Planet
Planet, one of the four pillars of fashion business school, entails ideas of sustainability and the fashion industry’s genuine concerns for the current climate crises. It is a significant factor as characterised by being one of Elkington’s triple bottom line features which measures the success of a business based on three prospects, one being planet. This reiterates the importance of sustainability however, now more than ever, the industry needs to strive for action. It accounts for 10% of the global carbon dioxide output (Ro, 2020) hence retailers are aiming for zero carbon emissions and sustainable futures, however, few are succeeding in doing so as although sustainability is on a rise, it’s also viewed as a trend resulting in greenwashing. Sustainability cannot be viewed solely as a marketing purpose with no action. Action can be taken through a circulatory economy. This is a way to stop waste. The Ellen MacArthur foundation defines circular economy as “A systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity, waste and pollution” (Circular economy introduction, n.d.) . The circular economy reduces waste via the three principle which are, “eliminate waste and pollution,” “circulate products and materials” and “regenerate nature” (Circular economy introduction, n.d.). Reusing and recycling materials extends the product lifecycle therefore reducing waste. The butterfly diagram displays the circular economy’s continuous flow of materials. (The butterfly diagram: visualising the circular economy, n.d.)
Sustainable fashion is described as “an all-inclusive term describing products, processes, activities, and actors aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity.” (Alves, 2022) In order to be sustainable, a brand should pay the living wage and not produce waste, if a brand is unable to achieve these two factors yet still claims to be sustainable, it may be considered greenwashing. Sustainability is a new wave of fashion that the industry, both new and old, is adopting. Chouinard, owner of Patagonia, has recently given the company away in order to become a charitable organisation. He claims “Earth is our only shareholder”, and all profits will now go towards the environment (McCormick, 2022). Patagonia is a great example of what the industry can do in order to be successful and perhaps this move will result in further action.
SDG 6, though not obviously relevant, is an /important factor to consider in the fashion industry due to the severity of the harm being caused. The 6th SDG by the UN is to “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all” (THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development, 2022). The two issues the current water climate is facing consists of: the lack of access to clean water for many communities and the pollution we are contaminating the water with. The fashion industry is significantly affecting this as the output of dyes and contaminants are being put back into the planet’s waterways. This is causing harm to the environment and life on it (SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and the Fashion Industry — Threading Change, 2022). The excessive amounts of water used in the industry is contributing to the lack of fresh water as a single pair of jeans and one t-shirt is estimated to use 10,000 litres of water to produce (Lupton, 2022). However, many brands are beginning to tackle this issue. Levis have introduced their Water < Less campaign in which they are essentially reducing the amount of water produced during the making of jeans for example through using bottle caps or golf balls to soften jeans instead of fabric softener which would use water to do so. (HOW WE MAKE JEANS WITH LESS WATER, 2022) Levis intend to reduce their water usage by 80% and their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% through using this technique (Berry, 2022).
Bibliography
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Alves, A., 2022. What EXACTLY Is Sustainable Fashion & Why Is SO Important (2022). [online] Thevou.com. Available at: <https://thevou.com/fashion/sustainable-fashion/> [Accessed 8 October 2022].
McCormick, E., 2022. Patagonia’s billionaire owner gives away company to fight climate crisis. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/14/patagonias-billionaire-owner-gives-away-company-to-fight-climate-crisis-yvon-chouinard?amp;amp;amp> [Accessed 8 October 2022].
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Levi.com. 2022. HOW WE MAKE JEANS WITH LESS WATER. [online] Available at: <https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/blog/article/how-we-make-jeans-with-less-water> [Accessed 8 October 2022].
Berry, I., 2022. Top 10 Sustainable Clothing Brands. [online] Sustainability mag. Available at: <https://sustainabilitymag.com/top10/top-10-sustainable-clothing-brands> [Accessed 8 October 2022].