While we all agree that the fashion industry is
tremendously and unnecessarily wasteful, it’s also very difficult to support its
impact on the environment with solid and reliable research. The research that
does exist is very scattered and is difficult to connect together in a way that
solidly explains and justifies calls to action for changing the fashion industry
sweepingly and indefinitely because of its impact on climate change (Wicker,
2017). In turn, this makes it more difficult for advocates to present consistent
and sound arguments that are proven beyond a reasonable doubt in order to
demand change and even new legislation. Nonetheless, this is not to say that sustainability
demands in the fashion industry are pointless—rather, it points to the fact that
there are key issues within the operations of the fashion industry that need to
be researched comprehensively. One of these main issues lies in national
distribution.
Let us consider all the industries
in which the fashion industry’s supply chain also interacts with. There is
agriculture for cotton, flax, and hemp; animal agriculture for leather, fur,
wool, and cashmere; petroleum for polyester, synthetics, and energy; forestry
for rayon; mining for metal and stones; construction for retail stores; shipping;
and manufacturing (Wicker, 2017). When we lay it out in this way it is easier
to see how complex national distribution is and how it is a source of
environmental impacts. National distribution is not as simple as we may think
because garments are no longer created in a simple three to four step process with
limited transportation.
The national distribution of garments and accessories is
presently more complex than it used to be. In fact, warehousing goes back to
the creation of granaries which were used to store food that was made available
during times of famine (Warehousing and Warehouse Management, 2017). As
European explorers invested in the development of trade routes, warehouses
became important for storing commodities from afar. This was further developed by
the creation and advancement of railroads, rail deposits, and President
Roosevelt’s Interstate Commerce Commission. Ultimately, today’s warehouses
reached the size and mechanized methods they currently use because of World War
II (Warehousing and Warehouse Management, 2017). The growth of mass production
made the need for efficiency and effectiveness in warehousing pertinent to the
success of business as a whole—including fashion.
National distribution includes warehousing and distribution,
transport to stock stores, and shipping as a whole. With every single thing
that is sourced from all the industries listed, there is warehousing and distribution,
stock, and shipping involved. Every
single time. All of these things go through this process multiple times too,
not just once. In other words, every single fiber sourced is transported from farm,
to multiple warehouses, to multiple factories, to distribution centers, to
stores, to consumers. Every single material that goes into a garment goes
through the same process. Each garment goes through the process as well—the product
is made in multiple factories which involves multiple shipments and then is distributed
to multiple warehouses which then goes to multiple stores. The garments are
presumably and then transported home by customers.
Looking forward, it is
likely that warehousing and national distribution will alter in regards to
sustainability because of the movements for sustainable energy and waste
reduction. Supply chain management as a whole focuses on reducing waste—even if
it’s in regards to saving money as opposed to actively trying to help the environment.
Furthermore, the developments in technology that we see take place also affect
warehousing because more things are automated and aimed towards increasing
efficiency. In turn, it provides the perfect opportunity for developing technology
that takes energy consumption and waste into consideration.
References
Warehousing
and warehouse management. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Tr-Z/Warehousing-and-Warehouse-Management.html
Wicker,
A. (2017, March 15). We have no idea how bad fashion actually is for the
environment. Retrieved from https://www.racked.com/2017/3/15/14842476/fashion-climate-change-environment-pollution
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