The USA alone throws away somewhere around 2,150 pieces of clothing every second!

This leaves very little to the imagination as in the worldwide scenario, thanks to fast fashion, reports aptly warn that while the fashion industry continues to grapple with rising inflation and a looming recession, sustainable initiatives can’t afford to fall by the wayside.

The sad truth is despite touting its sustainability credentials rather strongly, the fashion industry has largely failed to lessen its planetary impact, evident from the studies, which estimate the industry’s carbon impact range from 4 per cent ( McKinsey and Global Fashion Agenda) to 10 per cent (UN) of overall global carbon emissions.

This is but a loud wake-up call for the industry that is nested in a broader system and premised on the key aspect of growth, which at times fails to address the key issue of sustainability, as it perhaps ought to.

The climate shifts picking up pace like never before amidst the end-customers becoming increasingly vigilant about greenwashing, sustainability is becoming the cornerstone to brands/retailers’ future existence and growth, which calls for a very focused approach towards making marked improvements in the key areas that bear the most significant brunt on the environment, namely, material extraction, production and transportation, consumption and end of lifecycle.

Steps like turning towards recycled fibres (such as recycled cotton, nylon and polyester); incorporating deadstock/ upcycled fabrics; use of organic textiles where possible (organic cotton uses 91 per cent less water to grow than conventional cotton); use of responsiblysourced products that feature certifications such as BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), Responsible Down and Wool Standard (RDS and RWS), could be some important steps towards achieving the same.

The European Union’s new greenwashing regulations (which will require brands to back up any eco-marketing with robust and verified evidence, or risk fines of at least 4 percent of revenue) and the law being developed in the state of New York that would mandate supply-chain mapping, carbon emission reductions in line with a 1.5⁰C scenario (brands with more than US $ 100 million in revenue that are unable to live up to these standards would be fined 2 per cent of revenue) are further expected to give the desired impetus towards attaining the sustainability goals.

Such endeavours are also likely to fetch dividends from those who matter the most - the end consumers.

As per some studies, with more and more consumers ready to pay for sustainable fashion (64 per cent consumers underlined they’d pay more for sustainable clothes as compared to 24 per cent) today, businesses are poised to thrive as they double down on innovation designed to minimise environmental impact.

To know more about sustainability and how this is going to shape the future of fashion retail, make sure to attend Apparel Sourcing Week (ASW) 2023, which will throw some very interesting lights on this key issue.

Register yourself to be a part of the third edition of the sourcing extravaganza, scheduled to be held on 20th-21st July 2023, in Bengaluru.