Planet: one of the four pillars in FBS

Within the fashion industry, the four pillars of sustainability are commonly mentioned.

This model is formed from 4 aspects, exploring the planet, people, profit and purpose.

All 4 pillars work together to achieve the goal of sustainable development and the future.

Considering the well-being of our planet as a top priority is crucially important as it benefits everyone. Everyone needs to make sure sustainability is holistic across both actions and ideology.

The circular economy influences brands from disposing of unsold clothing which means luxury and high-street retailers need to rethink their actions(Berezhna, 2018). It’s to encourage the reuse and recycle all materials, eliminating waste and pollution and regenerating the environment in a circular business model. One example will be prolonging the life of products beyond their “first use” by reusing them as well as allowing resale.

Sustainability is meeting the needs of this generation without compromising the resources for the future generation. Sustainable development allows people to use the current resources effectively and efficiently, improving or maintaining the current conditions of the environment.

Linking to Katarina Rimarcikova’s research on Planet Earth& Fashion, the fashion industry is a significant contributor to world pollution and climate change. This means 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 annually is produced in textile production. The fashion industry was responsible for 1,715million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2015(Pulse of Fashion).

In 2015, countries established a set of sustainable development objectives to promote social equality, protect the natural environment, and ensure human well-being. The 17 unique SDGs from the UN are focused on different fields. The fashion industry utilises a significant quantity of fossil fuels and natural resources to produce raw materials and fibres for garments, creating a negative impact on the environment (2020, pp.29). Especially earlier in the supply chain, where heavy production and extraction happen. Companies will need to invest heavier in switching the whole process from raw materials to distribution methods to switch to lower CO2 emissions methods, in order to meet the UN goal by 2030. This will decrease the fashion industry’s carbon emissions significantly. One example will be Ralph Lauren has introduced the Earth Polo in celebration of Earth Day, a classical remake of the renowned polo shirt manufactured completely from recycled plastic. The company has also committed to switching over to recycled poly-fibre by 2025(Gandhi, 2019).

Figure 1: Tetra Images/Alamy

Available at：https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg25033382-600-do-humans-provide-any-benefit-to-planet-earth-except-for-ourselves/ (Assessed: 6 October 2022).

Figure 2: Vogue Business/ Lablaco Circular Fashion Report 2020

Available at：https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/fashions-circular-economy-could-be-worth-5-trillion (Assessed: 6 October 2022).

Berezhna, V. (2018) What Should French Fashion Do With Its Unsold Clothing.

Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sustainability/what-should-french-fashion-do-with-its-unsold-clothing/ (Assessed: 6 October 2022).

Gandhi, S. (2019). These fashion brands are making a strong move to combat climate change. Available at: https://www.vogue.in/fashion/content/these-fashion-houses-are-making-a-strong-move-to-combat-climate-change (Accessed 8 October 2022).

Gwilt, A. (2020) A practical guide to sustainable fashion. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UAL/detail.action?docID=6234061 (Assessed: 7 October 2022).

Humann, J. (2020) Fashion’s Future: The Sustainable Development Goals.

Available at: https://luxiders.com/fashions-future-the-sustainable-development-goals/ (Assessed: 6 October 2022).