PLANET – Mia Bradford.
PLANET
The ‘planet’ pillar is one of the four pillars that creates the framework for fashion business. It incorporates the urgent need for sustainable development within the fashion industry, in all areas of production, distribution and long-term waste. The Brundtland report (1987) defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. In relation to fashion, this report exposes that the environmental damage caused by the industry will reduce finite resources available to future manufacturers and companies, therefore a necessary systematic change must be made in order to protect the planet’s natural order.
CIRCULARITY WITHIN FASHION
A particular model suggested by the Ellen Macarthur foundation is the strive for a circular economy, which can be described as “a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution”. The model suggests a complete reinvention of the fashion industry itself, starting with sustainably designing the items before the production release. An example use of a successful circular model is with the FW22 Napapjuri circular series collection. Through the process of using mono-material composition (a product that consists of only one type of material), it allows the outer-wear products to be fully recyclable and the brand has created a system whereby after two years of wear, you can return the product and it will be fully recycled back into materials for alternative use. The continuous demand for synthetic materials reduces the chances of the systematic shift from a linear to circular economy, thus the change must begin with the design element of the fashion industry.
SDG
As the evolving industry grows more sustainably conscious of its environmental actions, major political influences have aligned their concerns with the future of our planet by restructuring attitudes towards the planet. The UN’s sustainable development goals are an enviromental framework enforced to reduce the industry’s long-term impact on the planet. For example, the 7th goal implies the importance of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all. As we continue to produce mass amounts of clothing and materials, there is a 30% CO2 emission release from the washing process at home. The production process of the fashion industry contributes to the C02 emission release with 1.2 billion tones emitted yearly. This method of overproduction that has escalated in the last 20 years not only affects the renewable energy issues that the UN are reduced by 2030 but intersects all aspects of the lacking sustainable processes in the fashion industry.
references:
Brundtland Report (1987): TWI Global, What is sustainability and why is it important? https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-sustainability#WhatdoesSustainabilityMean
Accessed: 9.10.2022
Ellen Macarthur Foundation: Redesigning the future of fashion, introduction to a circular economy. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview
Ellen Macarthur foundation: Examples of a circular economy, Napapjuri circular series. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/napapijri-circular-series
Accessed: 7.10.2022
Napapjuri collection: FW22 Circular Series collection. https://www.napapijri.co.uk/circularseries.html
Accessed: 7.10.2022
Nissa Metallizzing solutions: What are mono-materials? https://www.nisshametallizing.com/en/what-are-mono-materials
Accessed: 8.10.2022
United Nations SDG programme: United Nations in Western Europe, Goal 7 SDG Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. https://unric.org/en/sdg-7/
Accessed: 9.10.2022
Carbon Literacy: Fast fashions carbon footprint, August 2021 by Rebekah Clarke. https://carbonliteracy.com/fast-fashions-carbon-footprint/
Accessed: 8.10.2022