Issues in sustainable fasion

Why sustainable? Unavoidable….environmental issues and natural resource constraints Changes in legislation: labour, pollution etc Social pressure: changes in consumer demand

When the first department stores appeared in the US in the late 19° century, amid the rise of the Industrial Revolution, sewing machines were relatively new and child labour was legal. Most clothes were made to order domestically, and only a small percentage of the population owned enough garments to fit a small closet. From Industrialisation to Earth Day

Postwar and beyond Rise of consumerism, economies based on mass production, proliferation of retail outlets. In the 1970’s some timid signs of what would now be called eco-consciousness and CSR began to emerge in Western Markets. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and conservation movements began to appear.

1990’s to the present day Moving production off-shore was the impetus for fashion becoming more global. Companies moved their manufacturing to places like Vietnam and Cambodia where there are no minimum wage or age requirements or regulations on maximum hours worked. When this happened people lost contact with how and where their clothes are made. This led consumers to begin to question the origin of their garments Nike came under fire in the 90’s for the low wages and poor working conditions in Indonesian factories The accidents in garment factories in Bangladesh prompted international boycotts The industry was forced to take stock and shape up

Examples Patagonia is positioned as having sustainability in its DNA Levi’s Care Tag for Our Planet Stella Mc Cartney – only faux fur Puma: environmental P&L

I design clothes that are meant to last. I believe in creating pieces that aren’t going to get burnt, that aren’t going to landfills, that aren’t going to damage the environment. For every piece in every collection I am always asking what have we done to make this garment more sustainable and what else can we do. It is a constant effort to improve.

Sustainability check-list Sustainable fibres Chemicals management Product traceability Supply chain transparency Less packaging Textile Recycling Safe factories Workers’ rights (paid holidays and sick leave, maximum hours etc) Fair wages No child labour