Planet
The first of the pillars discussed within the fashion business context is ‘Planet’. The pillar, also known as the Environmental Pillar, is one of the elements of sustainable development. The environmental pillar advocates improving air and water quality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing resource waste. The natural environment affects the quality of health of humans, animals, and plants (Colson, 2022). The fashion industry creates a number of problems, such as child labor and inhumane working conditions as well as environmental issues. Between 2 and 8 percent of the world’s carbon emissions are generated by the fashion industry. Textile dyeing is also the second largest source of water pollution in the world, requiring about 2,000 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans (UNEP，2018).
In order to solve these environmental problems, some trailblazers have created a circular economy for fashion. The circular economy offers more opportunities for the fashion industry to respond to new customer needs while having more opportunities for growth. In order to achieve this, the fashion industry needs to shift from a take-make-waste model towards a reuse-based model. So the fashion industry needs to first create new business models that increase the reuse of clothing, followed by using safe and renewable materials and finally finding ways to turn old clothes into new ones (Gueye, 2021). The reuse-based model in the fashion industry is sustainability. One of the most famous definitions of sustainability in fashion comes from scholars Janet Hethorn and Connie Ulasewicz, who argue that sustainable things and processes in fashion should also be “environmentally sound, socially just and equitable, culturally respectful, humane, and economically viable”(ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY, 2022).
The design strategy of many eco-friendly brands is to use the life cycle of the product. For example, minimizing waste output throughout the life cycle of a garment. Design and production teams can look for ways to reduce resource waste when designing (Gwilt, 2020). The United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The number 15 SDGs is Life on Land which is to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss(United Nation). The UN SDGs has relevance to and an impact on the fashion industry. The very famous fashion brand Stella Mccartney believes that the future of fashion is circular and many of our favorite clothes will not go to waste. They use renewable materials. When considering materials from a circular economy perspective, they are divided into two categories: technical materials and biological materials. Stella Mccarney uses technical materials from non-renewable sources, they are inorganic or synthetic materials made by humans. They can be used many times without any loss of quality. Biological materials come from renewable resources. They are natural fibers that, under the right conditions, can be safely broken down into the natural environment, such as soil, water, etc., and do not negatively affect it – providing food for bacteria and microbial life (stellamccartney.com)
Reference:
Colson, D. (2 Ferbruary 2022) The Three Pillars of Sustainability: Economic, Social And Environment. Available at: https://www.transformationholdings.com/corporate-sustainability/3-pillars-sustainability/ (Accessed: 07 Oct 2022)
Fig 1, Gueye, S. (22 June 2021) The trends and trailblazers creating a circular economy for fashion. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/the-trends-and-trailblazers-creating-a-circular-economy-for-fashion (Accessed: 04 Oct 2022)
Gueye, S. (22 June 2021) The trends and trailblazers creating a circular economy for fashion. Available at: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/the-trends-and-trailblazers-creating-a-circular-economy-for-fashion (Accessed: 04 Oct 2022)
Gwilt, A. (09 June 2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1452042&query_desc= (Accessed: 08 Oct 2022)
ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY (9 June 2022) What Is Sustainability in the Fashion Industry? Available at: https://www.stkate.edu/newswire/news/sustainability-in-fashion-industry (Accessed: 06 Oct 2022)
stellamccartney.com. Circularity. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/gb/en/sustainability/circularity-2.html (Accessed: 08 Oct 2022)
UNEP (28 June 2021) Putting the brakes on fast fashion. Available at: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion (Accessed: 07 Oct 2022)
United Nation. THE 17 GOALS. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals#goals (Accessed: 08 Oct 2022)