Planet

Kamran Hammond ⋅ 8th October 2022

Planet is one of the four pillars explored in the sustainability of fashion with sustainability meaning ‘’meeting the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’ (United Nations Brundtland Commissions 1987). A circular economy where products are designed by their manufactures to be re-useable is important towards the fight against saving the planet and its natural resources, this is especially important in the fashion sector as the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. The fashion industry is responsible for around ‘’10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions’’ (Forbes 2021) which is more than international flights. This is because many fast fashion companies make clothing using a linear model, an outdated method that diminishes the planet’s natural resources and generates massive waste, companies use this method because this is a low-cost way for fashion manufacturers to produce clothing.

Additionally, the fashion business has an impact on individuals, particularly in non-Western nations, in addition to the environment and its natural resources. To make cotton fields grow faster so that garments can be created quicker, fast fashion manufacturers harm the earth’s soil by using heavy-duty pesticides. As a result, there is a limited supply of good soil to produce food, which restricts access to food in some nations.

Figure 2: United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals

In order to contribute to the creation of a sustainable environment for the planet both now and the future, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure that everyone has access to clean water, although this could be challenging given how heavily dependent the fashion industry relies on water for the production of textiles and clothing.

Figure 3: The Sustainable Development Goal 6

The fashion sector has restricted access to water due to the enormous amount of water needed to make clothing, with manufacturers consuming ‘’93 billion cubic meters of water per year’’ (CO 2017) with only 2500 litres of water needed to construct a single shirt, which is enough water to drink for 2 and half years. Additionally, the use of dyes, pesticides, heavy metals, and oils in the manufacture of clothing has led to the pollution of the earth’s water supplies. Additionally, since consumers contribute to water pollution by washing their clothes in water, manufacturers are not the only ones to blame for the problem.

References:

United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Government of Neverlands Circular Economy: https://www.government.nl/topics/circular-economy/from-a-linear-to-a-circular-economy

Un environmental programme Putting the brakes on fast fashion: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion

Forbes Sustainability in The Fashion Industry: Avoiding Communication Landmines:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/07/13/sustainability-in-the-fashion-industry-avoiding-communication-landmines/?sh=6400ae5261a6

CO SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE The Issues: Water:

https://www.commonobjective.co/article/the-issues-water#:~:text=It%27s%20estimated%20that%20the%20fashion,set%20to%20double%20by%202030.

Sustainably Chic Squeezing Us Dry: How the Fashion Industry Pollutes Water:

https://www.sustainably-chic.com/blog/how-the-fashion-industry-pollutes-water#:~:text=Overall%2C%20fashion%20is%20one%20of,severe%20and%20far%2Dreaching%20consequences.

Fair Planet HOW THE FASHION INDUSTRY POLLUTES OUR WATER:

https://www.fairplanet.org/story/how-the-fashion-industry-pollutes-our-water/#:~:text=The%20increase%20in%20demand%20generated,the%20textile%20industry%27s%20water%20pollution.