To be sustainable, fashion must be durable.
What is sustainable fashion? Thinking that sustainable fashion is just a matter of producing with a minimal carbon footprint is a fallacy. The future of eco-sustainable fashion will go through consuming less and better, the answer does not lie in the industry, it lies in raising awareness and changing consumer habits.
Fashion: the second most polluting sector in the world.
A few years ago the news came out, now widely accepted, that fashion is the second most polluting sector after hydrocarbons. The first reaction of the industry was to doubt the study and begin to question its methodology. Then some said that it was a “fake news”, but something remained in the mind of the consumer.
The second reaction of the industry was to set up internal sustainability plans that consisted of reviewing all its processes to make them green: the objective was to become eco-sustainable fashion companies. At the product level, making sustainable fashion was summed up in using recycled products or products produced with controlled processes and approved by the new market controllers. Were accused of “green washing” Those who did not go far enough or who presumed to be sustainable.
Studies were conducted to determine how much more a consumer would be willing to spend to purchase a sustainable fashion product versus one that was not.
A few years ago the news came out, now widely accepted, that fashion is the second most polluting sector after hydrocarbons. The first reaction of the industry was to doubt the study and begin to question its methodology. Then some said that it was a “fake news”, but something remained in the mind of the consumer.
The second reaction of the industry was to set up internal sustainability plans that consisted of reviewing all its processes to make them green: the objective was to become eco-sustainable fashion companies.
The answer was very disappointing: the consumer would only be willing to spend 15% more to buy a “green” product. This already shows the schizophrenia in which we live because although we want sustainable fashion, we do not want to pay more for it… For some, the opportunity is clear to be able to produce a product at the same cost, but selling it more expensive with the excuse of “sustainability”.
At the product level, making sustainable fashion was summed up in using recycled products or products produced with controlled processes and approved by the new market controllers. Were accused of “green washing” Those who did not go far enough or who presumed to be sustainable.
Studies were conducted to determine how much more a consumer would be willing to spend to purchase a sustainable fashion product versus one that was not. The answer was very disappointing: the consumer would only be willing to spend 15% more to buy a “green” product. This already shows the schizophrenia in which we live because although we want sustainable fashion, we do not want to pay more for it… For some, the opportunity is clear to be able to produce a product at the same cost, but selling it more expensive with the excuse of “sustainability”.
China and sustainable fashion deception.
Many of the producing countries of the Far East offer their clients eco-sustainable productions. In fact, there are those who say that the only ones who truly produce sustainable fashion are the Chinese. But isn’t China the most polluting country in the world? Its participation is 30% compared to 13% in the US or almost 9% in the EU.
What cynicism, trying to produce sustainable fashion in the country that pollutes the most on the planet. And, without taking into account the contamination of the transport of merchandise from the East to our markets, the continuous trips of the design teams, production control and purchasing managers! In short, as much as they fill out spreadsheets, control processes and ensure that materials are approved, production in Asia can hardly be sustainable.
The informed consumer asks again about the origin of the products. But instead of “made in China” they began to use the much more discreet “made in PRC” (People’s Republic of China) for those who had not yet gotten hold of the acronym. In other words, we are immersed in a round of attacks, justifications and actions so that we are at peace with our conscience.
The NO eco-sustainability of overproduction.
But let’s get back to the root of the problem. Where did the first news come from, the first analysis of the impact of fashion on the environment? The first complaint came when it was learned that a large fashion distribution group had destroyed the entire stock of garments that it had stored in an industrial warehouse, so as not to lose margin or image, underselling its stock. The news went viral, so aberrant that it began to investigate what happened to the surplus production and what was the global impact on the planet.
Could it be product surpluses that have the greatest impact of fashion on the environment…?
62 billion tons of clothing and accessories are produced each year, of which it is said that 30% will never be sold and therefore will be destroyed, generating a considerable amount of CO2. They say another 30% is sold at a discount so only 30% is sold at its original price (we’ll come back to the effects of margin loss later).
To be sustainable, shouldn’t fashion limit its production? For 20 years, we have been used to constantly changing clothes, choosing something we like, looking for the best price or buying it directly because it seems cheap to us. Our closets are full of products that we no longer wear. We have 4 times more garments than we did 20 years ago when production surpluses were sold for €1 per kilo in third world countries (these countries no longer buy them because they are saturated).
If 30% of the garments produced are sold at a discount, another 30% are not sold and the last third is the one that produces the necessary margin, the pressure to survive forces many to lower the quality of their products. to sell more units for the same or less value.
62 billion tons of clothing and accessories are produced each year, of which it is said that 30% will never be sold and therefore will be destroyed, generating a considerable amount of CO2. They say another 30% is sold at a discount so only 30% is sold at its original price (we’ll come back to the effects of margin loss later).
To be sustainable, shouldn’t fashion limit its production? For 20 years, we have been used to constantly changing clothes, choosing something we like, looking for the best price or buying it directly because it seems cheap to us.
The vicious circle is:
I produce more than the effective demand -> I lose money selling most products on sale or destroying them at the end of the season -> I produce cheaper products to contain losses and cover costs also on sale -> I sell more units to earn the same -> the customer buys more often a product that lasts less and less -> waste increases .
Our closets are full of products that we no longer wear. We have 4 times more garments than we did 20 years ago when production surpluses were sold for €1 per kilo in third world countries (these countries no longer buy them because they are saturated).
If 30% of the garments produced are sold at a discount, another 30% are not sold and the last third is the one that produces the necessary margin, the pressure to survive forces many to lower the quality of their products. to sell more units for the same or less value.
The vicious circle is:
I produce more than the effective demand -> I lose money selling most products on sale or destroying them at the end of the season -> I produce cheaper products to contain losses and cover costs also on sale -> I sell more units to earn the same -> the customer buys more often a product that lasts less and less -> waste increases .
Like true eco-sustainable fashion, it will allow us to rediscover the taste of tomatoes.
Consumers who knew the quality of a piqué polo shirt that lasted 20 years are discovering, astonished, that the products of their lifelong brand no longer have the same quality as before… Over time the brand has changed hands and/or or you have been a victim of market pressure with its countless discount promotions. Be that as it may, the brand has had to sacrifice the quality of its products in order to maintain its margins or simply to stay alive.
Is it true that we do not find tomatoes that have the taste of before? In the same way, we have a hard time finding clothes that have the quality of before.
For a time, the consumer, disappointed by his brand, follows the trend of the market and begins to buy cheap products, or products with a good quality/price ratio, thinking that deep down they are not so bad. Then he realizes that the garments do not fall the same, nor resist the same. It is when he realizes that brands are no longer synonymous with quality and he will have no other choice but to begin to understand the product, or he must trust some new brands that manage to give him the confidence that their products are not going to disappoint him. You will be looking for someone who can offer you a product with the taste of before (the same as when we say that tomatoes no longer taste the same as before, nor strawberries). A product made with natural fibers, close to home, with a quality guarantee to last a long time. The pleasure will be to reacquire a quality object, take care of it, fix it when it breaks and keep it for a long time.
For a time, the consumer, disappointed by his brand, follows the trend of the market and begins to buy cheap products, or products with a good quality/price ratio, thinking that deep down they are not so bad. Then he realizes that the garments do not fall the same, nor resist the same. It is when he realizes that brands are no longer synonymous with quality and he will have no other choice but to begin to understand the product, or he must trust some new brands that manage to give him the confidence that their products are not going to disappoint him.
You will be looking for someone who can offer you a product with the taste of before (the same as when we say that tomatoes no longer taste the same as before, nor strawberries). A product made with natural fibers, close to home, with a quality guarantee to last a long time.
The pleasure will be to reacquire a quality object, take care of it, fix it when it breaks and keep it for a long time.
This pleasure is far superior to the much more ephemeral one of buying a cheap product for a good price and that lasts a season. Because the male consumer is loyal to his brands and likes to keep his favorite clothes for a long time.
The modern consumer may think of parting with these favorite garments, to put them back into circulation, when they no longer want to wear them, so that someone else can give them a second life.
This pleasure is far superior to the much more ephemeral one of buying a cheap product for a good price and that lasts a season. Because the male consumer is loyal to his brands and likes to keep his favorite clothes for a long time. The modern consumer may think of parting with these favorite garments, to put them back into circulation, when they no longer want to wear them, so that someone else can give them a second life.
For this reason, the true eco-sustainability of fashion is not in the hands of the big producers! Sustainable fashion consists of buying fewer products of higher quality and extending their useful life to the maximum. And likewise, by changing our buying habits, we will also change production habits, forcing the fashion industry to be more sustainable.
For this reason, the true eco-sustainability of fashion is not in the hands of the big producers! Sustainable fashion consists of buying fewer products of higher quality and extending their useful life to the maximum. And likewise, by changing our buying habits, we will also change production habits, forcing the fashion industry to be more sustainable.
But, really.
But, really.
