ER
IN THE fashion industry the conversation around sustainability and ‘eco-friendliness’ has become a hot topic for the past few years. Various studies have proven that the fashion industry is the party with the largest percentage of the most responsible for carbon emissions worldwide.
The main actors are fast fashion, which is generally established using cheap, environmentally unfriendly materials and pays workers very low wages.
In the last two years, as the world lives in a pandemic, this conversation has become more and more prominent. Gen-Z and millennial shoppers in particular are acutely aware of the environmental problems that fashion creates and demand answers. It is a younger community, the biggest fast fashion buyers, who are now driving the evolution.
Data compiled from independent research firm Morningstar notes that most fashion investors now tend to pour their funds into the fashion industry with the label ‘environmentally friendly and sustainable’.
An investment company that has invested a lot of money in the fashion industry, Closed Loop, has also opened up about the reasons why they are now choosing environmentally friendly and sustainable labels in their projects.
“Investors want to know what viable solutions global retailers will work on. That’s the kind of market signal that investors will pay attention to,” Kate Daly, Managing Director of Closed Loop Partners’ Center, told Circular Economy as quoted by Vogue Business.
“If they continue to invest in regular linear solutions, it could become outdated, maybe not tomorrow but in the next few years,” Daly added.
Closed Loop Director and former CEO of Dona Karan fashion house, Caroline Brown said that the company is currently at a tipping point in the fashion industry which is now driven by shareholder activity, consumer demand, regulatory pressures, and increasing climate risks.
“Everything is driving towards sustainable change. This creates strong investment opportunities across the industry value chain,” said Brown.
Seeing the high demand for Gen Z and millennial consumers as well as large investor funds on ‘sustainability and environmental friendliness’, the fast fashion and beauty industries are now competing to use environmentally friendly labels on their products.
The Business Times page later cited this as one of the material risks behind the increasing number of lucrative funds in “environmentally friendly” wraps, which later gave rise to the term ‘greenwashing’ strategy.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing is ultimately defined as a communication or marketing strategy of a company (in this case the fashion industry) to provide an environmentally friendly image, both in terms of products, values, and company goals without actually carrying out activities that have an impact on environmental sustainability.
According to John Ng, head of selection and fund advisory, DBS Private Bank, defines greenwashing as a misrepresentation that tries to capitalize on the growing interest in environmentally friendly and sustainable products or services.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg in a recent interview with a leading style and culture magazine, said fast fashion companies are using a “greenwashing” strategy to win over consumers.
In a post on Instagram, Thunberg featured a photo of herself for the cover of the first issue of Vogue Scandinavia. In the caption of the post, Thunberg talks about the contradictions between mass production modes and sustainable fashion.
“Many have made it seem as if the fashion industry is starting to take responsibility, by spending a fantasy amount on campaigns in which they describe themselves as ‘sustainable’, ‘ethical’, ‘green’, ‘climate neutral’ and ‘fair’,” it wrote. Thunberg.
“But let’s be clear, there’s almost never really anything (eco-friendly) other than pure ‘greenwashing’. You can’t mass produce fashion or consume sustainable products because today’s (fashion) world wasn’t really built for that. That’s what it is. one of the many reasons why we need a system change.”
Thunberg went on to explain that the fashion industry is a big contributor to climate and ecological emergencies, given the huge impact the fast fashion industry has not only on the amount of waste it creates but also on workers and exploited communities.
“Just so that some people can enjoy fast mode, and they treat this mode only for one-time use,” said Thunberg.
Real sustainable
Pursuing a sustainable fashion style can be manifested in various forms such as buying preloved products (products that are purchased and only used a few times or have never been used by the previous owner, then resold at a low price). In addition, you can also buy and use recycled products or other used goods that are still suitable for use.
The philosophy behind each of the above shopping styles is the same, to promote eco-conscious fashion. This idea is basically related to ‘sustainability,’ which is to consistently buy things that won’t end up in the back of the closet or worse, get thrown away.
Some so-called ‘hard-line environmentalists’ even choose not to buy new clothes as long as the clothes they need are appropriate and wearable.
As consumers’ awareness of green and sustainable fashion changes, new labels and businesses have emerged that are pushing for space to engage with this idea. Such companies empower young buyers to invest in goods that are predicted to support sustainable and eco-friendly systems.
This system is known as a clothing rental service that can be tailored to the needs and time of use. That way, fashion lovers can still be stylish with many choices of clothing, but don’t pile up various fashion products in the closet.
“Young people are becoming aware of the fact that there are too many fads already in circulation, and it makes sense to apply the principles of the same sharing economy to our wardrobes as well,” says Eshita Kabra-Davies, CEO and founder of By Rotation, an app. fashion rental as quoted from Vogue India. The London-based entrepreneur decided to set up a fashion rental service after witnessing firsthand the impact of textile waste on the environment in Rajasthan, India.
“It is a sad truth that we use fashion for self-expression, but it has the harmful effect of making our planet uninhabitable,” said Kabra-Davies.
Kabra-Davies advises fashion lovers to be able to choose timeless clothes and learn to love and rely on the things in the closet. He also suggests saving for higher-quality items than the fast-fashion equivalents.
Buying eco-friendly fashion items isn’t always the most cost-effective option, but a recent report by Bloomberg reveals that gen-Z are the most willing to pay a premium for shirts labeled sustainable, suggesting that sustainability can be a priority.
But it never hurts to re-check, whether the product you buy is really sustainable and environmentally friendly, or is it just a cover. Even if the product is truly environmentally friendly, check again whether your actions are driven by the need to support a sustainable system, or just a mere consumptive desire. [antaranews/photo special]
