The fashion industry has been one of the worst polluters. For years there has been a steady increase in purchasing power of people and the number of garments a person buys a year. Earlier, on average each individual purchased 10 garments annually. Now that has risen to 60 garments. Moreover, with the boom of fashion houses and more efficient supply chains, the industry has started producing an unsustainable level of new clothes.
The advent of covering up body parts was for functional purposes, i.e. to save ourselves from extreme and harsh weather. They needed to be practical so that humans can carry out daily activities smoothly. With time, apparel came to represent something more. They became a vital part of our persona, they became our first impressions. Soon, the trend picked up to have sets of clothes for different settings viz work clothes, domestic clothes, partywear, beachwear among others. And it doesn’t stop there, you cannot repeat a dress again, lest you will be thought off to be a miser or cheap. Thus, a person has to own multiple pairs of garments.
Fashion houses started catering to this demand by launching a new range of clothing each year. Some big brands even launch up to eight ranges annually. It is estimated that nearly 100 billion USD of new garments are manufactured every year, and approximately 450 billion USD worth of textiles are thrown annually.
But there is a ray of hope. People are increasingly demanding clothes produced sustainably. Thus, from abandoning non-eco-friendly production methods to non-biodegradable fabric, to the use of animal skins and furs, to the destruction of unsold merchandise, the industry is turning away from its conventional production practices.
The catch here is, that the more durable and robust a clothing item is, it is made of more unrecyclable material. It makes designing and saleability much more difficult. Many fashion giants have dedicated some portion of their sourcing to sustainable materials. They are tackling the challenge that the clothes made from recycled materials should also be recyclable post their useful life.
Fast fashion labels have reported a steady decline in sales as customers are now making it a point to go with brands that take a stand for the environment. Reports of Gucci burning billions worth of its merchandise annually may sound bizarre but it is true. Rather than selling at a discount or putting it on the shelf again next year, the big labels destroy goods to preserve their image of exclusivity. This particular practice caused huge public outrage in several developed countries and petitioned for legislation to be put in place to regulate it.
Rounding up, with the industry facing backlashes for poor ethics, we might see major changes in both product lines and marketing practices.
