Not-green glamour: Pusha T on the runway during the Louis Vuitton show at Paris Fashion Week on 16 January. Photo: Francois Durand/Getty Images
Paris Fashion Week just wrapped up and the highlight was seeing American rapper Terrence LeVarr Thornton — known as Pusha T — walking for Louis Vuitton.
Not only did he bring the swagger through in some of the pieces but the American West wardrobe aesthetic was well orchestrated by singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams. He brought it together by paying tribute to Native Americans and black cowboys through song and special embellishments on the garments.
The show was special, as was the fashion week, but all this came at what cost to the environment?
The sector has a considerable impact on the environment, prompting an increasing focus on the urgent need for sustainable fashion.
Looking at a clothing item many of us own — jeans — paints a grim picture.
According to the UN, “a typical pair of jeans takes 10 000 litres of water to produce, equal to what a person drinks in 10 years”.
CNN reports the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as estimating that the fashion industry consumes about 93 billion cubic metres of water each year, the equivalent of 37 million Olympic swimming pools.
The denim sector is known for its exceptionally high levels of energy consumption and chemical pollution, making it one of the most environmentally harmful segments within the fashion industry.
First, the cotton needed to make jeans uses vast amounts of water.
According to the WWF, “Production and processing of cotton uses a large amount of water. Some experts contend that cotton is the largest user of water among all agricultural commodities. Surface and ground waters are often diverted to irrigate cotton fields, leading to freshwater loss through evaporation, and inefficient water management.”
It does not end there — large quantities of water are used in the dying process, which involves chemicals that render it unusable afterwards. Subsequently, a substantial volume of wastewater, laden with toxic chemicals, is discharged into the environment.
In countries such as Bangladesh, wastewater is dumped directly into rivers and streams, according to the CNN report. The released mixture frequently comprises carcinogenic chemicals, dyes, salts and heavy metals, posing harm not only to the environment but also contaminating vital sources of drinking water.
Most jeans are manufactured in countries such as China and India, where electricity is largely produced by coal.
In making them, large amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere, pulling us further away from the Paris Agreement which was adopted by 196 parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, in 2016.
The main goal of the Paris Agreement is to tackle climate change by preventing the earth’s temperature from rising more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Can the fashion industry strike a sustainable balance?
Jackie May, founder of the South African media company Twyg, which focuses on sustainable fashion, tells the Mail & Guardian that, at the heart of it, are people.
“We have to be blunt. Jobs are the most important thing. So, we must think about the social element of sustainability,” she says.
In 2019, South Africa took a significant step towards revitalising its retail clothing, textile, footwear and leather industry by finalising a comprehensive master plan.
This initiative aims to establish a robust foundation for the sector by fostering collaboration among retailers, manufacturers (textiles, clothing and footwear), cotton producers, organised labour and the government.
“The master plan has made retailers increase their local production, which means that the capacity to produce local clothing is increased, which is a really good thing,” says May.
“Ultimately, that creates jobs and it also builds the industry. When that industry is nice and strong, then everybody can benefit.”
The local industry is feeling the effects of the rise in popularity of fast fashion — inexpensively manufactured and affordably priced clothing which mimics the latest runway trends. It is swiftly circulated through stores to capitalise on prevailing fads.
May believes the master plan will create a platform for local designers to create well-made and affordable clothing, counteracting the fast-fashion trend.
“Our wonderful designers can have clothes made that are of better quality. Some of our designers struggle to produce clothes locally.
“So, if we build the capacity to produce more clothes locally, it benefits everybody in the ecosystem. I’m very excited by the master plan.”
The plan’s vision is to develop a competitive, sustainable and dynamic value chain within the industry. This entails providing customers with compelling products while growing jobs and advancing inclusion and transformation.
The plan aims to grow employment in the retail clothing, textile, footwear and leather sector to 330 000 jobs. This would not only contribute to the economy but also help to address unemployment. Retail sales, local procurement, competitiveness, technology, skills and transformation are some of the objectives the plan seeks to meet by 2030.
May reckons people also need to buy clothes they like and care about.
“One of the key roles is to get people to take care of their clothing. We shouldn’t be buying clothes we don’t love because, if you’re just buying something cheaply from a fast-fashion brand, you are not going to take care of it.”
This adds to the vast quantity of clothing which lands up in dumps.
People should buy clothes from local designers, considering we have a vast variety who cater to different styles, May adds.
“Some are expensive, some are not, but if we invest money into their clothing, and look after it, we’re doing so much not only for the local economy, but we’re also doing so much for fashion and sustainability,” she says.
The glamour of fashion weeks and the industry comes with an environmental price tag. The imperative now is to strike a balance between economic viability and environmental responsibility, paving the way for a sustainable and thriving fashion future.