Now that New York Fashion Week is over, the city will look ahead to NYC Climate Week. And while the former event is full of glamor and glitz, the latter – taking place September 19-25 – will call on government officials, industry leaders, CEOs and international decision-makers to address and rethink actions that should be undertaken in relation to the climate initiatives.
In a DHL webinar earlier this year titled “Delivering Circular, Pathways to Fashion,” DHL’s Mirella Muller, president of global retail and fashion, detailed the role the fashion industry has played in the crisis climatic.
“So 6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from fashion and consumer electronics,” Muller said. “And to be honest, this whole fashion percentage (4 percent) is a very conservative estimate. If you compare it to 3 percent of aviation, that’s a big number. If we continue like this, fashion and consumer electronics will be at 20 percent by 2030. There is a clear call to action to take here.”
Climate Week comes after the western US saw unprecedented September temperatures that soared above 110 degrees and threatened California’s power grid. Flash floods have inundated state after state across America. However, nearly half of the lower 48 states (46 percent) are experiencing drought as of this writing. Additionally, hurricane season has just begun. And experts warn that warmer ocean temperatures and higher sea levels due to climate change will intensify the strength and impact of any hurricane.
Muller went on to say that the main emissions from the fashion industry come from manufacturing.
“This shows how important it is to start talking about longer life and the second life of fashion products,” said Muller. “We can probably save 55 percent to 75 percent of those emissions. Second life patterns include the five R’s: reduce overproduction; repair of damaged products; resell products that are still of value to another owner; refurbishing products with signs of use for resale; and recycle products.”
One barrier to the “circularity” movement lies at the consumer level: Most consumers (68 percent) have never heard of circular fashion, identified as clothing that can be reused or recycled into new clothing, according to Cotton Incorporated. Lifestyle monitor™Survey. In fact, 11 percent of shoppers believe cyclical fashion means “styles that go in and out of style.” Only 9 percent consider it multi-use/recycle/reuse fashion.
On the other hand, 75 percent of consumers say that They are interested in clothing recycling as a sustainable initiative for the fashion industry, according to Monitor™ data. Further, 34 percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more for clothing that is produced through clothing recycling. And about a third (34 percent) say they are interested in programs that recycle old clothes into new clothing or recycle old clothes into new products other than clothing (32 percent).
According to Muller’s opinion on “fashion for longer life”, brands can consider that the majority of consumers (59 percent) say that cotton clothes last longer, especially when compared to clothes made from basic fibers petroleum such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, according to Monitor™ research. They also feel cotton clothes are better quality (71 percent) and more durable (78 percent).
According to him Monitor™ research.
Shailja Dubé, a head of the Positive Fashion Institute from the British Fashion Council, discussed during the DHL webinar a Council report that has 10 priority areas for action and 30 recommendations for the fashion industry to meet sustainability targets.
“This is really a discussion about changing policies and legislation,” Dubé said. “It’s about innovation, investment and making sure we have demand for recycled and renewable fibres. The financial case for circulation is really high and very clear. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that the potential for this industry by 2030 could reach US$700 billion, representing about 23 percent of the global fashion market. So these are not insignificant numbers.”
Brands that make cotton a part of their collections can feel good about their contribution to the circular. Virgin cotton is already natural, sustainable and biodegradable and can be reused and recycled in various ways, eventually decomposing when returned to the soil.
A useful side point: The cotton ginning process creates 2.5 million tons of biomass each year, which can be used to produce energy, or fuel. And cotton takes carbon out of the atmosphere through the natural process of photosynthesis, during which carbon dioxide is absorbed and the carbon is then stored in the plant. When crop residues are left in the soil and returned to the soil, the carbon stored in the plant residues can increase the carbon in the soil, acting as a carbon sink – which is vital to the ecosystem.
Cotton fabric can also be recycled as pre- or post-consumer waste. Recycled cotton can find new life in products such as insulation, cleaning heads, rags and padding. And this process contributes to an annual diversion of 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste from landfills.
Dubé noted that consumers must also be part of the climate solution. There’s no point, she said, in making a completely circular product if the user doesn’t know how to care for it, extend its life through care and repair, or how to handle it correctly at the end of life. She advises brands to empower consumers by ensuring their businesses are transparent.
“We have an obligation to do business better, to solve inequality and to truly deliver a fit world in the future where everything is done right,” said Dubé. “Circularity is something that will absolutely be part of that future correction when it comes to business and we can address the challenges of climate change.”
The Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey is an ongoing research program that measures consumer attitudes and behaviors regarding clothing, shopping, fashion, sustainability and more.
For more information about the Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey, please visit https://lifestylemonitor.cottoninc.com/.
