planet
Planet is one of the four pillars of sustainability at fashion business school, focusing on environmental sustainability. With the fashion industry being one of the most powerful and a complex chain interconnecting everything from farmers to transport to retail, makes it difficult for brands to act sustainably especially when they don’t know their earlier stages of the manufacturing chain.
Sustainability in relation to fashion can be defined as ‘meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of our future generations to meet their needs’ (Brundtland report 1987). Sustainability is about making the world a better place without destroying the opportunities for the future generations. Within sustainability there are three main pillars, people, planet and profit, also known as the social, economic and environmental pillars (John Elkington’s triple bottom line). The environmental pillar relates most to ‘planet’ as it involves taking care of resources, planet and ecosystems. Sustainability in fashion means an education and understanding of how the fashion industry negatively impacts the environment and our planet. For example, fashion production makes up 10% of the carbon emissions produced by humanity (UNECE,2018) along with 93 billion cubic metres of water is used by the fashion industry annually, which is the amount to feed five million people every year (UNCTAD, 2020). Consumers and businesses having an awareness or understanding of these facts could contribute to the first steps in resolving the problems created by the fashion industry and discovering opportunities to act responsibly in order to save the planet.
The circular economy is thought to be an alternative to a traditional linear economy of making, using and disposing of garments, and instead forming a regenerative system to keep clothes in use. The model is often described as ‘a system where all materials are infinitely recyclable or biodegradable’ (Gwilt.A 2020). A circular economy has the key principles of keeping products and materials in use, using renewable and safe materials and designing out waste and pollution. As a garment comes to the end of its life and is perhaps broken or been worn out, rather than throwing it away, the item could be repaired, reused or even recycled into another garment, overall reducing waste and creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly system.
There are 17 sustainable development goals, adopted by the United Nations. The 17 SDGs outline 169 targets to be met by 2030 (Gwilt A, 2020). The 14th goal, life below water, majorly supported by the environmental pillar, aims to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’ (globalgoals.org). The fashion industry negatively impacts sea life and ‘life below water’ due to the resources, processes and how garments are used. For example, ‘synthetic textiles like polyester shed tiny pieces of plastic with every wash and wear. These plastic particles, called microplastics, pollute the oceans’ (Bloomberg.com). Therefore, not only how the fashion industry manufactures garments but also how consumers use them, can have a major impact on the planet and with the United Nations spreading awareness of the 14th goal, the fashion industry can adapt the way they do things to reduce the negative impacts caused.
Reference list
Geneva Environment Network (2021). Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry. [online] www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org. Available at: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/.
United Nations (2022). Sustainability | United Nations. United Nations. [online] Available at: https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability.
Gwilt, A. and ProQuest (Firm) (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. Second edition ed. [online] Library Catalog (Koha). London ; New York, NY: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Available at: https://libsearch.arts.ac.uk/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1452042&query_desc= [Accessed 10 Oct. 2022].
United Nations (2021). Goal 14 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [online] sdgs.un.org. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14.
Dottle, R. and Gu, J. (2022). The Global Glut of Clothing Is an Environmental Crisis. [online] www.bloomberg.com. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-fashion-industry-environmental-impact/?leadSource=uverify%20wall.
McFall-Johnsen, M. (2019). The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Here are the biggest ways it impacts the planet. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-fashion-environmental-impact-pollution-emissions-waste-water-2019-10?IR=T.