Learning About
Sustainable
​Apparel
​By Kimiya Nikkar-Yoshida
​What is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable clothing refers to fabrics derived from eco-friendly resources, such as sustainably grown fiber crops or recycled materials. It also refers to how these fabrics are made. Historically, being environmentally conscious towards clothing meant buying clothes from thrift stores or any shops that sell second-hand clothing, or donating used clothes to shops previously mentioned, for reuse or resale.
SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities.
The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
The topic of Sustainable Apparel Corresponds to SDG #12:
Responsible Production & Consumption.
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Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources.
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The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal.
The Cycle of Clothing Production
Step 1: Cotton Harvesting
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Harvesting Cotton is harmful to the environment due to farmers using massive amount of pesticide. For every pound of cotton harvested, a farmer may use up to 1/3 lb of chemical, synthetic fertilizer.
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Step 2: Creating Fabrics
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The chemicals used for bleaching and dyeing of fabrics are hazardous and will damage the environment and people's health.
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Step 3: Designing
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Designing clothes has problems such as lack of business and financial management. You may be a great designer but you certainly don't know how to generate leads for sale.
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Step 4: Production
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Some Fashion Brands produce clothing in factories located in developing countries in order to cut down the cost on production. Fast fashion retails such as Uniqlo and H&M are said to be creating their pieces in countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia,which are known for its corrupted work environment.
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Step 5: Advertising
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There were some cases in brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Calvin Klein that used controversial sexualised ads ​in the past in order to promote their product.
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Step 6: Retail and Use by a Customer
Step 7: Recycling / Disposing / Secondary Use
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On the surface, the recycling of used clothes, often charitably donated, means old garments don't go to waste, while new owners get a bargain. It seems like a "win-win" situation that couldn't be more ethically sound. But on closer inspection, the reselling of clothes is more complex than one might think, posing difficult questions for those hoping to do good by donating their old clothes.
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