possible. This, however, results in a large number of unsold wearables, which will be sent to the landfill.
Fast fashion creates tons of waste
The fashion industry is also one of the culprits of solid waste pollution. In Hong Kong, an average of more than 340 tons of textile waste is sent to landfills every day, equivalent to about 700,000 pieces of sweaters. Four out of ten Hong Kongers have thrown away clothes that they have only worn once.
Fast fashion pollutes our water
According to a United Nations 2018 study, the fashion industry accounts for 20% of global water waste, mainly due to wastewater discharged from garment production processes such as cotton farming and dyeing.
A Greenpeace report suggested that chemicals found in our clothes, such as NPEs, toxic perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and azo dyes can be carcinogenic to humans and animals. According to the Guardian, nearly 20% of water pollution is caused by about 8,000 synthetic compounds used in the textile industry.
Fast fashion is powered by labour exploitation
What’s more, this glam industry is associated with global labor, poverty and even human rights issues. Critically-acclaimed documentary Invisible Hands revealed trafficked victims, including children, are sold into forced labor within the fashion supply chains, making the textiles and garments to satisfy the demand of consumers in Europe, the US, and beyond.
The principles of sustainable fashion
"Sustainable fashion" has become an environmental protection trend. This concept is built on the basis of "sustainable enterprise", which is based on the principles of people, planet, and profit, hoping to find a way to reduce the negative impact on humans and the planet while making profits from the products, services and operations. Applying to the fashion industry, the goal for the enterprise is to find sustainable materials, in order to reduce waste, save energy, optimize the production processes, and reduce transportation emissions, hoping that every piece of fashion clothing meets the target of social responsibility.
Sustainable fashion ecosystem by the fashion giants
More and more major international brands are committed to creating a sustainable fashion ecosystem. Brands such as Stella McCartney, Kering, Gap, and H&M have signed the "Fashion Industry Charter'' by the United Nations, and pledged to reduce their carbon pollution by 30% in the next 6 years. Implementations such as Adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney cooperate with biotechnology company Bolt to produce MyloTM (a leather-based on mycelial mushroom). This, compared to animal leather, can have a less amount of greenhouse gas emissions and also less water and land consuming. During the manufacturing process, no animal is cruelly treated.
We can see the use of recycled materials in the Conscious Exclusive series of H&M, and also the Join Life series of Zara, while Monki has used sustainable cotton to make clothes since 2018.
Extending clothing life by donating and giving away
As long as we are talking about sustainable fashion, waste reduction at the source is a more effective control method. Rather than buying new clothes, we should consider buying second-hand clothes, exchanging or even renting them. When clothes are no longer needed, you can consider donating them to charity groups or giving them to relatives and friends, or sending them to second-hand stores in order to extend the life of the clothes as much as possible.
Many fashion giants are taking the first step towards "sustainability" in environmental protection. If you do care about our planet, be creative by using colored magazine pages or old paper to wrap your Christmas gifts. Also, electronic Christmas cards can not only send your regards, but also can save paper. While celebrating the festive season, we can continue to sustainably respond to a low-carbon green life and contribute to the planet.
Sources:
- 打造可持續時裝業
- 用蘑菇做「皮料」，美國生物新創公司Bolt Threads新款環保手袋Mylo Driver Bag正式發售
- 蘑菇變皮革 Vegan改變時尚產業
- G7 and fashion houses join forces to make clothes more sustainable
- 可持續時尚只是紙上談兵？報告稱只有兩個大品牌能真正履行責任
- 綠色時尚正流行：秒懂支持可持續時裝的7種方式！
- Sustainable Fashion: A Response to Fast Fashion
- Fast fashion: 39% of Hong Kongers have thrown away clothing after wearing it just once
- UN - Fashion and the SDGs: what role for the UN?
- Invisible Hands - Movie - Home
- 本港每日棄置343公噸紡織物 回收再造技術可帶來生機？