Fashion and Sustainability: Critique on Affordability

In the recent years, sustainability has become an important factor for consumers to take into consideration when making purchases. Given the increasing concerns on climate change and social issues, consumers are now focused on supporting goods and products that coincide with their own morals and ideals and the environment. An example of this is consumers choosing to support sustainable fashion rather than fast fashion. Fast fashion starts when a consumer purchases a piece of clothing that is created fast and cheap, is worn out, and then quickly discarded. Globally, about eighty billion pieces of clothing are consumed every year. Because of the constant change in demand for new styles and trends many of these items will end up in landfills causing negative impacts on the environment and harm to those who make them. Sustainable fashion has become a new wave for conscious consumers to mitigate climate change, exploitative labor, and practice sustainability so we can imagine a world with less waste and exploitation and more affordable and environmentally conscious decisions.

Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry and is one of the largest consumers of water. According the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) producing only one cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water – the amount a person drink in 2.5 years. A pair of jeans takes approximately 7,000 liters of water – the amount a person drink in 5-6 years. In terms of waste, about 21 billion tons of textiles made to create these garments are sent to landfills to meet the demand for new styles and trends. Fast fashion is quickly consuming many natural resources and cannot me the increasing demand. Not only does the apparel industry play a large role in resource depletion, this industry also is contributing to the amount of the world’s insecticide and greenhouse gas emissions from the chemicals required to dye fabrics. In a report by ClaimteWorks and Quantis, fast fashion industries are expected to increase greenhouse gas emissions from 8% to 49% by 2030 if these patterns continue.

In additional to the negative environmental impacts, fashion is also responsible for unsafe working conditions and exposure to hazardous substances and chemicals used during production. The high demand for new styles to keep up with the trends have a detrimental effect on factory workers who suffer long hours and time pressures with low pay. Some cases also include illegal child labor and slavery, especially for young girls and women.

The UNECE is calling fast fashion an “environmental and social emergency” and have recently began to work with the UN to understand what their role is in mitigating the issue of fast fashion. A forum was held on March 2018 to explore multiple opportunities for the fashion industry to help reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with specific focus SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production; SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation; SDG 8: decent work and economic growth; and SDG 13: climate action to name a few. It is clear the fashion industry needs to make a change in the way their garments are produced. The UN is currently trying to create a comprehensive approach to address the sustainability challenges, transparency in the textile sector, and impact on the environment. Several other initiatives have been taken by other organizations and businesses to promote ethical and sustainable fashion. Socially, consumers are also practicing other sustainable practices such as thrifting or upcycling clothing to increase the life span of the item. A few fashion brands are taking the initiative to design clothing that do not require synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic that are associated with environmental harm and biodegradation. Designers are encouraged to use unconventional fibers such as bamboo or recycling fabrics as a sustainable alternative.

However, with new methods and changes in production comes new higher production costs. Reformation, a fashion brand considered to be a pioneer in sustainable clothing, is one of the most expensive fashion brands in the market. A Reformation dress will retail for over $100, marketing to upper-middle and upper-class consumers. I grew up in a low-income immigrant family and since I was young, I have always been an avid fashion lover. It became an opportunity for me to express myself and feel comfortable in my own skin. Most of my wardrobe consist of thrifted pieces I painted or resized and grew to love the idea of pre-loved vintage fashion. As I grew older, I learned that I had been a conscious consumer in making these purchases because thrifting and upcycling are sustainable practices. However, it was not because I knew of the environmental and social impact of fast fashion but because it was all I could afford. As an advocate for sustainable fashion, I critique the sustainable fashion industry’s approach to affordability because of how difficult it can be for consumers like me to purchase an item at retail price. In order to attend forums and panels about sustainable fashion, tickets to attend are highly unaffordable creating an even greater gap to even access knowledge on this growing industry. If a product is sustainable, it should also be accessible. Sustainable fashion brands such as Reformation, are highly marginalized businesses that give little to no access to low-income, predominately communities of color, to make such purchases and very clearly operate to appeal to a certain demographic.

Sustainability is a world issue that requires the work of everyone and without accessibility to participate in sustainable purchases, low-income communities will resort to fast fashion businesses that offer trendy clothing at a cheap price. I propose access and affordability should be considered when making marketing decisions to give low-income communities of color the option to be a conscious consumer and work towards decreasing climate change and resource degradation. I also encourage nations to invest in young entrepreneurs of color who understand their demographic and have the potential to create affordable designs and businesses to spur local economic growth by supporting small business in addition to worldwide artists. Accessibility goes hand in hand with the UN SDGs call for action by all countries to improve health and education, reduce inequalities, and tackling climate change to preserve our natural resources. It is important we as a society play close attention to the solutions to these complex issues and ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the bettering of world.