Environmental Impacts: The Fashion And Textile Industry

Environmental Impacts The Fashion And Textile IndustryThis report aims to look the affable and environmental pretends of the Fashion and textile effort, and the Sustainability challenges in the industry. The main focus of our work is on finding innovative solutions. However, first it is important to s locoweed the issues.We restrain observed that there has been a lot of commotion revolving roughly fresh trade fashion and new niche article of clothing labels emerging. We pauperisation to pull back sustainable clothing mainstream, for which there atomic number 18 some aspects of the industry that need to be tackled.Key issues in this regard argon utilization the increasing number of fashion goods being obtaind and disposed ofCotton occupation requires lots of energy, water and pesticides. working conditions across the supply chain from like wool wool production to factories.Unsustainable artificial fibres faeces take longer to degradethroughout this report we focus on ways for moving towards sustainable fashion.The sustainable garment should be designed c atomic number 18fully and made from renewable material. It would be pesticide free and produced by workers in decent working conditions.It would be wash at low temperatures and remove fashion upgrades to extend its life.Recycle, Re subprogram or Compost.To make this vision a reality, the head railway line issues beRaising sentience among the nominate industry players. There demand to be a honey oil understanding within the industry of the scenario- the sustainability issues that need to be focussed on. liquid supply chains should be developed. Brands and retailers should be able to trace the origins of their stock. This testament ensure they can enforce high up standards of sustainability.International standards need to be reviewed and developed. This pass on help in creating a common ground so that brands and retailers can differentiate on new(prenominal) issues for example fabr ics utilize, design and so forthTraining and support should be provided on the supply chain. As come up as a beauteous price and terms of trade, suppliers need support, time, hike and incentives to convert to sustainable practices.Em plying consumer An important driving demand for sustainable clothing. question supplys that near of the carbon footprint of an item of clothing tends to be in its washing, ironing and tumble-drying. Raising aw beness to change behaviour will make a big impact.Designers are crucial in the achiever of sustainable fashion. They play a key role in coming up with innovative solutions for clothing, and making ethical fashion appeal to the target consumer ensuring it is in vogue, functional and stylish.ContentsIntroductionThis report aims to muckle a line in the sand for Primark to be able to move forward and bond opportunities.Primark and (un)sustainabilityPrimark, the clothing industry, is challenged with the cycle of unsustainability. The fami ly between productivity and resource use has entered into a lasting and unsustainable pattern.The lifecycle of any common item of clothing are headn below. There are social, environmental and stinting impacts at every stage. look into shows that energy use at the usage phase everyplacelaps that of any new(prenominal) stage so focusing on how we care for our clothes will put one across a significant impact. Having said that, impacts can be reduce at every stage.Why is Primark clothing unsustainable?The social and environmental factors are poorly considered in clothing and this becomes very complicated.But there are two main factors that have mainly pushed the sector towards unsustainability.One is the high street dynamic. High competition has been blamed on driving be and standards down. And fast fashion changes means that clothing has become more(prenominal) disposable.The new(prenominal) is the complex and opaque global supply chain. Primark has different stages of produc tion, often victorious place in different parts of the manhood. Retailers can either purchase clothing directly from k straightawayn suppliers or through agents and vendors. Before doing that, virtually fabrics (wool, like etc.) are bought on global commodity markets. Keeping cold shoulder of items can be difficult in high stock turnover.To distinguish and ensure standards of sustainability throughout the supply chain, Primark should know the origins of their materials or stock.These challenges hold the key to creating a more sustainable industry. We are seeing some mainstream that primark crush more sustainable options such as organic or fair trade products- and reap the benefits. Better traceability of the supply chain will result Primark to procure more ethically and will allow customers to make more informed choices.FindingsFashion fabrics producing inherent fabrics sustainablyThe issues- Pesticide use in growing cotton- GM- Genetic modification- Water use- comely cond itions and prices for growersClothes these old age are made with a combination of wide range of Natural, man-made and synthetic fabrics.The sustainable impact of all types of fabric need to be managed and, where harmful to citizenry and planet, should be reduced. Cotton as is by farther the turgidst single fibre in production. The global demand for this amount of cotton, cheaply, encourages large scale, intensive production.Cotton fibres are blended from different origins around the world and sold on commodity markets and hence tracing the origins is very difficult. This complexity in the supply chain makes the incorporation of sustainability more of a challenge.Pesticides reach serious health problems to the cotton workers, and degrades the soil and also Biodiversity loss.Cotton needs a lot of water to be grown which is why it is called a Thirsty crop. This is made even worse by poor rustic practices, where in some cases over 10 tonnes of water are used to grow enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans The impact of this level of water use can be gigantic. Also cotton provides significant employment to local population and has a lot of economic benefits to the developing countries that produce it.What are the solutions?Naturally grown raw materials They should be produced to the highest standards. While organic cotton production is still less than 1 percent of total cotton production, it is in increasing demand in the many developed countries.Water efficiency Special reference to cotton production (including organic), is important. When Water havesting and drip irrigation are combined, Irrigated cotton can be very efficient.Labelling Country of Origin There are calls for labelling, so that consumers can make an informed choice, and this creates more awareness of the social and environmental issues in that demesne. This would also allow retailers to mesh their supply chain. This also requires direct relationship with suppliers.Search for a substitute Subs titute cotton for other natural materials can be an overall solutionFashion workforceThe issues- Working conditions- Human rights- Boycotts- Supplier audit fatigueJust like major global cloth producers, primark clothing industry has re-located a good deal to low-cost economies, where project cost are lower. The working conditions and human rights have forced to show concerns that many trade unions and NGOs may not have been maintained in some regions of the world, giving rise to what are referred to as sweatshops.The Textile workers in Bangladesh are working at as low as 5pence an mo for Primark, according to a recent study. This is largely due to workers being prevented from forming and link trade unions. Poor treatment of labour can include people working for unreasonably low wages, excessive hours or overtime, in unplayful conditions and employing child workers.Boycotts can upset the production cycle and can defame the brand, the staff morale, and retention of both cuonsum ers and employees, and to a very large tip sales and share prices.High street working conditions is a concern. Primark is a victim of Audit fatigue as they get to asked to fill in multiple questionnaire from different retailers and brands. Even if supply chains can be traced, the auditing, monitoring and enforcement of standards is often weak. Just being compliant is complex for suppliers.What are the solutions?Raising standards The UK government took a lead and has set up the estimable Trading Initiative in 1998.This organisation includes trade unions, NGOs and companies who work in concert improve working conditions. Membership only shows a commitment to addressing the issues yet not a proof of actual standards. In addition, some companies have adopted the SA8000 standard which covers many aspects of working conditions.Many fashion retailers and brands have called to come together and draw up regulations to enforce minimum standards to draw a baseline for competition. This help s in real leaders to take for granted opportunities to seize more.To date 968 facilities have been certified worldwide.Transparency Transparency is very crucial. Retailers and brands now include information on how they assess and how many they have conducted and what actions they have taken in their annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) / sustainability reports. run on for suppliers is the solution to help combat audit fatigue and improve conditions along the supply chain. There are mixed tools like the e-textile box are emerging that provide suppliers with the manual to be able to adhere with various different codes. The website provides guidance on setting up very staple fiber management systems like how to measure water use. It explains the business benefits for improving social and environmental performance.Retailers, at the top of the supply chain, often have the power to encourage social and environmental good practice through- fair pricing policies Ensuring fair pri ces for producers- lobbying Encourage suppliers to clean up the acts by lobbying for other incentives- longer term commitments with suppliers Remove barriers by working together- country of origin labelling- Support small suppliers by labelling country of origin on garments,- Auditing garment suppliers and reduce this approach down to fabric, dye house and dowry suppliers redressing particular attention to key points of production including any outsourcing or home workingGlobal fashion markets and tradeThe issues- Subsidies and quotas- Price pressures- bonny pay along the supply chainThe reason to issue subsidies and quotas is to foster the domestic players and also to limit economic impact. This is mainly to protect the players from still Market that would over whelm them.to prevent the sudden closure of captious industries in poor economies, free-trade is introduced it is clear that transitions need to be handled responsibly. As with most industries that involve long sup ply chains there are concerns over distribution of profits. The chart shows that besides production occurring mostly outside the UK, the largest piggy profit throughout the clothing supply chain is for the retailer. This reflects the high costs of operating in the UK but also raises questions over fair pay further down the supply chain.What are the solutions?Lifting subsidies will help replica the downward pressure on price.Incentives should be given to command higher(prenominal) prices that may come from improving fibre qualityQuality control in harvesting and efforts to improve the grade of cotton sent to market. job the terms of trade between buyer and seller through Fair Trade standards which exist through International Fair Trade standstill (IFAT).Fashion consumptionDisposalThe issues- Unsustainable consumption- Recycle Clothes which are conclusion up in landfillClothing has become increasingly affordable for everyone, and especially over the last two decades. Retailers ha ve cashed on this affordability by shifting away from seasonal collections to fresh collections throughout the year.Because of much lower unit costs retailers have to sell significantly more product in order to maintain levels of turnover and market share.The success of retailers and brands currently demands an increase in volumes of clothing and apparel.. Increasing amounts of clothing is ending up in landfill when it could be recycled or reused.What are the solutions?Raising awareness- show the impact of clothing disposal and making cycle as calorie-free as possible.Include promoting clothing hire and other entrepreneurial solutions. homecoming care of the easy ways to win, by reusing coat hangers and carrier bags and reducing packaging waste.In the longer term, government / industry could develop a producer responsibility policy where customers can take used clothing back to where they bought it to be disposed of in the most appropriate way.ConclusionsThese issues are inter-rel ated and need to be considered in the wider economic context. Integration of the clothing industry, regulators, designers, the recycling industry and consumers need to work together to deliver these improvements so that we can continue to enjoy fashion without damaging the environment and people industry can thus be productive and gain economic sustainability.Recommendations