THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Consumption of fossil fuels, land and material items are the main driver of climate degradation. The fashion industry accounts for 4 percent of annual global emissions, and more than 70 percent of these emissions come from production processes, followed by retail and logistics (McKinsey, 2021b: 83). The Ellen MacArthur Foundation published a report “A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future” (2017), highlighting the negative impacts which the fashion industry contributes to environmental and social concerns. The fashion industry is the second most environmentally damaging industry in the world, from production to disposal, emitting more carbon emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined (MacArthur, 2017: 20).

Fashion Revolution, the world’s largest non-profit fashion activism movement represented by The Fashion Revolution Foundation, with teams in over 100 countries worldwide, provides research, education and public support surrounding the global fashion industry. “Fashion Revolution White Paper” (2020) is published yearly by Fashion Revolution with updated insights, research, and innovation within the global fashion industry. The past 30 years has seen an increase in the volume and speed of clothing production and consumption, a result of fashion retailers shifting production to countries offering the lowest manufacturing and labour costs (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 25). Since the 1980s fashion retailers have capitalized on cheap and fast production, a business model now known as “fast fashion”. Globalization and an increasing Western middle class made clothing which was once exclusive to the catwalk more accessible to the majority, driving manufacturing demand and the production of low-cost and quality apparel (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 25).

By the mid 2000s the fast fashion model dominated the industry with not only low-cost retailers employing the model but mid-priced and luxury fashion too (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 26). The past decade has seen the global fashion industry, which includes clothing, textiles, footwear, and luxury goods; generate $2.5 trillion in global annual revenues prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (McKinsey, 2021b: 24). As a result of this growth, garment and textile manufacturing is one of the largest global industrial sectors, employing millions of people in highly labour-intensive roles. It is estimated that garment manufacturing employs at least 60 million workers globally, 40 million of which are in Asia, and 80 percent of which are woman (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 26).

The global fashion industry has continued to operate on a model that values profit and growth above the human and environmental cost of their operations. This pace is unsustainable and extremely exploitative of the people working within the supply chains and the natural environments facing destruction as a result.

The Fashion Industry and The Natural Environment

Waste and pollution caused by the fashion industry has continued to rise. Too few studies have been done to truly understand the scale of the industry’s impact on the environment, however knowing that 53 million tons of fibre is used annually to produce clothing, we are able to derive that the energy and resources required for the production and use of this contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions (MacArthur, 2017: 20).

Society’s disposable consumption habits see majority of discarded clothing in landfill or incineration, with less than 1 percent of textiles and clothing genuinely being recycled (MacArthur, 2017: 20), with less than 10 percent of global textiles being composed of recycled materials (McKinsey, 2021b: 73). An estimated quarter of the industry’s resources are wasted yearly due to the necessary technology and infrastructure required not yet being available to recapture or deter the scale of waste generated (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 36). The circularity of textile-to-textile recycling is unfortunately not of the scale or affordability yet to eliminate the mass overproduction of the industry, and more implementation needs to be put into the reduction of waste and virgin textile use within the design and production phase of products (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 37).

Water use and water pollution are major problems for the fashion industry. A large amount of water is used in the growing of raw textiles like cotton, in the washing of clothing and textile treatment and dyeing which is estimated to contribute towards 25 percent of industrial water pollution due to failed removal of hazardous contaminants (McKinsey, 2021b: 85). Some of these toxic chemicals used in apparel production include lead in dyes, NPE’s used in industrial washing, phthalates commonly found in plastic and textile printing, PFC compounds found in water-repellent coating and formaldehyde for wrinkle resistance treatment (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 38). Further, the washing of clothing, especially those made of synthetic materials, releases tiny plastic particles into our water systems. Textiles are the largest source of micro-plastic pollution, with 35 percent entering the ocean as a direct result of textile washing (MacArthur, 2017: 68). Despite 60 percent of fibres on the market being plastic-based little research has been conducted on the shedding of micro-plastics and existing technologies face the challenges of mass adoption (MacArthur, 2017: 69).

The production process, wear, care, and disposal of apparel, has a significantly damaging impact on biodiversity and as a result ecosystem services. The fashion industry is directly involved with deforestation, soil erosion and the toxic use of pesticides to name a few, all threatening already stressed environments and species extinction (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 39). The additional stress of animal-based materials and the often-inhumane farming of them to meet global supply chain needs contributes further to potent greenhouse gases, carbon emissions and biodiversity strains (MacArthur, 2017: 121).

Innovation is rising within new textile research and development, to offer alternatives to fashion retailers which are vegan, less environmentally damaging and resource intensive, and/or constructed from recycled materials (MacArthur, 2017: 117). Support for the development and research of production alternatives within the fashion industry are crucial in lifting them off the ground and implementing industry wide change and viable accessibility of solutions.

The Fashion Industry and Labour

A landmark tragedy within the fashion industry is the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh on the 24th of April 2013 (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 5). This preventable incident killed and injured thousands of garment workers, majority woman. Since then, a lot of positive change has come because of organizations such as Fashion Revolution working to raise awareness and transform the fashion industry away from one of human exploitation. However, there is still much to be achieved, as workers continue to face unsafe working conditions, violence and sexual harassment in the workplace, the inability to form trade unions, and receive unliveable wages (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 5).

The passing of legislations in various countries has seen the improvement of these labour violations, such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, a legally binding Global Framework Agreement between global brands, retailers, and trade unions, designed to build a safe and healthy garment industry in Bangladesh (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 12). Governments and intergovernmental institutions have acted in addressing human rights abuses within their own countries to increase transparency and accountability from retailers. The UK Government passed the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 which required all companies operating within the UK, with a turnover of more than £36 million to publish publicly available slavery and human trafficking statements, identifying and eradicating forced labour in their supply chains (Fashion Revolution, 2020: 16). While this law is weak in holding retailers accountable, it has brought the issue of forced labour into mainstream business discussions and motivated improved practices within the supply chain.

Due to the nature and disconnect of global supply chains, many retailers are unaware of who is making their products. Tougher repercussions and legislations are necessary to mitigate modern slavery. This issue is not of common knowledge to majority of consumers. Companies and Governments need to take more forceful action to bring about effective change.

*Edited extract from personal Master Thesis: Measuring Sustainable Innovation and Future Orientation of Leading Outdoor Retailers

Bibliography:

- Fashion Revolution. 2020. Why We Still Need A Fashion Revolution. [online] Available at: https://issuu.com/fashionrevolution/docs/fr_whitepaper_2020_digital_singlepages (Accessed: 6 January 2022)

- McKinsey & Company. 2021b. The State of Fashion 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion (Accessed: 29 December 2021)

- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 2017. A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future. [online] Available at: https://emf.thirdlight.com/link/2axvc7eob8zx-za4ule/@/preview/1?o (Accessed: 23 December 2021)