29 March 2015

How can the fashion industry become more sustainable?

2,991 Shares

The Issue

How can the fashion industry become more sustainable?

Second to oil, fashion and textiles is the most polluting industry in the world. Every stage in a garment’s life threatens our planet and its resources. It can take more than 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton, equivalent to a single t-shirt and pair of jeans. Up to 8,000 different chemicals are used to turn raw materials into clothes, including a range of dyeing and finishing processes. And what becomes of the clothing that doesn’t sell, falls apart or goes out of style? More often than not, it is discarded in giant landfills. How can the fashion industry become more sustainable?

Context

Stella McCartney: Change Agent

By Imran Amed

By putting her own deeply held values at the heart of her business, Stella McCartney has sparked awareness and action across the fashion industry. Now, McCartney is plotting her next steps.

Company: Stella McCartney

678 Shares Comment

Inditex: Agile Fashion Force

By Imran Amed and Kate Abnett

BoF gains rare access to Inditex — the world’s largest fashion retailer and parent company of Zara — to understand how the business is addressing the vast environmental impact of its operations.

Company: Zara

3,879 Shares Comment

Three Years After Rana Plaza, Has Anything Changed?

By Kate Abnett

Since the the worst disaster in the history of the garment industry, collaboration on safety has improved, but worker welfare lags behind, experts say.

312 Shares Comment

Opinions

Lucy Siegle

Op-Ed | Sustainable or Superficial?

Fashion’s failure to move beyond the most easily achievable — and easily marketable — sustainability issues puts it behind other sectors, argues Lucy Siegle.

453 Shares 3 Comments

Tristan Tremschnig Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia

Op-Ed | People Power Can Clean Up Toxic Fashion

In order to reduce fashion’s environmental impact, people must pressure the suppliers to fashion’s biggest brands to publicly disclose their pollution, says Tristan Tremschnig of Greenpeace.

Company: H&M

224 Shares 1 Comment

Linda Greer Director, Natural Resources Defense Council

Op-Ed | Remove Toxic Chemicals and Fabrics from Fashion’s Supply Chain

Dr Linda Greer, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says fashion designers should cut out toxic chemicals and choose their materials carefully.

33 Shares Comment

Mesh Chhibber Co-founder, Peau de Chagrin

Op-Ed | Fashion Should Ban Chrome Tanning

Fashion brands should stop manufacturing leather goods using methods that compromise the quality of their products and damage the environment, argues Mesh Chhibber.

43 Shares Comment

Jonas Eder-Hansen Development Director, Danish Fashion Institute

Op-Ed | The Fashion Industry Must Network to Create Change

Fashion businesses should pool their resources and industry leaders must learn from their peers. Only then will the fashion industry achieve lasting, sustainable change, says Jonas Eder-Hansen.

109 Shares 3 Comments

Julie Gilhart Fashion Consultant

Op-Ed | Industry Leaders Need to Have the Courage to Be More Transparent

Industry leaders must make their businesses more transparent and begin to change where and how their products are made, argues Julie Gilhart.

375 Shares Comment

Rachel Kibbe Founder, Helpsy

Op-Ed | Support Smaller Fashion Brands

Smaller fashion brands are miles ahead of big businesses when it comes to sustainability, says Rachel Kibbe, leader of the social media campaign #itsnotjuststella.

222 Shares 1 Comment

Top Comments

Our actions — consuming less, pushing for positive change - can lead to two-way change and collaboration. We can't always point the finger at businesses.
By Kristen Marano, Keilor, Australia

It is extremely unfair — and totally false — to characterize all chrome tanned leathers as “toxic”.
By Jean Cassegrain, Fontaine, France

I believe that the only way the fashion industry will truly take on sustainable changes is through international regulation.
By Forrester Dineen