Ecology and Sustainable Fashion: Green Design Strategies

Introduction

Ecology can be defined simply as the study of how people interact with their environment. It has been very important to human societies, and many have considered it a central part of their lives in order to secure their future and provide a better quality of life. However, a number of people still do not care about ecology and the environment, and these individuals end up degrading the world day after day. In order to change this attitude, it is important to develop a research question that captures the importance of ecology and how it shapes art, especially fashion.

The research question developed here is: how does the use of ecology in fashion help to preserve the environment in today's society? Preservation of the environment will be measured through the carbon footprint of ecological designs. This question is developed from the thesis that fashion designers and other stakeholders in the fashion industry have come to understand the importance of conserving natural resources and avoiding environmental pollution — a shift that may be fueled by many companies and organizations going green, but which also has other drivers for adoption.

Sustainable Consumption and Production

In this day and age, many people care more about aesthetics than naturalism. They do not consider the environmental cost of their choices, provided that what they own looks good. What they overlook is that there are materials that are easier to obtain, cheaper, and better for the environment. Fashion designers who have adopted these alternatives are said to enjoy the benefits of sustainable consumption and production. A fundamental advantage for these designers is that they have been able to carve out their own niche in a highly competitive fashion world.

Three approaches can be taken in sustainable consumption. The first is "consuming differently," which simply means using environmentally sound and resource-efficient products in production. The second is "responsible consumption," meaning that a fair and measured quantity of products is consumed. The last is "reduced consumption" or "consuming less," which refers to the deliberate reduction of consumption of certain products. Over the years, the fashion industry has attempted to adopt these three approaches in different ways. However, the trend indicates that "consuming less" has lost importance over time and currently receives only marginal consideration.

The main priorities of sustainable consumption are to achieve relative improvements in ecological and social impacts compared to the status quo. This means making efforts to improve energy efficiency in production and to substitute harmful substances with more eco-friendly ones. A further priority, in a stricter sense, is to reach beyond the immediate demands of consumption and identify the consumption level that best balances environmental needs with those of present and future generations. One possible reference point for this is the amount of carbon emissions per capita per year resulting from a chosen consumption level.

Green Fashion and Carbon Emissions

In order to achieve green fashion, an organization first needs to identify the ecological hot spots in its production chain. These will be the first areas where measures are implemented. Since the early 1990s, organizations have identified the central points of ecological problems in the global textile industry. These include:

Natural fiber production, where pesticides are used extensively and water consumption is extremely high; synthetic fiber production, which relies on non-renewable resources; textile finishing, where various chemicals are used, leading to high water consumption and large volumes of wastewater; use phase of the raw materials, where energy consumption is high and many products have short lifespans; and the waste phase, where rates of recovery and recycling are low and large amounts of discarded materials accumulate.

Steinberger et al. (2009) identified the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from various aspects of fashion production. They found that emissions from cotton production in India and its consumption in Germany account for approximately 29% of the total, while polyester production in China and its consumption in Germany accounts for about 72%. Additionally, carbon dioxide emissions from the retail and use phase of the two fibers are reversed: when a cotton shirt is produced in India for consumption in Germany, emissions from that phase stand at 71%, while for polyester produced in China and consumed in Germany, the figure is 27%.

The same authors found that other factors — such as washing temperatures, use of tumble dryers, and use of energy-efficient washing machines — led to varying carbon dioxide emission levels ranging from 71% to 62.8%. They therefore proposed air-drying and cool washing to ensure more efficient appliance usage. However, for certain products such as the polyester jacket, the production phase accounts for the majority of carbon emissions and should be the primary target of control measures.

Working conditions are also a major social problem in the fashion and textile industry, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the sector is characterized by low wages, long working hours, precarious and temporary employment, and sexual discrimination. Furthermore, workers in these countries face exposure to health risks and hazards as a result of insufficient occupational health and safety policies and inadequate environmental protection measures.

In order to achieve green fashion that is genuinely environmentally friendly, the consumption of resources and carbon dioxide emissions should be reduced considerably — by as much as 80% depending on the area of consumption — in order to meet ecological objectives. Other problems, such as wastewater load, the range and quantity of pesticides and chemicals used, water and energy consumption, and working conditions, must also be addressed.

Conclusion

The case for textile and clothing manufacturers to shift towards sustainability is supported by many advantages. However, it is necessary that the strategies adopted extend all the way down to the most basic raw materials a manufacturer uses. Cotton and polyester are the most predominant textiles in use, and the former is a highly water- and pesticide-intensive crop. The adoption of organic cotton also demonstrates that its market share remains meager, despite clothing companies promoting measurable improvements in key ecological and social aspects of production.

Other strategies have also been adopted as companies try to align themselves with the rise of eco-couture. These include ecological improvements to textiles and clothing and testing for harmful substances. Though each approach carries its own advantages and disadvantages, their overall adoption remains minimal, which makes it difficult to reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry as a whole. Meaningful progress will require greater transparency, more comprehensive supply chain engagement, and a stronger commitment from both producers and consumers to prioritize sustainability.

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