{"id":15731,"date":"2013-06-28T06:20:48","date_gmt":"2013-06-28T12:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=15731"},"modified":"2013-06-28T06:20:48","modified_gmt":"2013-06-28T12:20:48","slug":"fast-fashion-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/fast-fashion-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Mixing Fast Fashion and Sustainability Can Educate Shoppers, Create \u2018Closed-Loop\u2019 Garments for the Masses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fast<\/a><\/p>\n

Environmentally-conscious fashionistas, designers and activists should take note of the influence they\u2019re having on big brands and the fashion industry as a whole. Their unified voices have pressured at least thirteen global retailers to \u2018detox\u2019 their garment supply chains<\/a> and forced companies buying clothing produced in Bangladeshi factories to sign Clean Clothes\u2019 Accord on Fire and Building Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mainstream markets can\u2019t continue to do business as usual and ignore customers\u2019 demands for sustainable clothing. They risk irreversible damage to their reputations and loss of profits. And at the end of the day all businesses, sustainable or not, must make a profit to be successful.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re seeing more attempts to educate customers about the lifecycle of their garments and how they can give back to the environment through their purchases than ever before. H&M launched “Don’t Let Fashion Go to Waste”, a clothing recycling program<\/a>, in December to encourage its customers to return any old, worn disregarded fashions to their stores. Shoppers then get a voucher to receive a percentage off of their next purchase. Puma began its version of a similar program, “Bring Me Back”<\/a>, to inspire its customers to recycle their used clothing and shoes. The company then uses the donated materials to create InCycle, the first closed-loop biodegradable and\/or recyclable collection. \u2018Closed loop\u2019 means the waste from recycled items are used to make new clothing, which in turns reduces the consumption of oil, water and other natural resources. While these efforts are a step towards a more eco-friendly fashion standard, there still remain some limitations to this new way of shopping.<\/p>\n

Obstacles to Overcome to Make Sustainable Fashions Available to Everyone<\/h3>\n

H&M\u2019s Cecilia Brannsten, project manager of the company\u2019s sustainability team, shared in an interview<\/a> how she believes the industry can improve going forward. She thinks customers\u2019 acceptance of recycled textiles created into new garments are \u2018small\u2019 and more technological advances in the fiber recycling field could be the missing link needed to lessen the now 21 billion pounds of post-consumer waste collected in landfills each year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When members of the British Fashion Council, Estethica<\/a>, met at London\u2019s Fashion Week earlier this year they listed the following as their wish list to achieve large scale sustainability: \u2018traceability, more government intervention, brand consistency looking down the supply chain, more senior management awareness about sustainability and sustainability better defined so it’s not seen as an exclusive or guilt purchase\u2019, among other obstacles to overcome.<\/p>\n

With that being said, \u201cslow fashion\u201d is undeniably making an impact on the fashion world, but it\u2019s not enough to only open a store with ethically-made garments<\/a>. Shoppers need to continue to donate and\/or recycle used clothing and become more educated about the lifecycles of their purchases until closed-loop fashions are available for everyone. Sustainable apparel is affordable, stylish and may soon be available in stores around the world.<\/p>\n

\"clothing<\/a>
A clothing swap, one approach to slow fashion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do you think are some of the other limitations to making sustainable fashions a mainstream staple in every department store, boutique and online shop? Let me note in the comment section; I\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Image credits: <\/strong>thinkretail<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a>; The SWAP Team<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mainstream markets can\u2019t continue to do business as usual and ignore customers\u2019 demands for sustainable clothing. They risk irreversible damage to their reputations and loss of profits. And at the end of the day all businesses, sustainable or not, must make a profit to be successful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":15732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,13],"tags":[6504,587,6505,6506,3095,5765],"yoast_head":"\nFast Fashion: a Tool for Sustainability Education?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fast fashion usually isn't particularly sustainable, but companies like H&M are realizing the demand for ethical apparel among their customer base.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/fast-fashion-sustainability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fast Fashion: a Tool for 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