Planet
Planet – one of the four vital pillars regarding the fashion business industry. These pillars are frequently referred to within the industry, with all four used together to pave a sustainable future within fashion. ‘Planet’ focuses on protecting our Earth from a ‘climate catastrophe’ through means of cutting down production of garments massively, switching to planet-friendly raw materials and slowing down the rate of micro-trends within the fashion industry, amongst others.
A circular economy is focused around three elements; elimination of waste and pollution, circulation of products and materials and regenerating nature. To solve the crisis regarding the planet and fashion, companies must reinvent fashion itself (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) Reinventing fashion includes the expanding of fashion trend cycles, thus leading to less garments produced and discarded. On average, a consumer in the UK now buys 60% more clothing than they did fifteen years ago, with just 12% of clothing purchased being recycled (BBC, 2022). A circular economy strikes the wave of such microtrends and encourages the regeneration of clothing through recycling, reusing and renewing. The rise of sustainability in fashion has seen companies becoming ‘100% circular and climate positive’. Fashion giant H&M group has recognised the climate crisis, and has set out to be a fully circular business by 2040 (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).
SDGs (sustainable development goals) are seventeen goals developed by the United Nations, set up in 2015 designed to be achieved by 2030. All seventeen goals are exponential and crucial to the present and the future of our planet. SDH #12 – ‘responsible consumption and production’ This goal ties to the emergency in the textile industry – we must exercise prudence in order to achieve sustainability within the industry. A long term plan where today’s goods become tomorrow’s materials, taking action and implementing a halt to the overconsumption encouraged by mass media. Taking care of our finite materials and resources and using them efficiently is a must to tackle the pressure on our ecosystems. In recent years, luxury fashion house Burberry burned $37 million worth of unsold garments and perfume (Environmental Leader, 2018). Irresponsible production in the industry is leading to an increase of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, harming our home.
References
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples-collection-fashion
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-13-8787-6_2
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/hm-group