Sustainable Fashion
Presentation By: Maria Broerman
What is the issue? • My presentation will discuss the economic issue of the fashion industry “going green.” • Things to consider are the costs of changing production of garments to being more eco-friendly, as well as the market demand for such products.
How is sustainable fashion different? Sustainable fashion is about lowering the amount of negative environmental impact that goes into creating clothing and accessories.
Examples • Wool or cotton from a factory or farm that does not use chemicals or unnatural fertilizers, in other words, produced organically. • Purchasing silks only from fair-trade factories or companies. • Incorporating recycled materials. • Reducing the toxic waste produced from textile mills or other factories used in the production of clothing. • Using solar or wind powered machines and factories. • Outsourcing to areas that uphold labor laws and reducing sweatshops.
The Costs
• The economy is still difficult for the fashion industry and designers are looking to cut costs (Cathy). • The conversion of factories to produce less pollution is expensive. • F unding solar or wind powered factories and organic farms is costly. • The land used for cotton and other sustainable products is taking away from the amount of other goods that can be produced (Shepard). • E s t a b l i s h e d f o r e s t s a r e b e i n g destroyed to increase the land available to produce goods (Glausiusz).
Is there a demand in the market? • “There is also a growing sense of unease about the environmental implications of disposable fashion. Buying clothes that you wear a couple of times jars with our growing concern for the environment” (Shepard). • Consumers are looking for value, and are using sources such as the internet to research products and prices. Educating themselves on the product increases awareness of environmental factors and a desire to “be green”. ("The retailers’”). • People support the ideas of “reduce, reuse, recycle” in that they would be more willing to sell back old goods that can be “recycled” and resold in order to purchase new goods (Palmer).
"The fashion business is crazily competitive. All of a sudden it's going to occur to these greedy people that they can make a lot of money if they conserve.� -Isaac Mizrahi, a famous fashion designer (Glausiusz).
The reasons people oppose it: • To save money, designers are resorting to outsourcing previously American or European factories to Asia, which does not always have the best standard of working conditions (Cathy). • Customers are becoming too thrifty or sale-savvy that retailers are unsure if the cost of keeping sustainable clothing in stock is going to pay off (“The retailers’”). •
People stereotype “green” clothing “as shapeless hemp tunics” rather than wearable or marketable designs (Sheperd).
Incentives for sustainability? • “Recently, Harold Tillman, chairman of the British Fashion Council, called on the government to introduce tax breaks for people working sustainably” (Shepard). • Money can be saved in other productions areas. “Big opportunities await fashion designers who recognize that protecting the environment makes economic sense. Salmon skin, for example, is normally discarded as a waste product, yet it is a valuable and resilient material that can be turned into shoes, belts and bikinis. It requires less-toxic chemicals for tanning than mammal hides because fish scales are easier to remove than hair (Glausiusz).
Incentives Cont. • ”`Adverse economic conditions are likely to have only muted effects on the ethical clothing sector,’ it states. This is certainly the case with the leading eco-retailer People Tree, which has notched up a 20 per cent increase in sales over the past year” (Shepard). • With the strong demand for internet based shopping and networking, less pollution is created by traveling to in-store only shops, and the retailers expands their markets (“The retailers’”).
Conclusion: •
"Buying habits have pretty seriously changed from the crazy consumption of the previous decade," Mr. Coe said. "It's not necessarily about cheap -- it's about real value. The days of frivolous spending or buying stuff that's disposable have gone away," he said (Stephanie).
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“While some retailers will stay ahead of the game, employing sustainability managers and conducting energy footprint tests, others will wait until they are forced to change (Shepard).
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In the end, while there are fiscal and opportunity costs to the sustainable fashion industry, the environmental and market values outweigh them and organic/fair-trade/ recycled goods are the way to go.
Works Cited •
Cathy Horyn. "As High Fashion Falls to Earth, It Faces a Redefining Moment : [Metropolitan Desk]. " New York Times 11 Sep. 2009, Late Edition (East Coast): ProQuest National Newspapers Premier, ProQuest. Web. 11 Jul. 2010.
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Glausiusz, Josie. "Sustainable fashion." Nature 459.7249 (2009): 915. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 11 July 2010.
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Palmer, Kimberly. "Talking to Gen Y About the New Culture of Thrift." U.S. News & World Report 147.3 (2010): 29-32. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 July 2010.
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"The retailers' dilemma." Economist 395.8684 (2010): 63-64. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 July 2010.
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Shepard, Anna. "Every girl's new must-buy? Eco-logical fashion." New Statesman [1996] 31 May 2010: 36. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 11 July 2010
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Stephanie Clifford. "A Bet on Last Century's Styles To Open This Century's Wallets : [Business/Financial Desk]. " New York Times 12 Jun 2010, Late Edition (East Coast): ProQuest National Newspapers Premier, ProQuest. Web. 12 Jul. 2010.
Pictures, in order of appearance: •
http://clare1988.wordpress.com/
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http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/Alkoaik/Arabic/PublishingImages/recycle.jpg
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http://www.ecochiccollection.co.uk/magazine/ethical-business/ecochic-partnership-questionaire
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http://www.squidoo.com/eco-chic
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http://www.deathbyramen.com/2009/06/15/organic-fashion-photography-by-jake-walters/
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http://bluetramontana.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
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http://maephacefashion.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
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http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Fashion-Spotlight/Fashion-News-Los-Angeles2
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http://blog.ecomodish.com/category/Fashion.aspx?page=2
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http://greengrownandsexy.com/tag/organic-cotton/
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http://greengrownandsexy.com/category/stuff/organic/