{"id":1851,"date":"2021-10-27T08:01:01","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T08:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1851"},"modified":"2021-10-27T08:01:01","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T08:01:01","slug":"sustainable-fashion-aims-to-make-green-the-new-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1851\/sustainable-fashion-aims-to-make-green-the-new-black\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable fashion aims to make green the new black"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fast fashion, which encourages clothing to be quickly discarded and replaced, uses significant amounts of natural, social, and creative resources and creates excessive waste. Research into sustainable fashion aims to change this.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Employing more than 300\u00a0million people and producing 100\u00a0billion items every year, the fashion industry has a colossal impact on the environment. Driving this trend is so-called \u2018fast-fashion\u2019, an exploitative yet highly profitable business model that turns high-fashion designs into low-cost, mass-produced styles.<\/p>\n

In the EU, textile consumption is the fourth highest pressure category in terms of use of primary raw materials and water (after food, housing and transport). It\u2019s also fifth for greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the pressure and impact is linked to clothing and footwear.<\/p>\n

\u2018Because these garments are meant to be disposable, fast fashion encourages over-consumption and generates excessive waste \u2013 much of which cannot be recycled,\u2019 said Gisa Schosswohl, a project coordinator with the Creative Region of Linz and Upper Austria, an organisation dedicated to evolving the area\u2019s creative industries, including fashion.<\/p>\n

To make the fashion ecosystem fit for the circular economy, the European Commission has launched a roadmap<\/a> for the future of sustainable textiles in the EU. This includes efforts to increase the reuse and recycling. With estimates that less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new textiles, the report stresses the need for measures to address weaknesses regarding sustainable production, sustainable lifestyles, improving textile waste collection and recycling in the Member States.<\/p>\n

Cheap clothes come at a high cost\u2026 for workers too<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the fashion industry is working to improve its environmental footprint, as is evidenced by the clothes recycling programmes happening at many retailers, sustainability is about more than just the environment. It encompasses social and economic issues as well.<\/p>\n

\u2018Even though many fashion companies are committed to sustainability, their focus on waste, pollution and environmental issues means such social issues as human rights and working conditions go largely ignored,\u2019 said Hakan Karaosman, a researcher at University College Dublin.<\/p>\n

\u2018In pursuit of profitability, and now environmental sustainability, fashion brands have largely ignored worker exploitation,\u2019 added Donna Marshall, also a professor at University College Dublin.<\/p>\n

Herein lies the dilemma: it\u2019s either profit, the environment, or workers. You can have one, two at best, but it\u2019s difficult to have all three.<\/p>\n

According to Schosswohl, in an ideal world, fashion would be mindful of its social, environmental, and economic factors. \u2018Companies would pay their workers a living wage, give them safe, healthy working conditions, monitor [fashion\u2019s] environmental impact, use sustainable materials, and reduce resource usage throughout the product\u2019s lifecycle,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

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Environmental action requires social justice<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the fashion industry itself may be lacking in real answers to the sustainability conundrum, researchers are taking up the challenge.<\/p>\n

Take, for example, the Fashion Responsible Supply Chain Hub (FReSCH<\/a>), which is exploring how environmental sustainability and social justice can coexist within the complexities of fashion supply chains.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tackling the climate crisis can\u2019t happen in a vacuum; it requires a parallel focus on social justice,\u2019 noted Karaosman, who co-leads the hub with Marshall. \u2018However, it\u2019s challenging to make large-scale changes within an industry [that is] characterised by mistrust and exclusivity and that places economic benefits ahead of environmental and social interests.\u2019<\/p>\n

Initial research conducted by FReSCH indicates that there are both opportunities for and trade-offs between environmental and social sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our research shows that suppliers and contractors not directly connected to the brand aren\u2019t the reason for environmental and social problems,\u2019 said Marshall. \u2018Instead, the problem is systemic and rooted in a culture of elitism, lack of supply chain planning, a failure to integrate suppliers into decision making, and a huge power imbalance between brands and their suppliers.\u2019<\/p>\n

Seeing an opportunity to bridge this gap and rebalance the industry, the project wants to include workers \u2013 especially women \u2013 in the decision-making process.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whereas the companies themselves are far removed from the challenges, the workers live and breathe them on a daily basis,\u2019 noted Karasoman. \u2018As such, there\u2019s a real opportunity for fashion companies to leverage their knowledge and experiences to implement practical and effective solutions to the industry\u2019s various social problems.\u2019<\/p>\n

Fast fashion is so last year<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the production side, the re-FREAM project pairs artists and designers with a community of scientists to rethink fashion\u2019s manufacturing processes. The aim is to strengthen innovation by developing the more creative \u201chuman\u201d aspects of technology as part of the EU\u2019s S+T+Arts<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our goal is to develop new concepts for the future of fashion by means of new processes and aesthetics that are both inclusive and sustainable,\u2019 explained Schosswohl, who coordinates the initiative.<\/p>\n

The team of designers and scientists have already created some runway-worthy ideas. For example, your next purse might be made not from cowhide, but from recycled cork using re-FREAM\u2019s biodegradable fibres and materials.<\/p>\n

Or, instead of buying a pair of cheap jeans made using unfair, low-cost labour, why not get a pair that was made just down the street? Advances in 3D printing happening inside re-FREAM\u2019s creative labs, might mean that soon you can.<\/p>\n

3D printing also opens the door to personalised fashion, where quality clothing is produced locally and made specifically for your body. According to Schosswohl, such a development could help counter the wastefulness of mass production and fast fashion.<\/p>\n

\u2018I envision a future where the consumer will essentially be a co-creator of their own clothing,\u2019 said Schosswohl. \u2018By creating a direct relationship between the garment and the wearer, the lifecycle of a given item will increase exponentially.\u2019<\/p>\n

The project is also addressing the social aspects of sustainability by making textiles more inclusive. \u2018Our clothes can act as powerful tools for connecting with otherwise marginalised populations,\u2019 said Schosswohl.<\/p>\n

To illustrate this point, Schosswohl highlights a fabric developed by the project that is integrated with sensor technology. \u2018This material can provide multi-sensory stimulations for stroke patients and help them interact with and express ideas to others,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n

A community-to-wardrobe revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n

The transition to a truly sustainable fashion industry won\u2019t be easy and it won\u2019t happen overnight. But Karaosman, Marshall, and Schosswohl all agree that research, technology, education, and dialogue are the models that will eventually put it on the cover.<\/p>\n

\u2018Transitioning to a fair and circular fashion industry will require holistic, long-term, and participatory social dialogue where workers are included, their experiences understood, and their representation authentically ensured and protected,\u2019 added Marshall.<\/p>\n

\u2018Technology allows fashion to be locally produced using locally sourced materials,\u2019 concluded Schosswohl. \u2018Like the farm-to-fork movement that has taken the food industry by storm, I think fashion is on the cusp of a \u201ccommunity-to-wardrobe\u201d revolution.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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See also<\/h2>\n