JUNE 2017
Be innovative in 10 minutes
Sustainable fashion market
TCBL is a project co-funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union Grant Agreement Number 646133
Fashion is one of the most relevant industries in supporting global economy expansion. According to the Boston Consulting Group, the overall apparel consumption is projected to rise by 63% by 2030, from 62 million tons in 2017 to 102 million tons, equal to 500 billion t-shirts. However, this surge entails an aggravation of environmental and social costs that is ascribed to serious issues emerging along the entire value chain, such as: Violation of human rights and labor standards. In order to keep cost low, many fashionable clothes are manufactured in bad working conditions by poorly paid people, including children, in developing countries. Overconsumption of natural resources. High water depletion, coupled with growth of natural materials on land that could be used for food production, leads to textile industry unsustainability in a time of climate change and global population growth. Discharge of hazardous chemicals. Large amounts of pollutants are released from textile dyeing, or from the production of both natural materials (e.g., cotton, which requires heavy pesticide use) and synthetic polyester fabric yielding a lot of byproducts (e.g., volatile organic compounds, hydrogen chloride and toxic solvents). Greenhouse gas emissions. Gases responsible for trapping heat in the atmosphere are copiously generated during processing and manufacturing phases, not to mention usage and disposal of clothes, causing harmful effects on health and the environment. Rampant consumerism and waste production. The continuous launch of new clothing lines, especially low-priced ones, encourages people to impulsively purchase clothes they do not need, thus creating a lot of waste with most going to landfill due to the persistent 'produce, use, throw away' model. Use of real animal fur. This ingrained practice implies the raise or hunt, and the killing of animals that humans do not eat - such as mink and fox - for the sole purposes of obtaining their fur. Ultra-thin catwalk models’ body. This excessive media exposure contributes to warped body image, which may lead both thin and plus-size people - primarily teenagers - to eating disorders and psychological distress.
Taking stock of such negative externalities, the sustainable apparel industry tries to identify sustainable ways to work across a product’s whole lifecycle.