Hi! This is Kuba - co-founder and co-creator of KABAK. And this is my first essay in the series "With balance about sustainability", in which I'll be covering topics related to the broadly understood #sustainability in the fashion industry. Contrary to the dramatic title of the first issue, there will be no ecocatastrophe scares or spreading apocalyptic visions of the end of the world here. At least not because I believe in them ;) However, through this essay, I aim to be one of the voices of reason and balance in the discourse on sustainable fashion. My aim is to discuss it not in the language of intimidation but of benefit - after all, it is a strategy that pays off for all of us. I encourage you to read it!
In 2023, the need for change in the fashion sector is no longer a matter of opinion, but a matter of fact. And, as you know, facts are hard to dispute (which of course does not mean that it is impossible - just look at the political polemics around climate change ;)). The fashion industry is guilty of many deadly sins, such as consuming enormous amounts of natural resources, polluting groundwater, and generating huge carbon footprints in supply and distribution chains. All this to produce more, faster and cheaper. So, on the one hand, we have a constant supply, while on the other hand, demand is pushed to the limit (of what is feasible? of what is ethical?), driven by the desire for rapid, affordable purchases aligned with the latest trends. The effect of these two driving forces is the current state of the fashion sector, which in the 21st century has become one of the planet's biggest polluters alongside the fuel industry.
I will not venture to say that the fashion sector has hit a wall in its development, as there will always be someone who will break through that wall and offer a given product faster or at a lower price. For I am convinced that a sustainable approach to fashion is not only a survival strategy, but also, and perhaps above all, an advantage - for producers, for consumers and for the planet.
Sustainable fashion and benefits for manufacturers
From the perspective of clothing companies, one of the greatest benefits of a sustainable approach is its wide-ranging profitability. Let's not fool ourselves: manufacturing companies have always existed to make money, and it is profitability that is the key criterion for them when making strategic decisions. In the case of sustainable fashion, this profitability has, in my opinion, at least two dimensions.
Firstly, as consumer awareness grows, people are willing to pay more for a product if they know it is made with responsibly sourced materials, ethical workmanship, fair pay, and respect for the environment. At the same time, conscious consumers are much more loyal and more likely to engage with brands with a similar set of values to their own than than is the case with "mass" customers focused solely on trends or looking for bargains. Consequently, a strategy of balancing an offer can help not only to increase the size of an average shopping basket, but also to build a loyal and engaged group of customers who may become your brand's organic (and thus the most credible) ambassadors in the future.
Secondly, the ongoing degradation of the planet drives up the cost and scarcity of natural resources. The alternative is low-carbon solutions and raw materials, which, thanks to rapidly advancing technological development, will become more widespread and cheaper every year. We are already implementing technologies on a massive scale that were an absolute novelty on the market a few years ago (such as materials obtained from recycling old textiles). This is a process that will inevitably progress, so the sooner your brand is in, the more time it will have to adapt solutions to its needs and the less investment in research and development it will have to make in the future.
These are at least two compelling reasons to start considering what steps you can take to make your clothing production more sustainable. However, if these two are not convincing enough, there is always a third: coercion. In fact, this is your last chance to make your production sustainable on your own terms before you are forced to comply with legal regulations that are imposed at national and supranational levels. In this context, it is worth getting acquainted with the European Union Strategy for Sustainable Textiles, which the European Commission adopted in March 2022. Time to comply with the directive is short, so you might as well start today :)
Sustainable fashion and consumer benefits
When it comes to the consumer's perspective, the list of benefits is even longer. A customer who chooses sustainable fashion not only buys healthier (because sustainable fashion = safe, certified materials) and more cheaply (because sustainable fashion = higher quality clothes = longer life of clothes). A customer who chooses sustainable fashion , above all, has an impact - on the market, on manufacturers and on his or her immediate surroundings. It is a customer who makes a difference, because with their conscious approach, they put pressure on clothing companies and force them to implement innovations. In their search for sustainable solutions, customers are shaping a need that manufacturers, willy-nilly, must respond to if they want to maintain their current market share. Thanks to such consumers, the process of balancing the fashion industry is happening faster and on a larger scale, because they are the driving force behind this change. By choosing sustainable fashion, we therefore not only gain here and now, but also in the long term.
Sustainable fashion and benefits for the planet
The list of benefits of a sustainable approach to fashion is most impressive when it comes to the perspective of the planet. It will (perhaps) allow us to protect some animal species that are currently threatened with extinction, e.g. due to the fact that they inhabit areas massively cleared for cotton cultivation.(Perhaps) we will prevent glaciers from melting completely, which would otherwise threaten to flood much of the land as we know it today. (Perhaps) we will be able to close the cycles of, for example, plastics that currently lie on a seabed and contaminate the habitats of both animals and humans. And lastly, a sustainable approach to fashion can help the planet breathe, even if only in small ways
That's a lot of "perhaps" for one paragraph, but I think we can all agree that even one "perhaps" that turns into a "definitely" is something certainly worth fighting for. After all, a benefit for the planet is a benefit for every inhabitant of it, including a clothing manufacturer and a consumer ;)
Thank you for your attention! See you next month :)
Sources:
odpowiedzialnybiznes.pl/aktualności/czy-ekologia-jest-w-modzie-raport-o-odpowiedzialnej-konsumpcji-i-zrownowazonej-modzie-w-polsce/
theroundup.org/sustainable-fashion-statistics/
eko-logicznie.com/fakty-i-mity/zrownowazona-moda-to-greenwashing/
Own knowledge :)
