Sustainability In The Fashion Industry - What Is It?
Sustainable fashion is an important topic nowadays. It has been gaining more attention from consumers and brands alike. Learn about sustainable fashion here
PAOLA MOSSI
Contributor
The growing concerns about environmental degradation have forced the world to find greener alternatives, and on the path to it, the apparel industry has reacted seriously with many brands stepping into sustainable fashion.
But before you move on to read about what sustainable clothing is and what’s the need of it, you must understand the term sustainability first.
The Definition of Sustainability
In exact terms, the word Sustainability means the ability to be sustained or supported. In the context of environmental science, it means the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources that promotes ecological balance in longer terms.
Sustainability, in broader terms, defines a way of fulfilling our present needs without compromising the needs of future generations.
For many, Sustainability is the practice of avoiding the depletion of natural resources and maintaining the ecological balance. Though it’s a partial meaning of the term, it needs 100% attention of the world so as to avoid a darker future with a lack of natural resources and an imbalanced ecosystem.
If you’re thinking about following the lines of Sustainability, an easy way is to change your shopping habits and move towards sustainable fashion.
Environmental Impact on Fashion Industry
The Fashion Industry might not hit your mind in the first place as an industry that consumes a large number of natural resources.
It is because you’re not aware of the fact that the global fashion industry accounts for around 10% of the carbon dioxide emissions on this planet, as reported by the United Nations Environment Programme.
But this isn’t the only reason why there is an urgent need to move to sustainable fashion. Find out how explosive is the Modern Fashion Industry for the nature -
● It produces 60 million tons of plastic alone which is a fifth of the total plastic produced every year.
● Polyester has taken over cotton as the primary material that has become a large source of microplastic pollution affecting marine life.
● 87% of the total fibre used for making clothing items ends up in a landfill.
All these factors call for you to immediately replace your wardrobe with sustainable fashion clothing.
Fast fashion is another major driving force that has destructive impacts on our planet.
What is Fast Fashion?
It is the trend of producing low-quality and cheaper clothing items in large volumes. Such apparel items are categorized under disposal clothing, which increases textile waste. Over 80 billion garments are manufactured every year, which is 400% more than it used to be 20 years back.
The life cycle of garments is reducing, and more and more clothes are being disposed of every year. The key reasons why disposal of clothes is growing in speed are -
● Clothes are Cheaper - People buy more than required.
● Low-Quality Clothes tend to get damaged faster.
● New Fashion Trends showing up in the market every other day
Sustainable Fashion or Slow fashion clothing items which are , on the other hand, are made to last longer plus carry a style that can be worn for a longer time. The supply chain of this model is controlled and workers are respected with living wages that are competitive. Garments are produced in small batches by local based brands. It certainly defines how important it is for the fashion industry to focus on sustainable clothing.
Why Should We Care?
It’s our planet, and we are responsible for keeping it in a healthy state, not just for us but for the next generations too.
Sustainable fashion is the need of the hour as the ongoing practices of producing cheap quality clothes are piling up the landfills with textile waste that takes around 200 years to decompose.
If the situation is not addressed and people won’t switch their choice to sustainable clothing made from natural materials, a disaster is waiting at the other end to make the life of every being miserable on this planet.
It is because the fashion industry is hurting the nature in multiple ways, which are as follows -
● Water usage
● Microfibres
● Greenhouse gases
● Deforestation
● Toxins
Aren’t these reasons enough to describe the need for sustainable fashion clothing?
How to Be Sustainable?
There are so many decisions that we make every day that have a direct link with the environment.
If we stay a little conscious, Sustainability is not that hard to follow. A slight change in your decisions can contribute to a sustainable future. Choosing sustainable fashion is definitely on our target, but there are other ways too that can help us acquire Sustainability as a habit.
Ensure Minimum Use of Plastic
Plastic never decomposes, and around 40% of the world’s ocean surface is today covered with it.
Start cutting down the use of plastic in a few steps: use reusable paper bags when you shop, avoid products that are made or packed in plastic, etc.
Make your Home Energy Efficient
Turn your home more energy efficient. Implement features like proper insulation and energy-saving windows, use a programmable thermostat that promotes efficient heating and cooling, uses energy-saving light bulbs, etc.
Think Before you Buy
Follow the 3-R concept - Reduce waste, Reuse, and Recycle while making any purchase. Every product has an environmental footprint and affects nature from its manufacturing and usage to its disposal.
Therefore always make thoughtful purchases and make it a habit that you follow everywhere.
Add Sustainable Fashion to your Wardrobe
Change your apparel shopping habits and focus on buying sustainable fashion from slow fashion brands more and experience unexpected benefits of sustainable clothing. Follow these steps to make your wardrobe support the idea of sustainable clothing.
● Buy clothes when you need
● Focus on durability and high quality
● Avoid waste and throw away clothes. Donate.
If you want to start your sustainable custom clothing line, Italian Artisan is a good partner for you.
Take a Sustainable Decision
It is important to cut down the CO2 emissions and address the overproduction to reduce pollution and waste.
By choosing Sustainable Fashion Clothing, you stand to support biodiversity; you also ensure that garment workers have safe working conditions and get paid properly, which all make a crucial part of the sustainability matrix.
Now when you’re aware of how important it is to switch the lanes and move towards a sustainable fashion and say no to fast fashion brands, it’s time to find our the best place for buying sustainable clothes made from organic cotton.
Ad Hoc Atelier is your best option for buying organic clothing items from ethical fashion brands. Find the top-rated ethnic brands that promote sustainable fashion and follow strict measures for manufacturing organic clothing free from toxic chemicals.
Turn your wardrobe more organic. Buy Sustainable fashion wear on Ad Hoc Atelier.
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