Fashion and sustainability. Everything you need to know about the new way of conceiving the clothing industry, from socio-environmental impact to certifications.
The protection of the planet and of people has been a topic of discussion for many years now, but today more than ever it is essential to apply these concepts to fashion as well — the second most polluting industry in the world. Transforming it into a more sustainable sector that encompasses both the principles of eco-sustainable fashion and those of ethical fashion.
Sustainable fashion, eco-sustainable fashion and ethical fashion. These three definitions are often used inappropriately due to the very similar criteria present within the supply chain; however, a distinction does exist. Sustainable fashion aims to establish a harmonious relationship with both the environment and people: in the former case it draws on eco-sustainable fashion, and in the latter on ethical fashion. But what are the practices of each, as encompassed within the concept of sustainable fashion?
To reduce the environmental impact of the traditional fashion industry, the commitment of certain environmental organisations is proving very useful. For example, Greenpeace's fight against harmful practices in the textile and clothing sector began in 2011 with the "Dirty Laundry" initiative, when the presence of certain toxic substances particularly harmful to the environment and people was discovered in the wastewater from factories in China. The groups of substances under scrutiny, still used today by many facilities, numbered exactly eleven: alkylphenols, phthalates, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, azo dyes, organotin compounds, perfluorinated compounds, chlorobenzenes, chlorinated solvents, chlorophenols, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium VI.
These are non-biodegradable substances that, as a result, accumulate in wastewater when garments are washed, causing considerable environmental damage. And as Anne Bonhoff, Global Head of Chemistry at UL (a company specialising in environmental and workplace safety), explained during an awareness summit aimed at the fashion sector, "the problem is not confined exclusively to the supply chain, but also affects the consumer, who unknowingly continues to pollute the environment."
Another risk factor resulting from the use of these substances is bioaccumulation — the process by which they build up on the skin, causing the onset of serious conditions. There is, in fact, European-level legislation that strictly limits their use, since some of these substances are potentially carcinogenic or, in any case, act on the hormonal system by altering it genetically. They thereby interfere with the normal sexual development of organisms that have come into direct contact with them.
Detox and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) are two programmes that, acting as guides for companies, set as their ultimate objective the total elimination of these substances from production by 2020. In particular, ZDHC has created an online register collecting all the results of wastewater analyses from various facilities and comparing them against reference data, so as to educate the entire textile supply chain — from suppliers to manufacturers — towards greater transparency.
Thanks to the contribution of Greenpeace with its Detox campaign, today many brands and production facilities have decided to embrace this revolutionary vision: Benetton, Zara, H&M, Nike, Puma, Mango, Levi's, Adidas, Valentino and the Prato textile district are just some of the international players in the clothing industry that are embarking on a corporate path towards sustainability.
In Italy there are also many smaller realities that, in their own way, seek to act responsibly by raising consumer awareness of the importance of purchasing non-harmful clothing. These are small and medium-sized eco-sustainable clothing companies that invest in research into new high-performance natural fabrics, reduce CO2 emissions and water use during the production process, make use of clean energy and directly verify the good conduct of their suppliers — ensuring the total quality and reliability of their products.
When we talk about sustainable and ethical fashion, we cannot overlook the issues linked to the poor working conditions to which employees in production factories in certain parts of the world are subjected. Sustainability, in this sense, became an important issue in the early 1990s when the exploitation of workers by certain major fashion brands was discovered for the first time. To cite a few examples: in 1992, Levi's was accused of failing to pay its employees adequately; in 1996, it was Nike's turn — which, despite its campaign against child labour, was itself using children to make some of its products; and in 1998, Adidas also came under fire, accused of subjecting political prisoners in China to forced labour in exchange for a meagre sum of money. These are only a few of the incidents — the list is still long if one considers the scandals that followed the rise of the fast fashion phenomenon, that is, the kind of fashion in which production takes place as quickly and cheaply as possible in order to ride the wave of the trends of the moment.
To guarantee a more responsible fashion, here too a degree of transparency on the part of companies is required — something readily achievable through inspections carried out by the brands themselves with the aim of verifying working conditions in their production centres. And, furthermore, by providing consumers with all the information concerning the finished product through online communications and appropriate labelling.
The particular attention paid to the working conditions of workers in the production facilities of major brands is only one of the ethical aspects of this new fashion. Equally important are collaborations with humanitarian projects that aim to encourage the economic development of certain communities located in underdeveloped parts of the world.
In this regard, a fitting example is that of the new sustainable fashion brand Iluut, which supplies leftover production fabric to Moroccan women from the organisation Carpet of life, giving them the opportunity to make Berber rugs sold at fair prices.
To confirm the origin and nature of the materials used in sustainable clothing, there are also certifications issued by local or international bodies that guarantee consumers the purchase of products made in full compliance with environmental and social sustainability standards.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (Gots) is the world leader in defining the environmental and social criteria that must guide the production and processing of organic fibres, from harvesting to the labelling of the finished product. Developed by a number of organisations working in organic agriculture, Gots monitors every single link in the textile supply chain with the aim of verifying the complete absence of chemical substances that do not meet basic requirements on toxicity and biodegradability.
Promoted by the association Textile Exchange, which works to identify and share worthy realities within the textile and clothing industry, the Organic Content Standard (Ocs) certificate is a guarantee for consumers who wish to purchase garments made from raw materials of organic origin. It is a validation of the content declared by fashion manufacturing companies regarding the origin of natural fibres from organic farming and their traceability throughout the entire production process.
Global Recycle Standard (Grs) is a certification that applies not only to products but also to manufacturing companies that use recycled materials in their creations. The certificate, developed by Textile Exchange and managed in Italy by Icea (Istituto per la certificazione etica e ambientale), has the task of demonstrating that materials declared as one hundred per cent recycled have actually been obtained from waste processed through ecological processes.
Specific to the forestry sector and to forest-derived products, both wood-based and non-wood-based, the certificate issued by the Forest Stewardship Council (Fsc) attests that the raw material used in the garment comes from forests managed in a responsible manner in full respect of workers, inhabitants and the territory.
Many are now convinced that the entire world of fashion must undergo a process of change aimed at protecting people and the environment. This is also demonstrated by Carlo Capasa (president of the Camera nazionale della moda) who, during an interview given ahead of the "Crafting the Future of Fashion" event, held in Milan on 21 June 2016, stated: "We are talking about the future of fashion, that is, what we envision for the next generations, the new brands and emerging designers, and about sustainability as an integral part of the future."