Sustainability simply defined to me as balancing act between the development of sustainability is necessary for both planet Earth and humans to survive. This is reinforced in the World Commission on Environment and Development report (1987) that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations”. The Earth Charter Organization widened the idea of sustainability to respect for a culture of peace, universal human rights, nature, and economic justice (What is sustainability?, n.d.).
Most sustainability development focus on sustainable fresh water, not cutting down more trees, production of carbon dioxide that can cause global warming but when I investigate further I learn that sustainability is not just being ‘green’; it means more than ‘green’. There can be many themes and ideas base on sustainability for example; sustainable healthcare, sustainable tourism, sustainable leadership, etc. The point I want to clear out is that ‘go green’ is just one part of the environmental sustainability. However, in this reflection paper, I shall focus on Sustainable Fashion. I thought that this topic can be interesting and fun to reflect on as it is
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That can lead to the water stress and pollution. Cotton is one of the common natural fibers and it is also a thirsty crop, to produce one cotton shirt it takes 2,700 liters of water which is enough amount of water for one person to drink 2 ½ years (3p Contributor., 2015). The chemical wastages from chemical dye and bleaches that produce from the factory, and carbon footprint such as polyester production which can lead to climate change. Given that amount of water wastage, I feel that people should opt for sustainable fashion clothes. Most people may be hesitant to try something so novel, so green. Therefore, I feel the fashion house should educate the public about the many benefits of sustainable fashion
Technology and sustainability in fashion have contrasting ideals and shares a symbiotic relationship. Technology is the base that enables sustainability in fashion to thrive and grow in today’s world as they go hand in hand. The role played by technology in this sustainable fashion realm starts from the physical manifestation of sustainable fashion garments which includes textiles along with the digital domain.
Fashion is everything to society and the media. The fashion industry has transformed into a necessity in the life of people. Everyone wants to look good, feel fabulous and feel as if we belong with everyone else. The envy and desire to wear certain things and look a certain way all come, from wearing the latest fashion handbags, accessories, dresses, shoes, and the list goes on. But, when is considering fashion into an individual’s life going too far to the extreme? Many do not consider the whereabouts of fashion materials and how the environment is affected by the mere existence of certain garments. Some may believe these objects grow on trees. But that is clearly not the case. Even though it would be nice. The fashion industry as a whole, has been notorious from green issues caused by their lack of sensitivity to the environment, conspicuous and unnecessary consumption of materials, encouraging an “throw-away” society and image issues that support women and young adults to look a certain way to feel “beautiful.” This is an issue that has increased over the past decades. Not just women, but men also feel the uncontrollable need to do whatever it takes to look like the celebrities they see on television and on the runways. The thought that the materials to make those desired items may have caused the life of animals or the destruction of mother nature does not come into mind. Countless people are concerned about conserving planet Earth and keeping it healthy. The fashion world has been targeted for many corruptions.
The environmental impact of making textiles and clothing is damaging to natural resources and is unsustainable. Buying a cotton shirt seems like a good choice to most consumers because its material is produced from a plant. What people don’t know is that cotton is the world’s dirtiest crop due to the heavy use of insecticides and pesticides. “Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop” (Organic Trade Association, 2011). In addition to the ground pollution from crop production, coal burning factories and textile mills leach chemicals into the air and water. As Leonard (2007) discusses, the factories being built overseas not only pollute their water, land, and air but pollution also ends up coming back in water and wind currents. Water is contaminated with countless toxic chemicals and used in excess to grow and produce textiles for clothing production. A great example of this abundant waste is that one t-shirt requires 2,700 litres of water to produce. Fast fashion is damaging the environment on a global scale and that is just the beginning of this flawed system.
Fashion is an integrated part of people’s lives from a long time ago, both for men and women. Fashion has been developing over years and changing in such a short time in each period. The changing of fashion often create a new trend or recreate an old trend to be a new trend once again. People tend to fit their style constantly with the changing of the trend. However, fashion is a rapid industry which means people have to be very responsive to the newest and up to date trend and keep their eyes on it. To be able to do so, people must understand the fashion clothing and material which is related to trend. Also, people must have a good understanding of key elements in the clothing including the ability to focus on the
Sustainability is an “enduring and balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and societal benefit”- Tata Steel. Sustainability is about meeting the ...
First of all, the production of a T-shirt can influence a variable of angle of environment. For instance, according to the investigation of the World Bank 17% to 20% of industrial water pollution is due to textile dyeing and treatment. Moreover, the production process of fast fashion can lead to air pollution because reusing cotton prevents the emission of more than 7 pounds of carbon dioxide. (Steinberger,2009) With more and more evidences proved that the production process of fast fashion, either governments or Non-Governmental Organization will devote more efforts to aware human beings the serious results and try to find a balance between economy and
Sustainable development has materialised as a framework in addressing economic, environmental and social issues (Macagno, 2013). Primark have themselves adapted to this framework, through working in an ethical and fair way to put issues right and develop sustainable practices. Such practices include; providing consumers’ with ethically sourced garments, through their third party suppliers (Primark, 2016d). They work closely with their suppliers to provide assurance that their products are ethically produced and are subject to independent audits to ensure their ethical approach is well managed (Primark,
When we hear the words “Fashion Industry”, we tend to think about designer clothing, models and new fashion trends. Little do we know about the production of raw materials such as textile, leather and fur, transportation and retailing that form this enormous industry. The transportation and production of these materials generally have a negative impact on the environment .The fashion industry is also known to support the fur industry. Many ethical issues come to mind when we talk about fur used in fashion, such as animal cruelty.
Sustainability must be defined to include meeting human physical, emotional and social needs (Rogers et al. 2012) and scholarly research and thinking on well being and its connection to the environment, sustainability, growth and sustainable development considers aspects that move towards social and environmental benefits . While environme...
As a response of various environmental issues from the textile manufacturing industry, green or sustainable textile manufacturing has aroused in recent years. The idea and concept of sustainable textile manufacturing is involving ethical and sustainable considerations to the entire supply chain process, from textile production to apparel manufacturing to retailing. “According to the Ethical Fashion Forum (2011), ethical fashion “represents an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which maximizes benefits to people and communities while minimizing impact on the environment.” The ethical fashion industry follows an ethical production cycle which creates social and environmental value.” (Cervellon & Wernerfelt, 2012, p. 177) Consumers is the biggest contributor and the reason of success for the textile manufacturing industry, therefore, in order to promote the growth and future for sustainable textile manufacturing, the education and knowledge that consumers have on green fashion and a new mindset for business and manufacturing are crucial for the future of a better environment for
It is certain that people are getting more used to wasting products that are still reliable to use and, especially in fashion, not that many people are aware of the concept of sustainability. Although concept of recycling paper, plastic and glass has now spread a cross the states, people still doesn’t know how to recycle or reuse their clothing. “65 pounds of clothing and textiles a year are improperly discarded and only an eight of that goes to charities for reuse [1].” This indicates how unaware people are when it comes to taking care of their garments. Or rather, the way in which fast fashion industry promotes the value of cloth is very low, and it is because the fashion industry wants people to get rid of their clothing as soon as possible in order to sell their new colle...
Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1
This article is about the overall impacts of fast fashion. The particular section referenced discusses possible solutions and alternatives to fast fashion. It talks about how it is possible to produce environmentally friendly clothing through the use of organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, and other fiber crops that require less pesticides, water, and other inputs. It goes on to share how certain brands are beginning to implement the model of sustainable clothing. The point of this article is to introduce readers to the topic of fast fashion, give background, and show readers what they
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)”
Sustainable fashion offers various benefits to both the consumer and the entire environment. For instance, it is noted that the entire process of sustainable fashion is worthy for the globe. In most cases, the fashion industry leaves behind a huge environmental imprint ranging from the pesticides in growing cotton to the landfill impact of clothes that wear out and the energy needed to manufacture every piece. Therefore, deciding on organic fibers or sustainable fabrics made from bamboo can also reduce the quantity of carbon emitted and chemicals brought into people`s lives. This shows how sustainable fashion if embraced can bring benefits to the consumer, the producer, and to the environment, which is very vital for future generations. Selecting clothes that contain the label “fair trade act,” during purchase emphasizes on sustainability in numerous ways. The first thing is that, it guarantees that the product was produced under safe working conditions. Further, it signifies that the person who produced it earned a fair wage since it is sweatshop free (Hethorn 123). The act of purchasing clothes considered as “fair trade” confirms that individuals and places mean more than the organization`s fundamental reason for its