Can Clothing and Fashion Really be Regarded as ‘Sustainable’?

Fashion brands are paying greater heed to environmental and social concerns in the manufacturing of clothing. But will the industry ever be truly sustainable?

How does your January usually look? Are you using it to relax after the mayhem of Christmas and New Year? Or are you braving the sales in person, or online, looking for the best bargains as retailers try to clear stock to make room for new season goods? 

If you’re one of the many people who set themselves New Year’s Resolutions, you may have a ‘New Year, New You’ sort of thing in mind. And to go along with your healthier diet and more frequent visits to the gym (let’s pretend together that we’ll stick with it…), you might be looking at an update or upgrade to your wardrobe.

Due to the rising tide of ethical consumerism, you may have spent some time researching the best brands to buy from – the ones with the best environmental performance, most transparent supply chain, or the best use of sustainable materials. But despite the best efforts of manufacturers and consumers alike, the question still remains. Can we really describe fashion and clothing as sustainable?

The Enduring Presence of Fast Fashion

For the past few years there has been a focus on ‘Fast Fashion’ and the impact that the fashion and clothing industry has on the environment. While many brands have begun to take a closer look at their operations and supply chains, there is still a prevalence in the consumer market for low-cost, throw-away clothing.

Two well-publicised examples of the enduring presence of fast fashion in the market are the Asos and Boohoo groups and their associated brands. In 2021, revenues at Asos increased by 21 percent, while Boohoo’s revenue in the UK alone increased by approximately 45 percent between 2020 and 2021. 

Both Asos and Boohoo are undoubtedly fast fashion brands. Both rely on a quick turnaround of designs from catwalk to website, with Boohoo having stated in the past that they release around 500 new products per week. With consumers then able to pick up new designs and styles almost daily at very low prices, it’s no wonder that these brands are seen as part of the problem when it comes to tackling the estimated £140m worth of clothing that ends up in landfill annually.

Sustainable Brands, Sustainable Materials?

This is only part of the overall picture. A more transparent supply chain is one thing, but as long as there is a demand for cheap clothing, there will be organisations who fulfil this demand, with some using questionable, and in some cases, illegal or immoral practices to do so.

It’s worth noting that both Asos and Boohoo are working to improve their environmental performance and make their manufacturing processes more environmentally friendly. And for every Asos and Boohoo, there is a sustainability success story, like Patagonia, TOMS and Ninety Percent. Organisations like these are frequently held up as the gold standard and industry leaders when it comes to making a positive impact on the manufacturing of clothing in an environmentally conscious way. 

However, even with these organisations showing how to be better, the argument can be made that the fashion industry as a whole has a long way to go. Estimates show that human input in fashion accounts for 10 percent of global greenhouse emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined. This includes everything, from producing the raw materials, all the way through to the disposal of the clothing at the end of its life (hopefully).

The issue remains, even processing a natural material like cotton (which has an enormous water usage for growing), or producing clothing that is better for the environment than they have been previously (for example, Levi’s jeans) still uses resources, or creates waste that has a negative impact on the environment. And that’s before you even get to any garment that includes synthetic fibres.

Reducing the Impact – Our Role

All is not lost though. The fashion industry, through various organisations, are kicking off plans to make clothing more sustainable, from raw materials to disposal. Better Cotton is one such organisation with the aim of not only producing more sustainable cotton from the point of view of growing crops, but also for the communities involved in growing it. 

The Global Organic Textile Standard is based on having a defined Quality Assurance standard for the growth of organic textiles. As more manufacturers work with these organisations it begins to change the industry as a whole, moving the production of (and recycling of) materials into a more sustainable place.

Beyond this, it’s down to us as consumers – both individually and as procurement professionals sourcing on a bigger scale – to change our behaviours, reducing demand for fast fashion and being more ethical and sustainable in our choices:

• Be prepared to spend more on a smaller number of items – sustainability does have a premium, but if you buy high-quality, sustainable items, you’ll spend less in the long run.
• Make Do and Mend – wear your items for longer and learn how to fix them yourself.
• Invest in sustainable brands – the more often you buy sustainable items, the greater the demand and the more popular they become. Or from a procurement point of view, choose your suppliers carefully and make sure you have a full view of their entire supply chain.
• Don’t buy new – even commercially there is a huge second hand market for clothing and textiles. Investigate it before your next purchase.

It doesn’t take much to change our behaviours, or that of our supply chains, to push them in a better direction. But the effort needs to be made, or we’ll never really be able to call fashion sustainable.