How fashion brands can cut their carbon footprint

 How fashion brands can cut their carbon footprint: Novoklassik

Impact of fashion on environment

Over the past two decades, Fashion industry has seen rapid expansion. It has reached an astounding figure of 2.5 trillion USD in value. People now take fashion very seriously; they want to wear what is trending and are willing to discard their old clothes to buy new.

According to (McKinsey & Company, 2016), while the number of garments bought in 2014 exceeded 60% of the figure in 2000, people now discarded their clothes 50% more often. The discarded waste has contributed to 8% of the total carbon emission, more than aviation and shipping industries put together. This has put the fast moving fashion industry under severe criticism from the environmental enthusiasts, thus pushing clothing brands to go green.Some of the sustainable fashion brands such as Patagonia have been producing a range of clothes made from plastic, however there is a need of collective effort from all fashion brands, in order to save our planet. Following are some other ways how this can be done.

 

1. Increasing longevity of products

 

To keep up with the pace of the fast moving fashion industry and satisfy customer’s demands of new designs arriving more frequently, the durability of garments had been compromised. The focus was on selling more and encouraging customers to buy more. This fast fashion trend leads to more discarded garments, which is responsible for increasing waste in landfills.

  In order to make sure that the products are more sustainable, and reach landfills less often, focus should be to improve the quality and longevity of products. Moreover, instead of creating new collections weekly and tempting customers to hit the shops every time a new variety of garments arrives on the shelves, the products should be designed such that they don’t go out of style. This will encourage consumers to prolong the usage of their garments and hence decrease textile waste.    

 

  

2. Promoting personal style

 

Fast fashion targets a wide range of customers and encourages them to wear new garments that are trending, eventually leading to needless buying. On the other hand, the customers should realize that copying what others wear is not necessarily fashion; rather it is what makes a person unique according to their personal style. Trying to keep up with what is trending and spending a lot of money on them can be exhausting for customers. Sustainable fashion brands promote the consumers to explore their unique personal choice of clothing which reflects their style, this will not only decrease the waste produced by reducing the number of clothes bought, but will also be soft on the wallet of buyers.

 

 

3. Saving water

 

An abundance of water is consumed in the dyeing and finishing operations for practically all clothing in the fashion business. It is believed that one cotton shirt requires approximately 2,720 liters of water, while a pair of trousers needs an astonishing 7,000 liters! Clothing production, in addition to consuming a lot of water, also adds to the pollution of our waters, since harmful chemicals from the manufacturing process swiftly find their way into waterways. These firms should use materials and fabrics, such as linen, hemp, and organic cotton, which are either natural, renewable, or recycled materials that require little to no water during the manufacturing process. Sustainable fashion is an excellent way to conserve water and prevent pollution.

 

  

4.  Setting standards of improving supply chain

 

To arrive at a greener future, organisations should investigate their supply chain processes and make it more visible to examine what materials are being used and how the apparels are being made.

 

One of the biggest issues in this regard is that there is no such organisation that is responsible to set standards for all manufacturers around the globe.

There is a need for law enforcement bodies across the world that report to a general international organisation like the UN and set standards for fashion brands to meet. Upon violation, there should be strict punishments for the offenders. Moreover, it is of paramount importance that fashion brands work closely with their suppliers and manufacturers to keep an eye on the supply chain methods.

Conclusion

Fast paced fashion has a very damaging impact on the environment as the number of discarded clothes has increased significantly over the years. This has put pressure on fashion brands who are believed to be able to stop the damaging impact of waste by improving their policies. This includes recycling plastic , increasing longevity of products, promoting personal style, saving water, and setting standards of improving supply chain processes. If fashion brands vow to bring these goals into their strategy they can contribute significantly towards fighting pollution.