Four Pillars: PLANET

One of the four pillars we are looking at within fashion business is Planet. Sustainability is key to keeping our planet healthy. Being sustainable means recycling things when we can, buying from companies which are sustainable, refusing waste and saving money. Keeping this up allows our planet to maintain its ethos and execution for a longer life span.

Fig 1.

Maintaining our planet’s health and wellbeing means needing a plan to redesign and refurbish our global system. The Circular Economy is that plan. The Circular Economy is how we manage our resources in any type of production. It’s ‘waste free’ and ‘regenerative’ with recyclable materials.

Fig 1. This smart design will allow us to reduce the cost of living and regenerate the landscapes that we depend on for survival.

The SDG number 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, performs well within the Circular Economy displaying the importance of Water Sanitation and Consumption. It aims to ensure availability and sustainable water management. The consumption of water used within the fashion industry is at such a high volume, however the Circular Economy can change this.

The foothills of Lake Geneva are essential. This is where Plateau Gavot is produced, the water catchment for Danone’s Evian brand. Producing 1.6 billion bottles of mineral water annually, Danone is seeming to preserve the purity of the natural water supply. Grasslands, Wetlands and other activities on the land need this supply. With Evian’s clear objective of maintaining the ‘natural mineral water’ these areas cannot be treated. (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021)

‘The Sustainable Fashion Glossary’ suggests how textile production takes the most water from countries who are suffering from scarce water sources. Research estimates that 4 billion people (half the global population) face severe water scarcity for at least 1 month a year, almost 50% of these live in India and China (Conde Nast, 2020.)     

Another source suggested from ‘A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion’ suggests how an ‘excessive amount of water is used in the cultivation of cotton during textile treatments and processes and in laundering’ (A.Gwilt, 2020.)

Levi Strauss & Co is aiming to make a positive change in reducing their water consumption. As of 2020, Levi have managed to save 13 billion litres of water by maximising their water efficiency and introducing their ‘Water<Less’ processes which started up in 2011. Alternatively, Levi’s ‘Recycle and Reuse’ guidelines progress to recycle more than 20% during manufacturing.

https://www.levi.com/GB/en_GB/features/sustainability

Levi’s, 8th August 2022

References:

Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021. (Watershed protection programme that builds value, resilience and natural capital: Danone-Evian) https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/watershed-protection-programme-that-builds-value-resilience-and-natural

Conde Nast, 2020. (The Sustainable Fashion Glossary) https://www.condenast.com/glossary/environmental-impacts-of-fashion

A.Gwilt, 2020. (A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion) https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/reader.action?docID=6234061

Levi Strauss & Co, 2022. (Building a Better, More Sustainable Future) https://www.levi.com/GB/en_GB/features/sustainability

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