In a new report titled ‘The Future of Sustainability in the Fashion Industry’, experts from across the globe have painted a bleak future for fashion if we continue with business as usual. However, the report says that a sustainable sector is possible within 16 years if we take the right efforts, have courage and remain committed to the cause.
The report outlines 14 strategies for achieving sustainability, evaluating each for its potential impact and the earliest timeframe in which it could become mainstream.
The strategies include: increased global awareness, fibers and processing innovation, detailed sustainability reporting, worker-driven initiatives, high concentration / cooperation, extended producer responsibility, wages in the fashion industry, clothing as a service, automation revolution, circular economy, consumer level sustainability index, resale/second-hand models, majority of clothing is locally produced and tax regulations for increasing sustainability. These strategies are seen as being achievable by 2035, while two-thirds could even reach mainstream within a decade.
As per the report, one of the immediate priorities is to build a global awareness movement that takes advantage of heightened concern over sustainability issues, such as that generated by Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement, among others.
It will require huge effort and cooperation from brands, government and policy makers, even consumers. But against the context of heightened concern about environmental and social justice issues, positive change can take place quite rapidly.
