Amy Powney, a prominent fashion designer, shares a compelling perspective on the role of the fashion industry in climate change, and discusses innovative practices to make fashion sustainable and ethical.
She emphasizes the need to think ‘beyond the label’ to truly understand and appreciate the journey of clothing from raw materials to the finished product.
The Role of Fashion Industry in Environmental Degradation
The fashion industry is a significant contributor to environmental degradation.
It heavily relies on natural resources, from agriculture to worm silks to fossil fuel for polyester.
Clothing items like polyester dresses contribute actively to climate change, releasing harmful microplastics and ending up as long-term waste in landfills.
Take a polyester dress, for instance. It is both fossil fuel and plastic pollution combined. When it’s made, it contributes to climate change in its industrial processing. When it’s washed, it releases microplastics into the ocean, into the food chain, into us. – Amy Powney
Fashion is borne on buying more, shopping more, consuming more. When I was at design school, they just taught me to design something beautiful, and how it was made was almost an afterthought. But now, with everything that I’ve learned, I flipped that entire process on its head. – Amy Powney
Rising Clothing Consumption and Waste
Clothing consumption has escalated rapidly, triple in quantity since the 1980s, and yet the lifespan of garments has halved.
This shift in consumption behavior results in a substantial increase in clothing waste, with a significant portion of purchased clothes ending up in landfills within their first year.
Transparency Gap in Fashion
The lack of transparency in the fashion industry is a major problem.
Clothing labels rarely provide comprehensive information on manufacturing processes, material sourcing or labor conditions.
The industry neglects the 3.4 billion workforce, who are often underpaid, unacknowledged, and overlooked.
Advocacy for Ethical and Sustainable Fashion
Powney proposes an ethical and sustainable approach to fashion, involving designing from traceable supply chains upwards.
This process emphasizes sustainability and ethics over profitability and abundance, leading to a creative exploration within set boundaries, such as organic farming for natural fibers and avoidance of virgin synthetics.
The Need for a Circular System
Powney advocates for a circular system in fashion, where all aspects of the business add value and do not harm the environment.
This includes measures like regenerative and organic farming, tree replacement with varieties that add more value, and redefining success metrics beyond traditional profit.
Fostering a Deeper Connection with Nature
The systemic change in the fashion industry requires us to understand and respect our interconnection with the natural world.
The push for sustainable fashion is about recognizing the vast ecosystem behind each garment and acknowledging our clothing’s inherent link to our planet.
