Planet is one of the vital pillars when taking into account the fashion industry and their hopes to improve their sustainability. Wolfgang Blau (2020) of Condé Nast believes that the fashion industry needs a shared language on how to improve sustainability and help the planet in the long run. The report based on the glossary being developed by Condé Nast, opens up about how we as an industry need to work together in order to improve the sustainability within the industry as the fashion industry is known the be one of the most wasteful in the world, for example, due to overproduction and the doubling of clothing production between 2000 – 2014 (Drapers,2022). With the knowledge of waste being a huge reason for CO2 emissions, there needs to be a change in order. Circular fashion “ditches the linear “take-make-waste” model and instead asks the industry to close the loop on production, including responsible manufacturing, use, and end-of-life for every garment.”(Hill, 2022). This idea hopes to extend the life of clothing products in hopes to improve the environment/planet. In doing so, a full reconstruction of the fashion industry would need to take place in hopes to improve sustainability. SDGs and their relevance and impact on the fashion industry is evident when considering the United Nations list of 17 goals for the world’s future up until 2030. For example, when focusing on the dying and garment production through chemical treatments, we see that it leaks into the rivers & seas which is a negative impact on the sea world, as well as the need for up 2700 liters of water needed to produce just one T-shirt can add stress to the world’s water supply. References
As one of the pillars of Sustainability, the planet undoubtedly plays a vital role in the entire fashion industry. Examples include the extraction of natural materials, fuel for production, and other material aspects. However, the development of the fashion industry is causing significant damage to the planet. The fashion industry produces over 120 billion tons of CO2 annually (Jasmine Chinasamy, 2018) and contributes to climate change and pollution. It is clear that human activities are causing climate crises, putting the planet in danger. Considering this fact and performing active steps, you can successfully achieve Sustainability. One of these steps is the circular economy, which will be discussed further.
Figure 1. Textile pollution in Bangladesh.
Circular Economy
The circular economy is the opposite of a linear economy. However, it is far more sustainable. One of the main issues with the linear economy is the disposal at the end of the lifecycle and extraction of new resources. The circular economy focuses on reusing resources, avoiding wasting and extracting new resources. It should be borne in mind that the planet is the vital pillar of sustainability. A circular economy is essential to maintain it. Following such a simple principle as re-using, re-manufacturing or recycling will reduce waste and achieve climate neutrality faster (André Gonçalves, 2019).
Figure 2. Visualisation of linear and circular economy
Sustainability and Fashion
The concept of Circular Economy can be easily applied to the Fashion Industry. Part of conveying this economy into fashion is using recyclable and eco-friendly fabrics. It can be seen that brands are starting to replace the usual fabrics with more sustainable ones. An example of such a material is Econyl, which has replaced traditional nylon. Econyl uses synthetic waste to create new nylon (Darcie Carruthers, 2019). Such active actions on the production stage belong to one of the Sustainable Development Goals – Climate Action. It is true to say that customers cannot directly contribute to production. However, customers can contribute to it through another SDG – Responsible Consumption and Production.
Figure 3. Examples of sustainable fashion.
Responsible Consumption and Production
Responsible Consumption and Production is the 12th goal of SDG. So as stated earlier, it is easier for a customer to contribute to this particular STG. One step is the measured purchase of new items of clothing. Studies say that people do not wear at least 50% of their own clothes (Marjorie van Elven, 2018). This reckless consumption contributes to higher production volumes and world pollution. Another step is deliberate washing. Plastic particles washed from our synthetic clothes are polluting the ocean (Katie Okamoto, 2021). Overall, by reducing the volume of clothes we buy and the number of clothes we wash by wearing more carefully, everyone can contribute to Responsible Consumption and Production. By contributing to such a vital SDG, we can maintain the environmental pillar of sustainability.
Figure 4. Visualisation of the ocean pollution caused by washing clothes
References
Alves, A. (2021). Sustainable Fashion – A Comprehensive Guide + 10 New Designers (2021). [online] the vou. Available at: https://thevou.com/fashion/sustainable-fashion/.
Carruthers, D. (2015). Material Guide: How Sustainable Is ECONYL? [online] Good On You. Available at: https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-econyl/.
Chinasamy, J. (2019). London Fashion Week: Fast facts about fast fashion. [online] Unearthed. Available at: https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2019/09/12/fast-facts-about-fast-fashion/.
Davis, N. (2020). Fast fashion speeding toward environmental disaster, report warns. The Guardian. [online] 7 Apr. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/apr/07/fast-fashion-speeding-toward-environmental-disaster-report-warns.
Islington Together. Circular economy | Together Greener. [online] Available at: https://togethergreener.islington.gov.uk/organisations/business-operations/circular-economy [Accessed 10 Oct. 2022].
Ljubljana, S. For World Oceans Day, People Want Washing Machines to Stop Polluting the Oceans. [online] Available at: https://www.newswire.com/news/for-world-oceans-day-people-want-washing-machines-to-stop-polluting-21404210 [Accessed 10 Oct. 2022].
Marjorie van Elven (2018). People do not wear at least 50 percent of their wardrobes, says study. [online] Fashionunited.uk. Available at: https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/people-do-not-wear-at-least-50-percent-of-their-wardrobes-according-to-study/2018081638356.
Okamoto, K. (2021). Your Laundry Sheds Harmful Microfibers. Here’s What You Can Do About It. [online] Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/reduce-laundry-microfiber-pollution/.
Youmatter. (2019). Only 9% of the world is circular. How has the linear economy been destroying the Earth? [online] Available at: https://youmatter.world/en/is-circular-economy-the-key-to-fight-climate-change-a-circle-economy-report/.
Sustainability refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society. (Spiliakos 2018) The four pillars of relation known as social, human, environmental, and economic with sustainable development of the fashion business. The planet is one to reflect the pillars of sustainability. The circular economy improves fashion sustainability and some issue of production or consumption, and it is a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience, generates business and economic opportunities, and provides environmental and societal benefits. (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017) However, for the fashion industry circular economy is “to evolve from being a menu of fragmented initiatives to being an integral and defining part of the entire fashion value chain” (MCKINSEY&COMPANY 2018).
CIRCULAR FASHION（ALISON S.COHN BAZZAR 2021）
Large amounts of non-renewable resources are used to produce clothes, but these are usually used for only a short period of time, after which most of the is landfilled or incinerated. Dr. Christina Dean said that “The issue of incineration when it comes to fashion waste is nothing new. It is something that the brands and factories alike have been doing for years.” (2017) While consumers donate clothing to charity, around 300,000 tonnes of clothing is discarded, with 20 percent sent to landfill while 80 percent is incinerated. (WRAP 2017) This waste puts pressure on resources, pollutes and degrades the natural environment and its ecosystems, and significantly impacts the earth’s climate.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all developed and developing countries in a global partnership. (UN 2022) The No.13 goal of Climate Action is closely related to incinerating which produces more carbon dioxide and other greenhouses to exacerbate global warming problems. After food and construction, fashion and its supply chain is the third largest polluting industry. It emitted 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, releasing 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. If it continues at the same pace, the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to increase by more than 50% by the year 2030. (Shukla 2022) However, the new textile sustainability is consistent with the principles of the circular economy to improve the economy, society, and environment that to recovery and regeneration through design. In this system, clothes and textiles can re-enter the circular economy after use to prevent waste.
References:
Spiliakos, A. (2018) WHAT DOES “SUSTAINABILITY” MEAN IN BUSINESS? Available at: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-sustainability-in-business(Accessed:8 October 8, 2022
Gwilt, A. (2020) A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion. London: Bloomsbury.
RMIT University (2017) The four pillars of sustainability Available at: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/sustainable-business/0/steps/78337 (Accessed:8 October 2022)
Shukla, K.(2022) Fast Fashion Pollution and Climate Change Available at: https://earth.org/fast-fashion-pollution-and-climate-change/ (Accessed:8 October 2022)
ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION (2017) FASHION AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY Available at: https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/fashion-and-the-circular-economy (Accessed:8 October 2022)
BOF TEAM, MCKINSEY&COMPANY (2018) Fashion in 2018|08.Sustainability Credibility Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sustainability/top-industry-trends-2018-8-sustainability-credibility/ (Accessed:8 October 2022)
United Nations History Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals#history (Accessed: 6 October 2022)
The ‘planet’ pillar is one of the four pillars that creates the framework for fashion business. It incorporates the urgent need for sustainable development within the fashion industry, in all areas of production, distribution and long-term waste. The Brundtland report (1987) defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. In relation to fashion, this report exposes that the environmental damage caused by the industry will reduce finite resources available to future manufacturers and companies, therefore a necessary systematic change must be made in order to protect the planet’s natural order.
CIRCULARITY WITHIN FASHION
A particular model suggested by the Ellen Macarthur foundation is the strive for a circular economy, which can be described as “a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution”. The model suggests a complete reinvention of the fashion industry itself, starting with sustainably designing the items before the production release. An example use of a successful circular model is with the FW22 Napapjuri circular series collection. Through the process of using mono-material composition (a product that consists of only one type of material), it allows the outer-wear products to be fully recyclable and the brand has created a system whereby after two years of wear, you can return the product and it will be fully recycled back into materials for alternative use. The continuous demand for synthetic materials reduces the chances of the systematic shift from a linear to circular economy, thus the change must begin with the design element of the fashion industry.
SDG
As the evolving industry grows more sustainably conscious of its environmental actions, major political influences have aligned their concerns with the future of our planet by restructuring attitudes towards the planet. The UN’s sustainable development goals are an enviromental framework enforced to reduce the industry’s long-term impact on the planet. For example, the 7th goal implies the importance of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all. As we continue to produce mass amounts of clothing and materials, there is a 30% CO2 emission release from the washing process at home. The production process of the fashion industry contributes to the C02 emission release with 1.2 billion tones emitted yearly. This method of overproduction that has escalated in the last 20 years not only affects the renewable energy issues that the UN are reduced by 2030 but intersects all aspects of the lacking sustainable processes in the fashion industry.
references:
Brundtland Report (1987): TWI Global, What is sustainability and why is it important? https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-sustainability#WhatdoesSustainabilityMean
Accessed: 9.10.2022
Ellen Macarthur Foundation: Redesigning the future of fashion, introduction to a circular economy. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview
Ellen Macarthur foundation: Examples of a circular economy, Napapjuri circular series. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/napapijri-circular-series
Accessed: 7.10.2022
Napapjuri collection: FW22 Circular Series collection. https://www.napapijri.co.uk/circularseries.html
Accessed: 7.10.2022
Nissa Metallizzing solutions: What are mono-materials? https://www.nisshametallizing.com/en/what-are-mono-materials
Accessed: 8.10.2022
United Nations SDG programme: United Nations in Western Europe, Goal 7 SDG Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy. https://unric.org/en/sdg-7/
Accessed: 9.10.2022
Carbon Literacy: Fast fashions carbon footprint, August 2021 by Rebekah Clarke. https://carbonliteracy.com/fast-fashions-carbon-footprint/
The business of fashion comprises four pillars People, planet, profit and purpose.
According to Ellen Macrthur foundation (no date), The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. The system is based on three principles, driven by design eliminate waste pollution, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature. The fashion industry is known for being a major contributor to world pollution and climate change. Responding to an environmentally sustainable fashion industry should transition from the traditional linear system model to the circularity model.
The fashion industry as a heavy pollution industry has a lot of responsibility to integrate with sustainability development, according to the united nations SDG, it includes 17goals which need to solve, fashion industry has a lot of action and changes needed to be done.
The majority of SDG impact and guide the fashion industry, for example, the 12th SDG: responsible consumption and production, as the major contributor to world pollution and climate change, the fashion industry consume lots of natural resources like water, forest and soil to produce 80 billion garments each year（）and cost 76billion cubic meters of water each year, emitting thousand million tonnes of CO2 at the same time.
In line with three detailed targets in SDG12, by 2030, achieving the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources and substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, and recycling .it also notes that ensuring people everywhere have relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature .’
Overproduction is a severe problem in the fashion industry, clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014,40% of all items which be estimated by consultancy are sold at a markdown, solving overproduction could reduce carbon emissions by 158 million tonnes a year. This SDG target also promotes the development of the fashion industry towards the concept of slow fashion and speeds up the transformation to circular fashion. The breakdown of the target also indicates that sustainable patterns of consumption and production can be achieved by upgrading the science and technology of the recycling and recovery process. so the biofabric and other raw materials exploration and production will be expected as an imperative opportunity to relieve the emission and water pollution in the support chain. Besides, fashion companies should also respond to producing and selling more durable and repairable products to prolong the use and reuse of products, which is important to build a good circular economy.in accordance to Sender (2022), the latest research shows that sustainable customer behaviour was increasing in the last 12 months, almost two-fifths have purchased items supporting them rewear and use for different occasions, rising to 47%of women and half of Gen Z. In keeping with this,69%of consumer has looked for new ways to wear items in their wardrobe rather than but buy new items, increasing to 78% of women change their consumption behaviour. The second-hand market is undergoing a boom， particularly among the younger generation (16-24).this is being driven both by rising awareness of the environment as well as the trend for vintage pieces, with 67% agreeing that it is trendy to buy pre-loved fashion. Compared to women, men prefer to buy more durable items. Overall, to further educate consumers building sustainable awareness, fashion companies should dedicate to creating more transparent processing information for the customer and provide a recycling and repairing community and platform to help customers make the right choice.
1.MOGAVERO.T(2022) Clothed in Conservation: Fashion & Water. Available at:
3. Sustainable Development Goals(2019)ActNow for Zero-Waste Fashion. Available at:https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/08/actnow-for-zero-waste-fashion/
In the Fashion industry, one of the significant factors is ‘Planet’. Planet is one of the four major pillars referenced in Fashion business. When referencing the ‘Planet’ pillar, it is in relation to sustainability and the responsibility of how environmentally friendly we are when consuming and producing a product. The Fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters being responsible for hundreds of billion of items produced globally, using thousands of different and destructive chemicals and then three out of five items end up in landfills in twelve months (www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Can Fashion Be Sustainable? | BBC Earth. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/ZoiU8sprXpQ). This is effectively called ‘Linear Economy’, when materials are taken, then made into items and then disposed of quickly after. The average family produces thirty kilograms of clothing every year and only fifteen percent of that gets donated or recycled meaning the rest gets incarnated or sent to landfills. Due to this damaging cycle, the fashion industry contributes to greenhouse gasses (CO2), De-forestation, soil degradation, water pollution, waste accumulation and high-water usage (www.youtube.com. (n.d.). What is SUSTAINABLE FASHION. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/A5DQhbrKoB8 [Accessed 9 Oct. 2022). In order for the fashion industry to meet the quintessential goal of being able to achieve a carbon neutral industry and a sustainable future – we must incorporate a circular economy as oppose to a linear economy. A circular economy is a model production and consumption where a product is created to be re-used, easily renewed and recycled. In relation to the Fashion industry, having a circular economy would generate a sustainable future in fashion. Helping to decrease fast fashion and the use of lad-fills. Sustainability in relation to fashion can radically reduce the negative impact that the industry has towards the planet. The constant need for cheaper, faster clothes has a severe effect on one of the SDGs, number 12. The twelve goal is Responsible Consumption and production which is also a goal for the Fashion Industry too. Our reliance on natural resources is increasing, over sixty five percent globally from 2000 to 2019 (United Nations (n.d.). Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [online] sdgs.un.org. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12.). The unsustainable patterns within and outside the fashion industry is the cause of the ‘Triple Planetary Crisis’ which is Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Pollution. We as consumers and producers must acknowledge our roles in causing environmental and human harm. (Remake. (n.d.). Remake — Ethically Fashionable. [online] Available at: https://remake.world.).
In the Brundtland Report (1987), sustainability can be defined as meeting the needs of the current generation without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their own needs. In the world of fashion business, the four pillars of sustainability are people, planet, profit and purpose, the planet, as one of the main pillars, is always given priority, but the environmental pillar is always the weakest in fashion factories. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, fashion now accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions—more than international flights and shipping combined (Dottle and Gu, 2022).This is why brands are now implementing the use of recycled materials and launching annual sustainability reports detailing their goals to use more recycled or organic materials, which is a reflection of the fashion industry’s ongoing commitment to better protect the planet.
What is circular economy in fashion industry?
A circular fashion industry is defined as a regenerative system in which garments are circulated for as long as their maximum value is retained, and then returned safely to the biosphere when they are no longer of use.(Motif, no date) The fashion industry is responsible for around 8% of global CO2 emissions and global clothing consumption is expected to rise from 62 million tonnes to 102 million tonnes by 2030（Pereira, 2020), these facts and forecasts are inspiring a rapid shift away from fast fashion, the toxic methane gas that is emitted every year as textile waste is broken down. For example, A.BCH is a brand with a recycling concept that allows clothes to be recycled when they reach the end of their useful life. This is a great way to change the way consumers dispose of their clothes, which in the end also reduces environmental damage caused by resource extraction and protects our planet.
Fig1: Greenstrategy (Motif, no date)
Sustainability in relation to fashion
In conjunction with one of the pillars of sustainable development, the planet, sustainable fashion is about protecting the environment and clothing producers by reducing CO2 emissions and addressing issues such as overproduction, which in general means the way clothing is produced and consumed, there are still relatively few fashion brands that can address all of this and always room for improvement, so there still has to be a radical change in consumer buying habits and the way clothing is consumed.
SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.(UNDP, no date)
Fig2: United Nations: Sustainable development goals (2015)
In the fashion factory, many clothing brands have embarked on a series of sustainability goals, such as the sports brand Nike, to achieve the goal of ”good health and well being” by inspiring and supporting communities around the world to play more sports and to develop children to be more active so that they can perform better on the pitch and in the classroom, as well as eventually in their professional careers as adults; An act that shows that as a sports brand, it has managed to focus more on people’s health and active lifestyles.
In summary, sustainable fashion is now the most unified goal in the fashion sector, as brands are working in different ways to better protect the world’s environment in the fashion sector, whether by using circular economy systems or manufacturing as part of the SDG goals.
The word “planet” refers to one of the four pillar which are Profit, Planet, People and Purpose. Fashion industry as a huge part of the society has the responsibility to link and combine these four pillars together in order to achieve sustainable fashion. The key issue of fashion is that the process including sample making, fabric and garment production, use, distribution and retail containing immeasurable amount of waste and pollution. (Gwilt, A. 2014) Some of the process in fashion requires chemicals and that would lead to waterways pollution (Allwood et al.2006). According to the UNICEF, 700 million people would effected by massive water scarcity by 2030. Approximately a quarter of children will be living in a circumstance with extremely horrible condition of water use (UNICEF). Water needs to be protected and saved. However, water usage in the fashion industry is up to about 93 billion cubic meters per year (CO.2021). Majority of the environmental pollution are produced during laundering process which causes energy, water and chemical detergents (Gwilt, A. 2014).
SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals and it separates 17 goals that the world tend to achieve into three parts: Economic pillar, Environmental Pillar and Social pillar. Clean Water and Sanitation is one of the goals in SDG. In order to achieve this goal, sustainable fashion and circular economy become the indispensable components of the process. According to the The Soil Association (1946), organic cotton has a great impact in water reduction by saving 91% of water usage compared to normal grown cotton. In addition, organic farmers do not use chemicals or toxic pesticide to the crops so that helps waterways to keep clean and protected (The Soil Association, 1946). These crops and techniques are benefit for sustainable fashion since it cause less damage and pollution to the earth and saved natural resources.
Sustainable Development Goals, Avoid wasting water, Goal 6: clean water and sanitation
Circular economy are formed by three principles which are Eliminate waste and pollution, Circulate products and materials and regenerate nature (Ellen Macarthur Foundation). It is a solution framework that solves global problems like climate change and pollution. In the first principle, it focus on minimize the waste and pollution to none which starts with design (Ellen Macarthur Foundation). By using recycled, degradable or edible product as raw material in order to achieve the circulation. The second principle’ main idea is highly repeated use either as a product, components or raw materials. The third principle focused on contributing to the nature instead of degrading nature so that earth has the time and space to breathe (Ellen Macarthur Foundation).
Reference:
Gwilt, Alison. A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ual/detail.action?docID=6234061 ( Accessed on 10.9.2022)
Planet is one of the four pillars of fashion business industry, which is embodied by environmental sustainability. “Planet” has a influence on sustainability is mainly manifested in atmospheric environment, ecological environment and other natural factors.
The circular economy(Fig) is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended ( European Parliament,2022). The model of circular economy means that resources are fully utilized. It entails redesigning products to be more durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable (CHATHAM HOUSE,2021). It also means changing the way we consume and use goods and services, and rethinking consumerism as a society (ibid). UNCTAD’s work on the circular economy started in 2015 with a collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on resource-circularity potentials in large economies like India and China (UNCTAD, no date). Circularity is already part of many lines of work within UNCTAD, such as activities on tackling fossil fuel and fisheries subsidies (ibid).
Fig
Linking sustainability with fashion, the concept of sustainable fashion emerges. Sustainable fashion refers to clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in ways that are environmentally friendly (Green Dreamer, no date).However, the fashion industry has a negative impact on sustainability. Arguably the fashion and textile industry is unsustainable in its current form. It makes a significant contribution to the global economy, but it uses a disproportionately large amounts of natural resources; its waste products pollute rivers and oceans; and when garments and footwear reach the end of their lives, most are burned or placed in landfill (Economist impact,2020).
climate action and fashion are interacting.
Reducing emissions has become one of the most important measures to deal with climate change. The fashion industry contributes a lot to climate change. McKinsey research shows that the sector was responsible for some 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in 2018, about 4 percent of the global total. To set that in context, the fashion industry emits about the same quantity of GHGs per year as the entire economies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined (McKinsey& Company,2020). To better cope with the effects of climate change, the fashion industry has also taken effective measures. They are taking action in three different areas: Reducing emissions from upstream operations；Reducing emissions from brands’ own operations；Encouraging sustainable consumer behavior(ibid
).
CHATHAM HOUSE (2021) What is the circular economy? Available at:https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/06/what-circular-economy (Accessed on Oct 9th)
Economist impact (2020) Is Sustainability in Fashion? Available at:https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/circular-economies/is-sustainability-in-fashion?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=18156330227&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl-S_vKbU-gIVhWDmCh15xg4EEAAYASAAEgK8tfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds (Accessed on Oct 9th)
European Parliament (2022) Circular economy: definition, importance and benefits Available at:https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/economy/20151201STO05603/circular-economy-definition-importance-and-benefits (Accessed on Oct 9th.)
Circular economy, complete expression is resource circular economy. An economic development model characterized by resource saving and recycling and in harmony with the environment. It emphasizes the organization of economic activities into a feedback process of “resource – product – renewable resource”. It is characterized by low exploitation, high utilization and low emission. All materials and energy can be rationally and sustainably utilized in this continuous economic cycle so as to reduce the impact of economic activities on the natural environment to the smallest extent possible. Sustainable fashion is to start from the impact of clothing on the ecological environment and the practicality of clothing itself, so that clothing is fashionable and environmentally friendly at the same time. Both the choice of clothing material and the utilization of clothing after being discarded are the contents of sustainable fashion. In a word, clothing should not only look good, but also be practical. After being used, it should be used in other ways, instead of being thrown into the nature and causing a waste burden.
