business models focused on incentivized take back and refund ... in the U.S. alone, accounting for 5.3 percent of the ..
FASHION “For me, buying is like voting”
photo: honest by
Bruno Pieters, Honest by
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WELCOME TO FASHION IN SUSTAINIA High quality, sexy design, coolness, and a desirable lifestyle have replaced the scratchy and wrinkled image of sustainable fashion. Stereotypes of tree-huggers in hemp suits are long gone. Welcome to fashion in Sustainia.
In Sustainia, the fashion industry has moved beyond “throwawayism” and developed new, fully functioning closed-loop business models focused on incentivized take back and refund systems; re-, up-, and down-cycling initiatives; and organized wardrobe stewardship through smartphone applications. Resource efficiency and conscious shopping are key values making light living in and owning stuff out of fashion. Behavior change in Sustainia relies on cross-cutting partnerships comprising government, civil society, industry and campaigns that target specific incentives to motivate change, including social pressure, financial incentives, or intrinsic motivation. Sustainia fashion is mainstream, and is not just the new black like some other fashion trend – it is here to stay.
With manufacturers and mills occupying 60-millionpeople166,167 and clocking in the $1.8-trillion, fashion is a truly global business168 .
Arguments for change Within the food chain of the fashion industry there were common challenges that led to the transition to Sustainia.
Pollution As manufacturing migrated to Asia, fashion’s footprint became a topic of conversation. The textile industry was found to be the second largest polluter, and one of the top ten energy users, in China – the major producer of the world’s textiles and garments169. By the end of 2010, global fiber consumption was more than 70.5 million tons170.
169 Nrdc, clean by design campaign The rupp report http://www.Textileworld.Com/articles/2010/may/the_ rupp_reportx_the_fiber_year_200910.Html 170 Http://safe.Puma.Com/us/ en/2011/05/puma-announces-resultsof-unprecedented-environmentalprofit-loss/ * please note consumer care is not factored into the corporate environmental p&l
166 July 16, 2012. China’s Cotton Prices Soar to 150-year High. www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt. aspx?id=20120716000022&cid=1202 167 2012. Textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear. ILO. www. ilo.org/global/industries-and-sectors/textiles-clothingleather-footwear/lang--en/index.htm 168 Datamonitor. Global Industry Overview. www.datamonitor.com
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Textiles and clothing was the first sector to be industrialized, in 1765171. Since that time it has been a cornerstone for many developing countries, often serving both as a springboard for national development and an Achilles’ heel for progressive environmental and sociocultural progress. With the sheer size of the industry, it is no wonder that textiles and clothing have been the center of attention for centuries.
Social and labor issues Since textile and apparel production is such a labor-intensive industry, it is inextricably linked to people. Apparel became highly commoditized, and the workforce was required to meet stringent and unfair requirements – sending textile and garment workers into a vicious cycle of unfair labor practices and, in some cases, indentured servitude.
Waste With all that consumption comes waste. Around 13.1 million tons of textiles were disposed of in 2010 in the U.S. alone, accounting for 5.3 percent of the total municipal solid waste going into landfills . In the U.K., 80,000 tons of material was incinerated and 350,000 tons sent to landfill in the same year.
The waste has cost the U.S. $641.9 million (at $49/ton tipping fee172) and the U.K. $18.49 million (at $78/ton for incineration and $35/ton for landfill – not including the landfill tax, which is around $111/ton!173) annually.
Tipping Fees Vary Across the U.S. https://home.wasterecyclingnews.com January 6, 2012. Waste Opportunity, Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/ intl/cms/s/2/8cfd120a-2673-11e1-91cd00144feabdc0.html#axzz25PfVwMBi 172
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171 January 2005. Labour Implications of the Textiles and Clothing Quota Phase-Out. Hildegunn Kyvik Nordas. Working Paper. 224. International Labour Office, Geneva.
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Los Angeles – Denver
Shanghai – Los Angeles Air Pollutant
(Kg. Nox) 17.0
Transport
Air Pollutant
(Kg. Nox)
A zipper from Japan, cotton from Brazil, production in China, and retail in the U.K. – fashion travels a long way even before it hits the stores. Before Sustainia, a garment had, on average, components from three countries174, and the industry moved fast to catch the latest trend.
EMISSION
(Kg. CO2)
5.4
7.0
1,550
575
418.8
EMISSION
(Kg. CO2) 950 96,618
UsA Calculations by NRDC 175 led to the following tips:
China
1. Avoid air transport – up to 99% of carbon emissions can be avoided simply by putting goods on a ship instead of a plane 2. Choose the type of ship wisely – only use fuel-efficient ships 3. Choose the optimal route to market and avoid empty trucks on the return trip
Xinjiang – Shanghai Air Pollutant
(Kg. Nox)
(The data from this graph is from NRDC) 174 Energy and Waste, Ethical Fashion Forum, Jan. 2010. www.source.ethicalfashionforum. com/article/energy-and-waste 175 NRDC, Clean by Design Campaign, May 2012. www.nrdc.org/international/cleanbydesign/transportation.asp
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EMISSION
(Kg. CO2)
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12.7
16,5
3,656
1,357
"There's a saying that gets repeated a lot in China:
Water Before Sustainia, the production of and care for clothing consumed a lot of water. Consumption depends on the type of raw material, but, according to the Sustainable Cotton Project, over 3,000 liters of water is used during the lifecycle of a single pair of Levi’s 501 jeans – from cotton production and manufacturing to consumer care.
45%
‘You know the color that's in fashion this season by the color of the rivers.'
... of water consumption occurs during clothes washing by the customer.
In my work in China, I've seen rivers of every color."
Puma’s environmental profit and loss measurements show that the majority of its water use – 52 percent – stems from raw material production, such as cotton farming and oil drilling, whereas 37 percent involves the processing of raw materials, such as leather tanneries and oil refining176.
© Qiu Bo / Greenpeace for Detox
Linda Greer Ph.D.Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
http://safe.puma.com/us/en/2011/05/puma-announcesresults-of-unprecedented-environmental-profit-loss/ * Note: consumer care is not factored into the Corporate Environmental P&L.
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before sustainia
At times, the fashion industry was a big mystery. No one knew who was doing business with whom. So who are the players and the A-listers you simply have to know about in fashion? In the chart below is an introduction to the fashion industry before Sustainia.
All these sectors below shared the same challenges, but they were never dealt with collectively.
Before, a garment had a large environmental impact throughout its life span. From land use when growing materials, to design, manufacturing, and sales, and, finally, the end of the line at the landfill, there were negative effects on the environment and, ultimately, everyone’s wallet, well-being, and future.
Raw Materials
Designer
Manufacturer
Retailer
Consumer
End of life
Highly labor- and resource-intensive farming and the use of pesticides cause severe strains on the environment, biodiversity, and, ultimately, the livelihoods of farmers177.
Designers produce several collections a year, adding trendspecific garments in between without consideration or responsibility for its impact.
One ton of fabric on average pollutes as much as 200 tons of water with toxic dyes, not to mention the social effects of laborintensive production methods178.
In the U.K., supermarkets have outperformed traditional fashion retailers, and have no specific focus on their responsibility for the products' end of life.
Garments are not labelled with information on the environmental impact. Thrift shops are dodgy and getting rid of old clothes is a hassle179.
Around 13.1 million tons of textiles were disposed of in the U.S. alone in 2010, accounting for 5.3 percent of the total municipal solid waste going into landfills180.
Nrdc, clean by design campaign Nrdc, clean by design campaign Nrdc, clean by design campaign 180 U.S. Epa, www.Epa.Gov/ osw/conserve/materials/textiles. Htm 177
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End of Life
FASHION IN SUSTAINIA Fashion is no longer a linear process but a closed-loop and holistic industry.
In a world where raw materials, energy, water, and land were becoming scarce resources and populations were growing by the second, Sustainia prevailed by implementing muchneeded changes in policy, business practices, and manufacturing techniques. Pre- and post-consumer waste has become too valuable to waste. Radical technology innovations are designed to do more with less and have changed the way fashion is produced and sold. Collaborative, open-source industry tools like the Higg Index181 , which was previously used as an internal environmental and social assessment tool for apparel and footwear products, has become the dominate consumer-facing index – and is the main sustainability indicator for a product. Consumers are now able to see, rank, and compare the environmental, social, and cultural scores of products of interest with their mobile device.
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Raw materials
How-To
cONSUMER
In Sustainia, consumers have dramatically shifted habits on how they wear and care for their clothes. Reuse and remanufacturing of clothing has developed in response to higher prices for old-world fibers such as cotton, while new materials are made of natural waste and by-products.
Design
Retail ManufacTuring
In Sustainia, labels
– “fair trade,” “organic,”
and others – are less relevant to consumers and more so to businesses to help them assess the environmental credentials of products.
In Sustainia, transparency and communication has paved the way for a new holistic wave of sustainable design. But how did it happen, and how can others join? Here’s the how-to guide for fashion in Sustainia.
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How-to
Use Raw Materials Analyses have shown that the largest environmental impacts occur where raw materials are derived from natural resources (e.g., cultivation of fibers, oil drilling for petroleum-based fibers, and cattle ranching for leather)182. So how to use raw materials? Use raw materials that reduce or ultimately eliminate environmental and social impact, including the growing of fiber from bio-cultures, removal of invasive plants from landscapes, and the use of their fiber for clothes. Avoid materials that are fossil fuel-based such as polyester, acrylic, and nylon183 and use polymer-based sustainable materials derived from plants. Recycle materials like polyester e.g. creating fleece jackets from recycled bottles184.
To know where you are going, understand where you are. The Higg Index is an open-source, metrics-based tool that analyzes elements of the entire product value chain from materials sourcing to garment manufacturing. It includes industry-wide acceptance of philosophies such as cradle-to-cradle, the standardized practice of environmental profit and loss, and governmental requirements.
www.coop.ch
182 May 16, 2011. Puma and PPR Home announce final results of unprecedented Environmental Profit & Loss Account. http://about.puma.com/puma-and-ppr-home-announcefirst-results-of-unprecedented-environmental-profit-lossaccount/ 183 Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008, www.rsc.org/images/ Synthetic%20fabrics_tcm18-114532.pdf 184 CIRFS, 2012. www.cirfs.org/SUSTAINABILITY/SustainabilityIssues/PolymerWasteasRawMaterial.aspx
FRom Coop and Remei AG. Naturaline textiles are grown in India and Tanzania with over 8,000 farmers involved. The companies focus on organic cotton production, ecological processing and fair working conditions along the entire supply chain. This is also a Sustainia100 solution which you can read more about in the Sustainia100 publication on www. sustainia.me.
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How-to
BE A Designer Dress made with silk, where the moth is allowed to hatch and fly out before the cocoon is used, organic cottons, natural dyes and fair wages
In Sustainia, fashion designers consider in the design process how different styles of clothes are combined, used, and disposed of, creating environmental value.
Key rules are: • Design for durability. This has become the design mantra and the most eco-efficient option. Garment lifecycles have been expanded due to new retail business models, allowing for styles and whole collections to be repeatedly leased, which also brings new margins to retailers.
BE A Manufacturer In Sustainia, manufacturers use the smartest materials possible at the outset because they know they will reuse this material later when garments are returned. In Sustainia, the entire value chain acknowledges that the most valuable resource in the industry is its people. The NICE Manual and Code of Conduct has been developed for the fashion and textile industry to move towards a more ethical and environmentally responsible industry185.
• Partnerships with consumers and crowdsourcing. • A flexible approach to design for different patterns of clothing use. Selecting durable materials for the black trousers and biodegradable ones for the oneoffs offer a more sustainable solution.
How to become a manufacturer in Sustainia? Engage in collaborative initiatives to improve the environmental performance of textiles across the supply chain – design for durability, new fibers and fabrics, maximize reuse/recycling/end-of-lifemanagement, and sustainable cleaning. For a basic cotton T-shirt, this means using organic materials, non- toxic dyes, alternative fabric softeners and no treatment that improve color fastness186. Efficiently recycle bio-based and synthetic materials – this means that excess process energy is recaptured and reused in a cyclical fashion. Show complete transparency and traceability in production methods and adhere to all international labor conditions and rights.
Atelier Tammam Photo: Mirozlav Zaruba
Designers take into account, in the creative process and decision-making, the full garment lifecycle. Designing for disassembly and reuse is another integrated paradigm in Sustainia fashion; everything that goes into making a garment is designed for reuse and remanufacture – minimizing consumption of scarce resources.
How-to
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Manufacturers explore sustainable options and offer these to their current clients, explaining the benefits to the client.
185 NICE, www.nicefashion.org 186 Søren Ellebæk Laursen; John Hansen; Hans Henrik Knudsen; Henrik Wenzel; Henrik Fred Larsen; Frans Møller Kristensen, EDIPTEX, Environmental Assesment of Textiles, 2007. www.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2007/978-87-7052-515-2/ pdf/978-87-7052-516-9.pdf
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How-to
BE A Retailer At the other end of the fashion value chain, retailers are constantly considering how to apply their core competencies to new markets. Sustainia retailers have thrown themselves into the game, turning parts of their spaces into huge thrift markets for clothes and other services such as on-the-spot tailoring, mending, cleaning, and 3D-body scanning187. Pre-loved, custom, and vintage clothing is growing in popularity, and retail spaces become community building spaces, where new youth cultures emerge. In Sustainia, the leading brands are those that understand how to engage with customers to build communities and create loyalty. Online voting determines which styles go into production – saving energy and eliminating waste. New business opportunities have emerged from smartphone technology whereby small producers in Africa, Asia and South America have found access to world markets for their creations. Big brands save resources by creating and sourcing styles that can easily be combined and adapted to changing consumer wants and needs, and provide options for how to recycle your pieces, when it is time.
From Marks and Spencer and Oxfam. Getting customers into the habit of recycling while shopping and gaining store credit. Shwopped clothes is given to Oxfam for reselling or recycling. Shwopping is also a Sustainia100 solution which you can read more about in the Sustainia100 publication on www.sustainia.me.
Marks & Spencer
Retail spaces are carbon positive, safe havens for fresh and clean air in larger cities, so you can breathe in when deciding between pairs of shoes.
187 Tesco Clothing, 2012, www.clothingattesco.com/f+f-virtual-fitting-room/page/ tesco-virtual-fittingroom
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How-to
TIPS FOR THE SHOPPER
be a Consumer
Eco-label measuring environmental impact
Fashion brands and retailers in Sustainia are obsessed with full value chain transparency. The companies involve consumers and other civil society actors in regular risk assessments of their business models and supply chains to continuously improve the understanding of the social and environmental context in which their products and services are used. Consumers avoid information overload by following the simple, accessible guidance provided by the Sustainia eco-label, a global standard inspired by the EU Energy Label that was successfully introduced in the previous millennium. The fashion eco-label took all the complexities in the existing labeling schemes, specifications, and small print and summarized it into A-G letter grades that enable consumers to shop quickly, with a conscience. The eco-label ensures consumers know the origin and social and environmental impact of their clothes.
A B C D E
In Sustainia, shopping has made way for swapping, borrowing, bartering, and renting. However, both online and experiential brick-and-mortar shops have been set up where buyers can purchase clothes and scan clothing QR codes to assess the supply chain impacts.
Swishing is a worldwide phenomenon, started by the Sustainability Communications Agency Futerra, where people mix having a great time with getting their wardrobe an upgrade. Their rules are simple: • Everyone has to bring at least one item of quality clothing • You will have half an hour to browse before the swish opens • No item may be claimed before the swish opens • As soon as the swish is declared open, everyone may take what they want • Remember no scratching, spitting or fighting
F G
New consumer-oriented services with built-in sustainability have been introduced: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-tagged clothes are collected from customers by eco-efficient community laundries, automatically separated to be cleaned with similar clothes, and then returned to their owners according to their preferences (folded, on hangers, or back in wardrobe).
1. Inspired by Honest by188, look for brands that promote transparency, offering an accessible, on-demand track-and-trace system along the supply chain. 2. Buy shoes designed to be repaired, reused, and, ultimately, disassembled. 3. Seek out durable, high-quality garments. This ensures that products are well-loved by the wearer and will fetch higher prices or higher bargaining chips if sold or traded on the market. 4. Buy products with a reduced need for washing and ironing – and don’t worry. It’s not gross.
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See more about Honest By in Sustainia100 Page 19
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5. Look for locally made products. Buying local supports nearby merchants and reduces negative environmental impacts. 6. Source additions to your wardrobe made using traditional artisanal skills, bought direct from trader in new producer markets in Africa, Asia and South America. 7. Go online to find the best and biggest selection of sustainable clothes. 8. Look for the trendy community laundries with zero-water washing machines.
How-to
Deal with End of Life Nothing is disposed of – hightech take-back systems and automated sorting machines collect vast amounts of textile waste close to the consumers. Disposal of textile waste is tightly regulated due to resource scarcity, and clothes have become a favorite fencing item. Region-wide refund systems operate, and consumers bring unwanted clothes for refund to grocery stores, alongside refundable bottles and cans.
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Waste is a widely traded and valued commodity in Sustainia. For years, post-consumer textile waste has surpassed e-waste as the most valued waste product. Waste management firms thrive.
"People don't (generally) want to cause harm or damage, but they have to be given the licence to do the positive things" ASOS
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Sustainians are crazy about the sharingand service-based economy – spurred by the rapid uptake of peer-to-peer software and mobile technology designed to reduce the pressures of ownership while satisfying the desire for a little retail therapy.
When new clothes are needed, online rental outlets enable Sustainians to rent the latest fashions – helping eliminate waste. The service-based sector also thrives in this new economy, marked by an increase in tailors, seamsters, and seamstresses who tuck, tighten, and embellish new and old creations to give them second, third, and fourth lives. Well-worn clothes end up in homebased recycling bins and are picked up by the municipalities of Sustainia. The fabric is turned into wash rags, insulation, padding, and even compost (the latter is especially popular because so much clothing is cradleto-cradle and safe to cycle back into the environment). Less clothing waste reduces the need for landfills, which saves cities money – a win-win for everyone involved.
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Dress like the first lady ASOS Africa collection is the flagship brand in the Green Room. Often worn by first lady Michelle Obama, it is made by SOKO, the Kenyan clothing workshop which creates employment opportunities for communities in Kenya. The eco-factory is based at the Sustainia100 solution Wildlife Works who provide innovative market based solutions to the conservation of biodiversity.
These pieces are traded using digital apps that virtually place the pieces online through a number of highly visible, networked websites that encourage the business of swapping, borrowing, and bartering. In short, consumers become their own retailers. And because better-made clothes fetch better prices and better swapping, the behavioral patterns of consumers and respective manufacturers have shifted towards quality and not quantity. But what is the Sustainian wearing? Here is a sneak peek into the holiest of places: the closet.
Asos africa, spring/summer 2013
WHAT ARE women WEARING?
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People Tree
leather bag Vegetable tanned avoiding toxic chemicals
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Pattern dress 100% organic cotton. Environmentally sustainable and Fairtrade fashion People Tree
Classy daywear Made out of recycled garments
Fromsomewhere, Photo: Will Whipple
black body Using only Fairtrade cotton
Red dress Using selective fabrics from ethical and reliable manufacturer
Asos Africa – Autum/Winter 2012
Aikyou, Photo: LEO KRUMBACHER
Jacket from a Swishing party where you left with as many pieces as you brought
black evening dress Made from leftover cloth
Ada Zanditon, photo: Fiona Garden
Elsien Gringhuis, Photo David Joosten
Überbag
Little black dress Organic and Fairtrade cotton
Fromsomewhere, Photo: Will Whipple
Colorful outfit Durable high-quality garments made from certified eco materials
Upcycled jEWLERY with Fairtrade gold and reused gem stones
East Fourth Street
woman
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What ARE Men wearing? Traditionally, men had been slower to embrace sustainable fashion. But celebrity endorsements from football heroes, fashion icons, and rock stars changed this dramatically. Sustainia men love repair and customizing and often bring garments to a tailor to replace frayed linings and secure loose buttons. They enjoy dropping off a few articles at the nearest in-store recycling bin, receiving a store credit redeemable at some of the largest clothing brand stores.
Honest bym, Bruno Pieters
Most of all, he loves his jeans because of the durability and the one-year period between washes.
Today, business, community and government supported campaigns such as the Japanese classic “Super Cool Biz” encourage whitecollar male workers to wear outfits appropriate for the office yet cool enough to endure the summer heat and air-cons set on 28°C to reduce electric consumption.
White organic cotton shirt with wooden buttons 216
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man Timberland
Summer Rayne Oakes
Shoes that produce electricity New technology by MIT Researchers
leather bag Vegetable tanned leather avoiding toxic chemicals
Marks and Spencer
Bio rubber Wetsuit Made out of material from the non-food crop Guayule instead of the oil fossil-based neoprene
Timberland
spring Shoes Designed to be disassembled and reused
Yulex and patagonia189, 190
Sustainable suit From the buttons to the lining, it is one of the greenest suits ever made
Überbag
Glasses Made from recycled plastic
Marks and Spencer
Winter Boots Boots made from recycled materials
Silk tie Made with peace silk, where the moth is allowed to hatch and fly out before the cocoon is used 189
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www.yulex.com/materials/biorubber/solids www.yulex.com/press/press-releases/ November 16, 2012
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The designer is king – and should also be responsible for environmental impacts
6 New business! Sustainable fashion paves the way for new businesses
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4 Work with others! Collaborative initiatives are aimed at low-impact care such as reducing wash cycle temperatures and line-drying
Expand garment lifecycles, allowing for styles and whole collections to be leased, swapped, borrowed, and resold for others to love
Redesign the process to reduce negative social and environmental impacts
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Absolute transparency and traceability is the expectation, not the exception
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Sustainia Fashion Principles
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