Sustainable fashion is a difficult concept to define, as there are many different criteria and phrases used to assess a clothing item’s sustainability: ‘plastic-free’, ‘organic’, ‘recycled’, among others. Some of these can even be contradictory; an item made of recycled plastic could be considered sustainable, but others would argue that the plastic still has a negative effect on the environment. This means that items can often be branded as ‘sustainable’ by retailers, even though they still have a negative environmental impact, making it challenging for consumers trying to shop for environmentally friendly fashion. This is reflected by over half of consumers in the United States saying that they find it
. Nevertheless, the
has steadily risen over the past decade, and the trend is forecast to continue, with the market share set to reach over six percent by 2026. This growth is driven by the younger generations, for example millennials and Gen Z accounted for an estimated 68 percent
Environmental impact
What is clear is that the fashion industry has a significant impact on the environment. Greenhouse gases, water usage, and plastic waste are all concerns linked to the industry. It is estimated that 1.27 billion metric tons of
carbon dioxide equivalents will be produced through the manufacturing and retail of apparel in the year 2030, if there is no major change in the way the industry operates. The manufacturing process produces the most greenhouse gases of all. Furthermore, the synthetic fiber, polyester, accounts for more than half of the
fibers used in textile production. Polyester is not biodegradable and releases toxic microfibers into the environment.
Worldwide consumption of apparel has been forecast to continue increasing over the coming years, meaning these problems will only be exacerbated.
Fashion companies
As consumers become more aware of the importance of sustainability and increasingly consider it a
key factor in their purchasing decisions, apparel companies are increasingly making an effort to reduce their environmental impact. One significant metric is a company's carbon footprint. There are numerous
methods which fashion businesses are employing to cut down emissions, some of the most common are using more sustainable materials, using sustainable packaging, and moving production closer to their markets. However, there are
barriers to companies' attempts to improve consumers' perception of their sustainability. In a survey of fashion executives, a lack of standards to assess sustainability ranked as the leading challenge. The cost of sustainable materials followed in second place, a cost which is often passed down to consumers.
Circular fashion
One method that many propose to increase the sustainability of the fashion industry, is the adoption of more
circular business programs, generally split into the categories of resale, rental, repair, and recycling.
Platforms such as ThredUp and Poshmark offer the chance for consumers to buy and sell second-hand clothes. Whilst this does help to reduce waste, there are practical limitations to circular fashion’s sustainable impact. Other methods need to be employed in conjunction with circularity. One such option would be to
buy fewer clothes, as many consumers intend to do, to reduce consumption. Another idea is to
develop new biomaterials with a much lesser environmental impact.
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