PLANET
The planet is one of the four pillars of the fashion business sector, emphasising sustainable fashion as a means of preserving and restoring our environment. The fashion industry significantly impacts our planet, contributing to water use, pollution, and carbon emissions. For example, every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of clothing is burned or discarded in a landfill. This environmental cost emphasises the importance of developing sustainable business practices and shifting away from fast fashion.
A circular economy is founded on three principles: the reduction of waste and pollution, circulating products and materials at their highest value, and nature’s regeneration. This system is in contrast to today’s linear economy, in which we continuously take materials from the planet and discard the products as waste. This economy emphasises the use of renewable energy and resources, which benefits businesses, people, and the environment by tackling global challenges such as climate change and pollution. Introducing a circular economy into the fashion industry would result in better products and services for customers whilst aiding in regenerating our environment.
The Circular Fashion Ecosystem
(Vogue Business Team, 2020)
Today, the fashion industry’s carbon footprint accounts for over 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions and is the second most polluting industry after oil and gas, which slowly destroys our environment. A change is necessary to protect our planet, which involves a shift from fast to sustainable fashion. As opposed to fast fashion, sustainable fashion aims to build a carbon-neutral fashion market based on equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological conservation. This transition will result in less waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and saving water, all of which contribute to protecting our planet.
In an effort to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and guarantee that everyone lives in peace and prosperity by 2030, the United Nations approved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. These SDGs lay the groundwork for a more sustainable future for all.
Sustainable Consumption and Production, the 12th SDG, strives to consume and produce in ways that will restore the harm we have done to the planet. With an estimated 80 billion fashion garments purchased each year, companies are producing more clothing than ever before. To avoid waste, the fashion industry can reduce the overproduction of items and instead generate a smaller amount of products, effectively contributing to the sustainable consumption and production goal.
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
https://thevou.com/fashion/sustainable-fashion/#what-is-sustainable-fashion
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/sustainable-fashion/
https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/12-responsible-consumption-and-production/
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion