This week, we want you to put your ‘Consumer’ hat on and ask yourself – is it time to take fast fashion a little slower?

Does my impact look big in this?

Sustainability in the fashion industry is a hot topic. And consumers can influence it – for better or worse.

Bec Clements

Business Management

Ethics and social conscience

4 minute read

I could explain fast fashion by going deep into economics, the industrial revolution, war, and globalisation. But at the end of the day it all comes down to one thing: the consumer. Money rules everything. It’s a fact we will never escape and customers are the only ones who can change it by the power of their purses.

This means you and me. After all, we’re only producers during our day jobs. In the off hours, we’re consumers. Unless you get Asos deliveries direct to your office. Then you’re always a consumer.
In short
  • Because consumerism is fueled by what’s cheap and convenient, we all have to question its impact.
  • Stats show fashion is the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to environmental and labour concerns.
  • There are many ways we can use our consumer buying power to push for improvements in the industry.
Let’s bring it home with some stats:
  • 93% of brands don’t pay textile workers a living wage.1
  • The clothing industry has a greater impact on climate change than airlines and shipping companies combined.2
  • Clothing production is the third biggest industry after automotive and technology.2
  • The water used to grow cotton in India could cover 85% of the country’s daily water needs for a year.3
  • Up to 85% of textiles in Australia go into landfill each year.4
How to be the change you want to see
Here are some simple steps to take responsibility of your fashion choices:
  1. Buy less. It’s as simple as that.
  2. Buy from sustainable brands. Find those gems that are doing the right thing. Reward their good work by buying from them.
  3. Buy better quality. Buying better often means paying more, but these garments last longer so you won’t need to buy as much. Plus, workers are more likely to earn a decent wage.
  4. Rent, swap, and buy second-hand. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s on offer at the op-shop. It’s not all flowery dresses and brown suits. Also, if you’re going to a fancy do, borrow or rent the outfit if you know you’re only going to use it once.
  5. Think twice before throwing away. No one is going to judge you for wearing the same outfit twice in a week at the office. Sorry, but they’re not that interested in your sartorial efforts.

“Money rules everything. It’s a fact we will never escape and customers are the only ones who can change it by the power of their purses.”

Demand creates supply
As all of us in the biz know, companies are here to solve customer problems. If, collectively, customers demonstrate their problem is fast fashion, business will work harder to address it. In other words, whatever consumers demand, businesses will supply.

Change can be slow and costly. It took thirty years for fashion to mutate from bespoke to trash; think how long it will take to reverse this. But we’ve already seen it can happen – think of collective action pushing for political, environmental, and racial causes. If we consciously make better choices, we’ll force businesses to change.

Even if you just try those five simple steps, it all helps. Remember: you, the consumer, have the power. The power to put your money where you value it most.

on ‘derelicte’
A polo made of 12 plastic bottles. High fashion? Ever since Ralph Lauren appointed their first Chief Supply Chain & Sustainability Officer, absolutely. The ‘Earth Polo’ is one of the luxury brand’s many environmental initiatives. Good on them for cutting water usage, upcycling and reducing waste. Let’s hope it sets a trend!
When sustainability falls flat
H&M seems to have as many sustainable initiatives as trees in a forest, but they’re failing to land with consumers. Flying in the face of their many campaigns, survey results place H&M outside the top 100 list of concious brands.

These campaigns aren’t just lacking cut-through; they outright anger customers. H&M has faced accusations of ‘greenwashing', a practice that sees a company portray themselves as more eco-friendly than they really are.

Ultimately, H&M may have underestimated the scale of their image problem. As awareness grows about unethical and unsustainable practices in the industry, fashion brands are more scrutinised than ever. To win over increasingly astute consumers, environmental campaigns need to be carefully designed with authenticity at their core.
References
  1. Clean Clothes Campaign, Fashion Checker (2020) Fashion Checker.
  2. Environmental Audit Committee, Fixing Fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability (19 February 2019) House of Commons UK.
  3. Stephen Leahy, World Water Day: the cost of cotton in water-challenged India (21 March 2015) The Guardian.
  4. Jane Milburn, Aussies send 85% of textiles to landfill (18 August 2016) Textile Beat.
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