Planet
Planet is one of the four pillars of fashion business. It is centred around taking care of the resources we use and finding more sustainable ways of living. Based around sustainability, there are three main pillars consisting of social, environmental and economical responsibility. The fashion industry is currently worth 1.7 trillion but is going through an economic crisis due to post covid recovery.
The circular economy is a universal business principle whilst a circular fashion economy is defined as a regenerative system in which garments are kept in rotation whilst maintaining their maximum value then disposed of or upcycled back into the fashion ecosystem. Circularity is important to the sustainability and consumption of fashion since clothing supply chains account for around 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions with the UK being the biggest consumer of fashion in Europe. However, not all the garments end up having a lifecycle hence failing to contribute to a circular economy.
Kate Fletcher then introduced the idea of slow fashion which talks about using better materials, working practices and skills.
“Slow fashion is not a seasonal trend that comes and goes like animal print, but a sustainable fashion movement that is gaining momentum.”
Slow fashion is a newer principle that raises awareness on the harsh reality of the linear production process of garments. The data is changing all the time but most materials in which we use are all synthetics since they are easily accessible and however is extremely harmful for the environment due to the microfibres that make up the fabrics. The global fibre demand is largely from oil-based textiles at 63% which now is extremely dangerous as it is directly linked to war.
At each stage of the production process, we contribute to global warming and fashion brands have been known to be wasteful at the materials development and discarding stage. For example, Burberry has been known to burn their products and garments to protect competitors from using their fabrics. These sorts of decisions are expected to be made by the fashion designer so they should be held accountable for their contribution to global warming and the environmental impact of their consumers.
According to the Brundtland report, sustainability is described as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Sustainable development goals are a set of 17 goals for the world’s future up until 2030. Goal number 6 (clean water and sanitation) is having an impact on fashion sustainability. Put into perspective, 1 shirt uses up 2700 litres of water to produce. This emphasises the consumption on water used up by the textile industry. Additionally, this water is contaminated with microfibres, and chemicals used in production which cannot be reused and ends up being dumped back to its original source, polluting natural habitats and the vital sources of water for populations of people.
Statista 2021 – The fashion industry is currently worth 1.7 trillion
Paddison 2021 – clothing supply chains account for around 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions
The Newsroom 2018 – UK being the biggest consumer of fashion in Europe
Fletcher – “Slow fashion is not a seasonal trend that comes and goes like animal print, but a sustainable fashion movement that is gaining momentum.”
Mogavero 2020 – 1 shirt uses up 2700 litres of water to produce