How can fashion brands be more eco-friendly?
Bryan Lee
April 10th, 2021
April 10th, 2021
By now, it is clear that the fashion industry poses harmful effects on the environment. Currently, a myriad of fashion brands are manufacturing billions of new clothing around the world every day, and the unpredictability of fashion trends force these brands to continue their rapid mass-production. However, as production increases, the usage of natural resources also increases, which ultimately causes more environmental issues.
With this in mind, many fashion brands have begun to reconsider their practices over the last few years. In recent years, Mara Hoffman, founder of clothing brand “Mara Hoffman” became a sustainable fashion brand after perceiving environmental problems surrounding the fashion industry. “The switch was prompted by discomfort. When I started to learn about the fashion industry’s harmful impact on the environment, I realized that I wasn’t willing to move the company forward in this way any longer,” Hoffman said . Now her brand is one of the leading voices of sustainability in fashion, and the brand continues to use sustainable materials for their clothings.
Essentially, the urgent change necessary in the fashion industry is fabric. Cotton and synthetic fibers are the most common fabrics used when making clothes, but many brands have begun to move towards natural materials in order to decrease the amount of microplastics and other synthetic materials in the environment. Although cotton itself is a natural material, cotton farming uses significant amounts of chemical pesticides and insecticides. These chemical pesticides can make cotton farming more efficient, but they contaminate soil, water, and other vegetation. In addition to killing insects, these pesticides can be toxic to other organisms including birds, fish, and even humans. Therefore, it is important for fashion industries to alter their fabric choice in order to protect organisms and vegetation.
Sustainability applies even after the clothes are manufactured; it now needs to be packaged and shipped to stores worldwide. While it might not be the greatest option, fashion industries can start to use recyclable packaging to ship their products. Most packaging today is made up of plastics, which are known to be the environment’s greatest enemy. Instead, industries can package their products with paper bags or other eco-friendly materials.The consumers can also help ignite this big change by keeping clothes as long as possible, and by purchasing used clothes from stores like thrift stores. Surely, there are increasing efforts to combat climate change and the exploitation of natural resources shown by many fashion industries today. However, it is important for these industries to continue the progress and their commitments made to protect the environment and the planet.
Sources:
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/can-fashion-be-sustainable
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/reducing-our-impact
With this in mind, many fashion brands have begun to reconsider their practices over the last few years. In recent years, Mara Hoffman, founder of clothing brand “Mara Hoffman” became a sustainable fashion brand after perceiving environmental problems surrounding the fashion industry. “The switch was prompted by discomfort. When I started to learn about the fashion industry’s harmful impact on the environment, I realized that I wasn’t willing to move the company forward in this way any longer,” Hoffman said . Now her brand is one of the leading voices of sustainability in fashion, and the brand continues to use sustainable materials for their clothings.
Essentially, the urgent change necessary in the fashion industry is fabric. Cotton and synthetic fibers are the most common fabrics used when making clothes, but many brands have begun to move towards natural materials in order to decrease the amount of microplastics and other synthetic materials in the environment. Although cotton itself is a natural material, cotton farming uses significant amounts of chemical pesticides and insecticides. These chemical pesticides can make cotton farming more efficient, but they contaminate soil, water, and other vegetation. In addition to killing insects, these pesticides can be toxic to other organisms including birds, fish, and even humans. Therefore, it is important for fashion industries to alter their fabric choice in order to protect organisms and vegetation.
Sustainability applies even after the clothes are manufactured; it now needs to be packaged and shipped to stores worldwide. While it might not be the greatest option, fashion industries can start to use recyclable packaging to ship their products. Most packaging today is made up of plastics, which are known to be the environment’s greatest enemy. Instead, industries can package their products with paper bags or other eco-friendly materials.The consumers can also help ignite this big change by keeping clothes as long as possible, and by purchasing used clothes from stores like thrift stores. Surely, there are increasing efforts to combat climate change and the exploitation of natural resources shown by many fashion industries today. However, it is important for these industries to continue the progress and their commitments made to protect the environment and the planet.
Sources:
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/can-fashion-be-sustainable
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/reducing-our-impact
