Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

More so than ever before, the current ecological / climate crisis is ever increasing and causing problems in all sectors. In particular, the fashion industry are under severe scrutiny and brands are being pushed into setting sustainability as their main agenda as changes need to be made.

Greenpeace's recent 'Detox My Fashion' campaign has proven very successful in communicating to both the public and brands about how serious the issues are. For example, they have pressured fashion companies to take action in removing toxic chemicals from their supply chains, after a number of brands’ products were tested and confirmed to have the inclusion of hazardous chemicals. The majority of these are banned or strictly regulated in various countries because they are toxic, bio-accumulative, disruptive to hormones and have the potential to cause cancer.

Additionally, companies have been using natural recourses such as rivers and oceans as dumping grounds for these hazardous chemicals. Communities which live near textile manufacturing facilities have to deal with water pollution as a daily reality since regulations haven't always prevented the release of toxic chemicals into the environment. This is why Greenpeace are urging companies to commit to end the dumping of chemicals "to stop tarnishing our rivers, lakes, lands, oceans and people".

Since the fashion industry has the power to influence trends, the industry should also enforce their power to play/enforce a positive role in protecting the planet. Since July 2011, Greenpeace has been securing commitments from international brands, retailers and suppliers to abolish hazardous chemicals. Obviously, this is just the start.

From fast fashion to textile waste, the global textile industry must become a ‘trend setter’ to take a stand on the environmental and human impact of fashion.

[https://www.greenpeace.org/international/act/detox/]

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