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Blog Post: What is Sustainability....
What is sustainability? Reflecting on your own vision of the future of fashion what does the future of fashion look like? How does it interconnect with your thoughts of sustainability?
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ReplyDeleteSustainability is defined in various ways depending on who you ask. The Oxford Dictionary defines the noun as “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level, [or] the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance” (Sustainability, n.d.). Margaret Robertson (2017) identifies two ways in which sustainability can be understood: as an idea which refers to the knowledge of how systems work on Earth and as a discipline which refers to the way in which we respond to the challenges our planet is experiencing. Ultimately, sustainability is the ability to adapt to change in order to preserve and restore the environment, to increase the quality of life for all living beings, and to promote equality for those in the present and future.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things Robertson (2017) says within the first paragraph of chapter one is that our world is “situated either at the threshold of a planetary disaster of unprecedented magnitude or at the beginning of a sustainable new era” (p. 3). I find this incredibly accurate. It’s easy to look around us, read headlines, and feel as though there is no hope: that no matter what we try, the planet as we know it will cease to exist. It’s easy to give up. In a way, these sentiments are true; the world as we know it cannot continue to exist in the way it does. Still, it’s also true that we are capable of turning it around and changing the path in which we are headed, it’s not too late.
With an optimistic perspective, I believe that the future of fashion is a positive one. I believe that the demand for change and the present efforts made by many companies—both within the fashion industry and outside of it—will be fruitful in the near future. We are seeing companies like Everlane and Patagonia dedicated their entire brand and mission to transparency while also leading, inspiring, and challenging traditional and successful companies like Levi’s, Target, and Nike to revisit their own company objectives. I choose to view this as the preface to the massive movement that is to come.
The future of fashion seems to be headed in the right direction. Once the deadline arrives for many of the “to be accomplished by 2020” sustainability pledges that a plethora of companies have committed to, there will be further steps to take. Currently, these pledges vary from reducing carbon emissions to cutting waste and upholding human rights. Once these are accomplished, the same companies can continue to improve their sustainability by focusing on other areas like materials and post-consumption results. As these companies focus on their next steps, they will also continue to serve as models for those competing against them. As sustainable models increase in demand and success, the future of fashion will demand that other companies follow if they want to stay competitive.
I think the future of fashion interconnects with sustainability in the sense that it will work towards preserving the environment, increasing the quality of life of stakeholders throughout the supply chain, and thereby promoting equality for those in the present and future. While I do not see it becoming absolutely perfect soon, I wholeheartedly believe that the current trajectory will multiply positive changes and transform the fashion industry.
References
Sustainability. (n.d.). In Oxford Dictionary Online. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sustainability
Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.