THE UNSUSTAINABLE BURDEN OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

The clothing industry is (still) the second-largest polluter in the world. This is a fact and above there is only oil (yes, I wrote OIL). An estimated $240-million worth of used clothing goes to landfill every year. To the above, we have to add, unknown quantity of fabric wastages and raw material leftovers due to the minimum of purchasing.

To reduce prices, brands allocate production to foreigner factories that do not respect the right of all employees and do not ensure good working conditions. As a result most of the supply chain in general, is far from being sustainable.

Even if Greenpeace pushes the industry to phase out all hazardous chemicals, the goal of zero is not technically so easely possible to reach.

Many brands have started with a priority list of the worst chemicals used in the textile industry, like Alkylphenols, phthalates or perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), the blacklist that detox-committed companies are currently using lists over 400 substances that may severely harm our bodies and the environment. But fabric suppliers inform that zero is an unrealistic expectation according to technological knowledge to date.

Despite the glittered appearance we see in the shows, because let's face it, the bad news are not fashionable, the situation is far from being under control.

I'm questioning how a revolution can be applied, what can we improve and how can we call it luxury if it is actually destroying us.

I would like to report some extracts arising from Safia Minney's interviews. The first I submit is the one to Orsola De Castro (founder of From Somewhere and Fashion Revolution):

"SM: How much waste is there in the fashion industry?

ODC: Fabric offcuts represent only 15 per cent of waste. There is a mountain of waste at pre-consumer level, some of which is unidentified: from the rolls to the remnants and all the runs of garments that are either damaged or over-ordered. Obviously, fast fashion makes it cheaper to dispose of them than it does to upcycle these fabrics. The system for disposal is unscrutinized. The statistic that rings true to my ears is 80 billion garments delivered out of factories annually worldwide.

SM: For many mid-market and luxury brands, destroying unsold stock rather than selling it at a discount is the norm, because it keeps up the perceived value of the brand. Do you have any experience of that?

ODC: Totally. When I started out, we would get boxes of luxury clothing sent from manufacturers which couldn’t be sold, because one sleeve was shorter than the other. You also find the issue in rolls of fabrics and textiles which have logos printed on them – the brand will ask for disposal of anything that is damaged or deemed unsellable. Yet something that is of the most wonderful quality and then disposed of isn’t ‘waste’ for a designer like me. It has enormous potential. I resent the fact that we don’t encourage the skills and the idea of creating livelihoods for people working with this fabric waste to make great clothing.

SM: What can be done with ‘waste’ that doesn’t pass quality control?

ODC: It depends on the companies and the different regulations in different parts of the world. It also depends if it is big industry, like fast fashion, or luxury fashion. There is no transparency about this fabric and garment waste. We need to become as aware of it as we are of food waste. The recycling industry is fortunately on the increase, but many of these fabrics are mixed fabrics – for example, cotton and polyester – so we need the technology to recycle these blends. Companies need to be encouraged rather than forced. There is a great demand from students and young designers to work in upcycling and in recycling, but they need training. We’ve proved it is possible through our consultancy work with Topshop. There is a huge opportunity; the techniques and skills are there and the students are willing. We need executives and merchandizers to show a commitment to changing practice and reducing final waste. We need a dramatic shift in the operations of fast-fashion and luxury-fashion companies.

SM: An estimated £140-million [$240-million] worth of used clothing goes to landfill every year. How can the industry be accountable for this waste?

ODC: The reason they haven’t been held accountable so far is that there are no real statistics about what’s going on. There are also legal issues as to who owns the surplus and fabric. Is it owned by the fashion company or by the manufacturer?

SM: Why is collaborating and sharing your knowledge important to the fashion industry?

ODC: Collaboration is the first principle of anything to do with sustainability. It is not easy, because the fashion industry is not collaborative. But I have met amazing people who will be friends for life. We have to make a fashion system that is not hell bent on speed.

CREDIT: Minney, Safia. Slow Fashion: Aesthetics Meets Ethics