Planet Blog 1
Over decades concerns over the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the environment were brought up by global citizens.The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of humanity’s carbon emissions (UNEP, 2018). If the fashion sector continues on its current trajectory, that share of the carbon budget could jump to 26% by 2050 (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Fashion industry was responsible for 1,715 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2015 (Nature Climate Change, 2018) and is rapidly increasing.
When ‘circular economy’ was introduced, the fashion industry was skeptical of the idea of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’.T he concept of maintaining/ repairing to extend product lifespan, reuse or remarket refurbished outdated products and recycle by retrieving parts of the materials for future usage. According to the ‘Italian national research council’, ‘In a typical 5kg wash of polyester garments around 6 million microfibers end up in the sea.’ Therefore it is nearly impossible to remain fully sustainable in the fashion industry as long as non- biodegradable textiles and disposable garments are used. Energy intensive materials like oil base textiles and cottons are heavily altered by chemicals and toxins in order to remold its properties into something useful for humans. This majorly impacts goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) , ‘Life below water’ is leaking micro plastics that are harmful for marine species. Articles surrounding the presence and impacts of plastic pollution on aquatic animals including fish species have become a regular occurrence on media platforms (Kramm et al. 2018) and scientific publications. (Henderson & Green, 2020)
As for now, scientists are finding materials to replace polyesters, making them equally as practical and long lasting. Difficulties arise when enemies like fast fashions and brands that take advantage of the situation, forcing manufacturers to produce goods using unqualified materials to maintain a low budget. Moreover, ‘58% of 1000 people polled in Hong Kong revealed that they owned clothes that were still tagged, compared with 51% in mainland China, 46% in Italy, 41% in Germany’ De Castro.O (2021) proving that people often buy brand names just for the brand, not for the quality of the product itself. Additionally, sustainable fashions are usually expensive. Recycling processes are costly. In the end people prefer cheaper brands knowing its impact on the environment. Currently, It is impossible to satisfy all 17 UN’s SDGs. On the bright side, fashion brands like Innisfree have positively adhered to fulfilling this SDG.