PLANET

“Planet” is one of the four vital pillars of the sustainable fashion industry. It means home, where people live, a place they have to take care of so that it will take care of us. At the moment, human is not doing this. There is polluted air, destroyed scenery, production of too much sewage, and waste. Therefore, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provided a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet with seventeen Sustainable Development goals (United Nations, 2022). There are only eight years left for the world to change and develop. The world in general, and the fashion industry in particular, face a lot of challenges in achieving these big goals. 

A circular economy mostly focuses on the typical cycle of take-make-waste in favor of as much reusing and recycling as possible. It is the longevity and life cycle of possessions, including the designing out of waste and pollution. The Foundation works with brands in the global fashion industry to create a project named Make Fashion Circular. They are together to change the process of the usage of clothing, design, and production that recycling old clothing to be the material for new collections (Gwilt, 2020). The circular economy solution represents a future for fashion with less impact on the environment.

On the one hand, the fashion industry is the second most environmentally impactful industry. Every year, about 10% of the world’s emissions come from the manufacturing of clothes (2022). After production, factories release a large amount of sewage without treatment into water sources, rivers, and streams. Moreover, the fashion industry throws away up to 92 million tons of textile waste a year (Dean, 2019). Considering the social consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that 10% of the apparel workforce has already been laid off since the outbreak began (#PayYourWorkers, 2022). Millions more are at risk of being fired and have not received their full wages for months. The #PayUp and #PayYourWorkers campaigns show how fashion impacts society, while also calling for systemic change. As a result, sustainability plays an important role in changing the fashion world. 

On the other hand, revenue from ethical clothing sales in the United Kingdom rose from 29 million British pounds in 2015 to around 57 million in 2020. Revenue from sustainable clothing in the UK has almost doubled since 2014 (Statista, 2021). It gives us a more positive outcome about the fashion industry. In addition, the industry is following the SDGs. The word “fashion industry” can be paraphrased as “pollution”. There is a direct connection between “Climate Change” SDG number 13 and the fashion industry. Most of the CO2 emissions come from garment production (Condé Nast – Glossary, 2022). Consequently, a carbon-neutral circular economy was created.

In conclusion, all industries in the world, including fashion, need to deal with environmental issues within a short timeframe. Fortunately, fashion brands are aware of this, and they are ready to reduce the footprint of the industry and look forward to a brighter future for home, and the planet.

Bibliography:

Archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org. (2022) Fashion and the circular economy. Available at: https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/fashion-and-the-circular-economy/ (Accessed 5 October 2022).

Condenast.com. (2022) Condé Nast – Glossary. Available at: https://www.condenast.com/glossary/environmental-impacts-of-fashion/ (Accessed 7 October 2022).

Dean. C (2022) Waste – is it ‘really’ in fashion? – Fashion Revolution. Fashion Revolution. Available at: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/waste-is-it-really-in-fashion/ (Accessed 7 October 2022).

Domenech, T. (2014) The Conversation. Explainer: What is a circular economy? https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-circular-economy-29666/ (Accessed: 5 October 2022).

Gwilt, Alison. A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, (2020). ProQuest Ebook Central, Available at: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=6234061.
(Accessed: 5 October 2022).

Pay Up Fashion (2022) Available at: https://payupfashion.com/ (Accessed: 5 October 2022).

United Nations (2022) Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/ (Accessed: 4 October 2022).

Unece.org (2018) Available at: https://unece.org/DAM/RCM_Website/RFSD_2018_Side_event_sustainable_fashion.pdf/ (Accessed: 5 October 2022).

#PayYourWorkers (2022) Available at: https://www.payyourworkers.org/ (Accessed: 5 October 2022).

Image reference list:

Bui. L (2022) Planet. (Collage)

Bui. L (2022) Polluted To Lich river in Vietnam – The sewage from the textile factory release into Kim Nguu river. To Lich River is a distributary of Kim Nguu River. (Photographs)

Bui. L (2022) Sustainable Clothing Brands from the UK. (Collage)

Bui. L (2022) Circular Economy illustration. (Illustration)