Capitalism has lured us into wanting “more” and buying “more” through its mechanism of Commodity fetishism, a process that transforms the subjective, abstract aspects of economic value into objective, ‘real’ things that people believe have real intrinsic value. The concept, being more relatable to the glamorous fashion world than anywhere else, because obviously, what more of a “created need” than the need for new clothes and accessories!
“The urge to sell more and get consumers to buy more is still in the DNA of the industry,” says Michael Stanley-Jones, co-secretary of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion.
Before we delve into understanding how the fashion industry is responding to this new buzz of sustainable fashion and whether at all it is a reality or a hoax, let us first try to understand what sustainability means in this field. In very simple words, “sustainability” in fashion means creating and consuming clothes in a “sustained” way, that not only protects the environment but also those producing clothes. In other words, the processes which ensure that the fashion industry is both environmentally and socially sound; from procuring materials to manufacturing processes and all the way to the workers’ conditions and fair pay.
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But coming to this capitalism induced world we live in, where the urge for ‘more’ still “runs in the DNA of the industry”, This unyielding pursuit of growth, of “more,” drives strategies that are specific to the fashion industry or specific to the profit maximisation of the industry. Pressure for unrelenting growth, summed with consumer demand for cheap and, fast fashion have been major contributors for not-so-sustainable fashion. As an immediate solution for this urgent fashion problem of both cheap but fast fashion, polyester became the messiah of the industry. it has become the dominant player in global fibre production, accounting for over half of all fibre produced worldwide. Despite being versatile, durable and cost-effective, the production of polyester involves several environmental concerns. It is derived from non-renewable resources, requires a great deal of energy for extraction and processing and releases significant by products.
However a lot needs to be done for the ‘myth’ of sustainable fashion to turn into a reality. With the clarion call of Mother Nature to save this dying planet, it is high time to keep aside debates and at least try the bare minimum on the part of humans to save her – because all it needs to turn myths to reality are some realisations, responsibility, efforts and actions from people at both end of the spectrum.
The fashion industry is responsible for the production of up to 10% of the global carbon dioxide output and accounts for one-fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced globally each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). Thus, embracing sustainable practices is a challenge for the fashion industry.
However, on the brighter side of the horizon, the industry is apparently not stagnant but open to changes for the environmental well-being. As a response to this new demand, brands across the industry has done their best to incorporate sustainable practices into their operations. For instance, Levi’s has significantly contributed to this movement with their campaign. “Buy Better, Wear Longer”- which raised awareness and encouraged consumers to be more thoughtful of their purchasing preferences promoting the idea of “quality over quantity”.
Whereas some brands are genuinely trying to promote sustainability some others are still stuck in their agenda of profit maximisation wherein they are bound to adopt misleading and corrupt practices like greenwashing. Greenwashing is the practice of misleading marketing strategies, labels, or advertising to create a false impression about the sustainability of the product in the minds of the consumers. In a world undergoing global boiling, greenwashing is definitely not helping.
Thus, the question of how “sustainable” is sustainable development still lingers on because sustainability unlike fast fashion is not a quick remedy to the problem, it is a prolonged process and holistic practice which needs to be undertaken by both ends of the spectrum- producers and consumers. Moreover the steps taken by most of the companies are not even having their desired impacts.
For sustainability to be more than a Myth, the companies and brands have to take some responsibility and there has to be complete transparency from the grassroot levels of samples to the sales racks. Additionally there is an urgent need for promotion of bio-based materials instead of fossil fuel-based ones like polyester. Although it has advantages like biodegradability and performance in the long run, it has problems like high initial costs, lack of awareness among common man and unwillingness of the companies to adopt new innovations. Its high time to realise that a pressure of infinite growth on a planet of finite resources is not obliging, thus need for new sustainable business models involving concepts like resale, rental clothing etc. is the need of the hour. With rising concerns, it is preeminent to redefine progress, rewrite the rules and act according to the same instead of letting them sit on papers only. Since sustainable fashion is apparently an umbrella concept taking into account everything from the initial stages to the final ones; it is also an important duty on the part of the producers to take care of proper payments being made to the actual makers of the clothes, the working conditions, their livelihood and well-being. Therefore it is certainly no mere task to accomplish theses goals which seems to pose more challenges than solutions on its rugged path.
But since it is a holistic concept of development, there is another side to the story of sustainable fashion; we, the consumers. It is not only the producers who are to contribute to the accomplishment of the goal, but also the consumers. A little responsibility on the part of the consumers can go a long way in this regard. A very basic step would be to make oneself aware of what is sustainable fashion, as this term and concept itself is still all Greek for some or maybe most. To make smarter and greener choices, customers should learn about environmental consequences of the fabric in their wardrobe and how they leave hefty environmental footprints. Once aware, they are to convince themselves to let go of brand loyalty if their preferred brands are not-so-sustainable or in other words, a change in the consumer mindset. Its time to embrace the circular fashion economy – wearing an outfit for more than once is not unfashionable, its sustainable!
In this cutthroat world of fashion, green is the new black. The more aware and sustainability-driven mindset the consumers have, the more the brands will align their processes to keep themselves trendy, in a world of ever-changing demands. This growing demand can be a powerful motivator and a positive catalyst for businesses to go green. However a lot needs to be done for the ‘myth’ of sustainable fashion to turn into a reality. With the clarion call of Mother Nature to save this dying planet, it is high time to keep aside debates and at least try the bare minimum on the part of humans to save her – because all it needs to turn myths to reality are some realisations, responsibility, efforts and actions from people at both end of the spectrum.
With sustainable fashion leading the way to a greener and brighter future for not just the fashion industry but the world and the generations to come – this, sure, is a trend we can get behind, which is not just eco-friendly but also voguish!
