The fashion industry has some major sustainability problems. By 2030, it is predicted that the industry’s water consumption will grow by 50% to 118 billion cubic metres, its carbon footprint will increase to 2,791m tonnes and the amount of waste it creates will hit 148m tonnes.
These predictions are in spite of significant progress being made by brands and retailers to minimise their impact. Many are using sustainable cotton initiatives to reduce water, energy and chemical use, new dyeing technology to reduce water consumption by up to 50% as well as numerous energy and chemical saving schemes throughout the supply chain. In the UK, the result of this work is percolating through to stores, with a reduction in the carbon and water footprints per tonne of clothing of 8% and 7% respectively since 2012.
So the industry is reducing the environmental footprint of its products. But the problem has now shifted to the consumption side: the insatiable appetite for fashion means people are buying more and more clothes. Since 2012, there has been a 10% increase in the amount of clothing purchased in the UK alone. And not only are British consumers buying more; more of their clothing gets discarded quicker as they chase the latest fashion trends. It is estimated there is over £30 billion of clothing sitting in wardrobes across the UK that has’t been used for over 12 months.
Fast fashion is seen by many as the fundamental cause of all the sustainability issues the industry faces. And so it has been suggested by numerous commentators, academics and NGOs that ethical consumerism can and will lead to a paradigm shift in behaviour. Over time, it is thought, slow fashion will become the norm, with consumers wearing classically styled garments that last for ten years. This, so they say, will minimise the need to make new purchases of the latest fashion fad, therefore reducing impacts. The logic of this argument is predicated on the idea that consumers are rational animals with behaviour that is controlled and predictable.
But the growth of ethical consumerism has not materialised in mainstream fashion. Ethically minded brands believe the single biggest issue stopping them becoming more sustainable is the consumer; either through their lack of awareness of the issues faced by the industry or through an unwillingness to pay for sustainable products.
So can ethical consumerism really exist in the mainstream fashion market? Psychology and behavioural science may suggest that ethical fashion consumerism is a pipe dream. We believe our purchasing decisions are based on rational, conscious and well thought out deliberations. But the complexity of human behaviour and the fundamental nature of fashion implies that ethical consumption may not be an attainable goal.
Source: https://theconversation.com