Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world only after the oil industry. What can the fashion industry do to combat climate change? 

It is very hard to eliminate all the industry’s negative effects on our planet. Fashion and apparel brands are starting to wake up, some companies for years now, and are starting to work at understanding and tracking their supply chain, which will allow them to do something about it. 

I think that the health, safety and wages of people should be the industry's first objective. But with regard to its impacts on the planet (climate change, water resources, ecosystems, etc.), any intervention to reduce the impact on its processes, from product design and development, selection of materials, and anything else related to manufacturing, packaging, transport, storage and distribution, consumption and returns, would lead to progress in combating climate change. Practically, we could say that fashion is an industry that has to do, in one way or another, with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the 2030 United Nations Agenda.

To what extent has world clothing production increased in recent years?

Clothing production continues to grow worldwide year after year. The Spanish fashion industry, for example, produces between 80,000 and 150,000 million garments a year, which represents about 2% of the actual CO2 budget allowed by the International Energy Agency. Furthermore, the Spanish Intertextile Council (EURATEX) has pointed out that the European Union is the second largest exporter of textile and clothing products after China.

New brands are constantly emerging, and those under the umbrella of “fast fashion'' continue to offer new collections that elicit the constant need to shop in consumers. This is a spiral that is hard to stop.

What can we do as users?

The first recommendation for consumers would be to buy less but of higher quality so that the clothes last longer. This would reduce the amount of clothes and we would have a smaller but better wardrobe. Businesses dedicated to giving a second life to clothing are also growing, which will gradually become more diversified: second-hand clothing, rental, personalization, etc.

Second, I advise consumers to be better informed on a brand’s purpose and the way it works. There is a lot to choose from, but we can always choose brands that are transparent in their way of working with suppliers, communicate the impact of their processes, how they treat their employees, etc. While much remains to be done, these are usually the ones who truly believe in their social, environmental and economic responsibility. Even though choosing higher quality and responsibility is somewhat more expensive, I think that these brands are worth buying and reduce our clothing consumption.I would like to warn consumers about clothing labels, which are actually not transparent in most cases, because they hardly say anything. Be aware of misleading brand advertising; many brand labels say that they are sustainable by using, for example, 25% organic cotton (this is not sustainability); they are greenwashing. 

What legislation is being implemented to combat greenwashing?

European legislation is increasingly speaking out in favour of the circular economy and to stop greenwashing: leading the public to a misconception or different perception, emphasizing the environmental credentials of a company, person or product when they are irrelevant or unfounded (Bellamy).

At the end of 2020, the EC issued a detailed report analysing 344 business sustainability statements, with the following results:

• 50% do not provide enough information for consumers to evaluated whether company sustainability claims on their activities and products are accurate.
• 37% contain vague and general terms such as “conscious”, “organic” or “sustainable.”
• 59% provide no easy-to-verify evidence to support their claims.

What role do communication and social networks play in this area?

I think that all communication and marketing actions carried out by brands play a decisive role in consumer behaviour. Although the consumer is better informed on what sustainability is or is not, knowledge is still lacking in regard to the supply chain, which is sometimes used by brands to cover up the data, as we commented earlier.

Because social networks is place where the today’s generation “lives” and where the future generation will live, transparency is paramount in terms of change processes, as well as the credible (not made up) testimonies of people who make life decisions in favour of circular consumption. At present, styles, collections, products are consumed on the networks, but there is a lack of information on these issues. While it is true that there are many influencers committed to healthy lifestyles, most of them do not have sufficiently accurate knowledge about the fashion industry to pass it on to the consumer.

I believe that fashion communication professionals should be trained to address these issues in a clear, deep and honest way. This is one of the reasons why UIC Barcelona has launched the first Master’s Degree in Communication, Brand Management and Sustainability in the Fashion Industry.

How do brands adapt to this context? What things are they doing well?

First, brands are beginning to reformulate the DNA of their purposes to be consistent with this new responsibility. And it will be obvious if they dress it up or they really believe in what they say by how they demonstrate it through their work.

In general, it isn’t possible to say “they are doing it right or wrong.” The industry is undergoing a large-scale transformation process and some brands are moving faster and others slower. Logically, the newer companies were able to start their business by implementing some of these new processes, and the older companies must make much more costly investments because they have been working like this for many years and have to transform almost everything.

But, as I said at the beginning, the important thing is to trace and be better informed on the supply chain itself, decide where to start and where to be more responsible, showing transparency in data, dates and investments, and being specific in its transformation processes. There are brands that are having to focus more on the impact of their production processes, others on their logistics, packaging or clothing end of cycle. It is very hard to do everything right, but the important thing is to get involved in something and tell it honestly and transparently.

Where is fashion going in the future? 

The future of fashion involves a paradigm shift by both brands and consumers alike. European and Spanish legislation (on circular textiles, plastics and waste, communication) will have a great impact on the industry. 

Making garments reusable and easier to recycle, thanks to traceability and technology, will slow down the destruction of unsold consumer goods and environmental impact. Products that meet the new standards will also have a digital passport that will facilitate repair and recycling (not only in the fashion industry).  Greater awareness should also mobilise commitments and concrete measures. The innovative business models that are emerging strongly (rental, repair, second hand, customization, etc.), and customer experience offered by company brands will play a prominent role in the fashion of the coming years.

And consumers will also have to consider why and for what reason they buy so much clothing, because we cannot turn buying clothes into nothing more than a leisure activity, but into a responsible decision that should lead to a change in habits for everyone.