The fashion industry’s progress in sustainability

by ajones | Feb 17, 2021 | Blog, Sustainability, Fashion | No Comments

Fast fashion comes at a cost. However, there is hope, as sustainability has caught on as a fashion industry trend, one that brands and consumers can stick with far beyond the length of a season.

Industry progress thus far

Without a doubt, the fashion industry is making positive progress. For example, the fair trade movement is growing. Also, secondhand apparel sales are increasing; retail is even joining the resale movement (ThredUp, 2020). Barely a decade ago the Ellen MacArthur Foundation began its mission to change the world through the circular economy, and without a doubt change is happening.

There are many examples of progress, such as:

656 brand and retailers, manufacturers, and chemical suppliers are bluesign® partners.
280 fashion companies that have joined the RE100 campaign, pledging to use 100% renewable energy by 2050.
72 brands and retailers have joined the 2025 Cotton Challenge, pledging to achieve 100% more sustainable cotton by 2025.
As of April 2020, 66 fashion brands had signed the G7 FashionPact, committing to develop strategies to stop global warming, restore biodiversity, and protect the oceans.
Non-profit Textile Exchange works closely with its members to drive industry transformation in preferred fibers, integrity and standards, and responsible supply networks. The organization’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 from a 2020 baseline (Textile Exchange, 2020).

Marci Zaroff, who coined the term “eco-fashion,” emphasized that the fashion and textile industries are improving. For example, many companies are publishing annual sustainability reports for consumers and fellow companies to review. Moreover, companies are not on their own in their attempts. Zaroff (2019) noted, “With an abundance of resources available like the Higg Index, the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Sustainable Strategies Toolkit, there’s no excuse not to benchmark, set targets and analyze sustainability metrics.”

Progress yet to come

McKinsey’s report, The State of Fashion 2021, repeatedly refers to “silver linings.” Indeed, they are there. It is encouraging to note that throughout the pandemic consumers have become more dedicated to sustainability, fairness, and transparency. Furthermore, retailers are recognizing the perils of overproducing and some brands are moving away from the traditional seasonal calendar (McKinsey, 2020). The secondhand market is also projected to grow rapidly from $30 million in the United States in 2020 to $70 million by 2027 (Schiffer, 2020).

In conclusion, the fashion industry has made progress to improve the sustainability of their production processes and of their products. It’s up to consumers to take initiative and follow the progress made by fashion brands and producers by supporting sustainable products that will improve the overall carbon footprint of the consumer.