"Have you ever wondered what is Eco-fashion? How can fashion be eco-friendly? Is fashion harmful?" Well these questions will be answered today. Eco-fashion refers to sustainable or ethical fashion and helps in creating clothing with minimum environmental impact and ethical labor practices.
The fashion industry relies heavily on cotton and water for the creation of most of its garments. It does not follow sustainable practices, leaving the possibility of future shortage for the concerned natural resources. The fashion industry has a vast carbon footprint leading to its contribution of nearlyone-tenth of global pollution through its manufacturing processes, transportation, and waste disposal! Synthetic fabrics, in particular, can release greenhouse gases when they decompose in landfills. Additionally, it also contributes to an awful lot of global wastewater. It relies on cheap labor, exploitative labor practices and unsafe working conditions, leading to worker rights exploitation on a considerable scale; which is against the interests of both the UN and the individual nations. The focus on low-cost and mass production also discourages the idea of innovation across the industry.
Such issues and complexities regarding the exploitations of the fast fashion industry can be further fixed and prevented through sustainable or eco-fashion practices. These practices are vast in number but rarely few in use. For instance, water efficient dyeing and finishing processes can be used for the reduction of water consumption and wastewater generation. Implementation of upcycling for increasing product value and recycling to extend the lifespan of garments and minimizing wastes can help to create a closed economy and recede the need for new resources. Fair wages, safe working conditions and workers' rights protections can be ensured through the supply chain to increase the workers' morale. Utilizing organic, recycled and locally sourced fabrics can help to diminish its carbon footprint. This new aspect of sustainability can help to increase innovation and creativity in the industry.
These new practices of eco-fashion can help us to increase innovation, and give rise to new marketswhile reducing wastage and resource consumption while ensuring safe working conditions all at the same time. We must work together to ensure that eco-fashion is implemented; not as a trend but as a focus on responsibility.
-Kriday Aggarwal (VII-E) (Student of G D Goenka Public School Model Town)