EverLASTING Fashion

There is a lot of discussion about the usage of natural materials over synthetic fibers, so much so that corporations are even confused by it.  As a fashion designer that uses synthetic in production, it’s been brought to my attention that several others disagree with my choice. My fashion collections are heavily based on synthetic material. I passionately agree with the rest of the fashion industry, we do have an environmental and social responsibility as resource users.

In Sustainable fashion and textiles: Design Journeys by Kate Fletcher, the author challenges us to think beyond the material aspect and take more thought into the fibers lifecycle. Synthetic fibers are not as awful as my colleague seems to think. The false misconception is related to factors such as, renewability and biodegradability.  Granted, as Charline Ducas from Textile Exchange stated, synthetic fibers are very depended upon crude oil; however, natural fibers have a great impact on our environment too.  For example, cultivating cotton uses nearly 8000 liters of water whereas polyester uses little or zero water.  Not only is water management a problem but cotton growing requires a lot of fertilizers and harmful pesticides, which can be detrimental to the consumed water supply.  It’s already causing a lack of biodiversity and land infertility. The court ruling is still out on whether or not using natural fibers is a true sustainable practice. 

A recent study has shown that oil-based synthetic fibers like polyester are non-renewable and non-biodegradable.  In my latest designs, I have switched to using biodegradable synthetics made from poly(lactic acid), a polyester made from cotton. Making synthetic fibers add to higher levels of emissions, along with pollution in the air.  I do not agree with my colleague’s response to my preference of synthetic fibers, nor do I totally disagree with her.  There’s a lot of research that still is being performed, one must have complete information to know the most efficient method.  Both textiles can be recycled in some form.  There are many known and unknown complexities surrounding the environmental and social impacts from producing textiles. It’s an ever-continuing learning process.  

The newly-coined term called eco-efficiency means to do more with less.  Brand retailers and designers have to perform fashion activities that are beneficial to consumers as well as our environment. Charline Ducas provides me with hope because the non-profit organization, Textile Exchange, mission is to inspire and equip specific industry people to accelerate sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, farm groups and fashion schools.  This pragmatic approach considers design techniques and technology development.  As fashion designers, we must vow to remain informative on how to integrate sustainability into our product. 

Fashionable Ways

Fashioning Sustainability raises the eyebrow of any reader concerning the affect unsustainable activities in the apparel industry. It highlights the responsibility that a retailer and consumer, in everyone connected to the retailer, have in improving our steps in creating and disregarding clothing. Fashion designers and retailers have the grand power to influence consumers to buy, wear, and support eco-friendly clothes. They have the ability to provide product knowledge and environmental conservation information. The harmful use of extreme pesticides is ever-increasing, especially in cotton. There are natural alternatives available to substitute cotton like hemp, but retailers have to be willing to do the digging and searching to save the overused crop. Level of productivity is at war with land resource use. We have to be willingly to sacrifice something; it should not be our beautiful planet.  Not only is our method of clothing production a serious problem, but our disposal of them poses another threat. 

In EMSA article, it is noted that water supply, one of the ecosystem services, is being used unsustainably; we use and fail to put back. The clothing industry is depleting groundwater sources that are not replaceable. Poor management of irrigation withdrawal practices. The activity of producing apparel faster is ruining natural resources such as crops and the quality of water. There seems to be little interest in maintaining the goods. Even though our economy is revealing growth, the depletion of valuable raw material is not being reported. There has been a lack of monitoring in the sourcing of raw materials, development and production stage of clothing products. 

Yes, in my opinion, the apparel industry is very much guilty of the issues described in the EMSA article. Corruption of freshwater and pollutants flowing more in the air showcase the industry’s failure to take action. Workers are having major health problems from minor allergies to developing cancer, due to minimal efforts made to protect them. The exposure to harsh chemicals also can cause infertility, just imagine what it is doing to our Earth.  Not a pretty sight!

Walsh & Brown’s article, bring up valid points. The source evaluates the pros and cons of environmental impacts based on a monetary value. Two Patagonia shirts were compared based on method of production: conventionally grown cotton and organically grown cotton. Cotton is a dry plant, so water consumption is hugely higher when using nonorganic methods. The calculation of the environmental cost from using pesticides proved to be outstanding. Conventional farming leads to soil erosion, which reduces land infertility, and ecological harm. 

Ecological Alarm Sounds Off!

Environmental sustainability refers to the ability of mankind to be good stewards over Earth’s gifts of natural resources; the level of sustainable performance greatly affects future generations to come.  This responsibility or lack of thereof has started an uproar among society today as to whether or not our usage of these resources through economic growth and population expansion have created greater battles to fight.  The theory of global warming suggests that our planet Earth is getting warmer by the second with increase levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide filling the air we breathe.

There is an ecological crisis upon us; the catalyst for this newfound emergence was ignited by the turning point from an agricultural-based economy to becoming more industrialized.  According to Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis written by the Washington, D.C. Island Press, several ecosystem services have been degraded as consequence of supplying other services to meet human’s desires such as, an increase in food production. Terrestrial ecosystems have become a net sink of carbon dioxide emissions.  Heighten emissions of carbon dioxide contribute to global climate change.  Hence, regulating global climate through carbon sequestrations has intensified. It will take centuries for global temperatures to balance out with higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, even longer for biological systems to adjust. Overwhelming amounts of nitrogen contribute to eutrophication of freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems. Nitrogen is claimed to be vital in the formulation of the ground-level ozone layer, this destruction would deplete the ozone layer in the stratosphere causing increased UV-B radiation from the sun and climate change. 

Chapter one from A New Green History of the World by Ponting, says the elimination of trees affected the island’s soil; nutrients were depleted by the crops and soil erosion occurred.  The land became malnourished, unable to produce adequate food for survival. Ultimately, the environment was ruined. The American Policy Roundtable website believes in a strategy called “no regrets” since there is not enough evidence to support global warming.

The environmental problems we face today are new and old.  From the Easter Land reading, it’s clear that using resources, such as trees, and not replenishing them has a long-lasting impact on the livelihood of mankind, growing capabilities of land and exposure to harsh environmental conditions.  Similar to the island, the world has limited resources to support society and all of our high demands.  In Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis written by the Washington, D.C. Island Press, the change of the planet from rapid growing demands for food and water to a more sophisticated economy presents new obstacles to overcome with those advantages. The degradation of ecosystem services has solved one problem, while creating another one. The advancement in production and distribution has caused an overload of pollutants and harmful chemicals floating in the air, and underground. On the American Policy Roundtable website, it is argued that if global warming did occur, this event would be beneficial. Between 5000-3000 B.C., a period where mankind began to build its first civilizations, climate was much warmer than global warming theory predictions.

The environmental problems that I have researched are seemingly irreversible.  On the American Policy Roundtable website, it is believed that scientific evidence has not proven that human activities negatively affect the Earth’s climate in any way.  However, in Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis written by the Washington, D.C. Island Press, it states that substantial efforts made in institutions and governance, economic policies and other incentives along with knowledge could significantly decrease the severity of the damage done.  In chapter one of A New Green History of the World by Ponting, Easter Island is now described as the most remote inhabited places on the earth; the settled Polynesians did not realize a way of not depleting their available island resources and therefore, irreversibly damaged their life support system.