Brands from the second most polluting industry tell what actions they adopted for a sustainable, ethical and socially responsible future
Fashion is considered a historical-sociocultural phenomenon that, in addition to protecting and providing comfort in our daily lives, is also a form of expression – allowing personalities, tastes and cultures to be transmitted through simple pieces of clothing.
The Dictionary of the Brazilian Academy of Letters defines fashion as a way of acting or thinking. A way, style, mode. A set of uses or collective practices fused and generalized at a given time or place. Like art, the clothing industry and trade.
Over the last few decades, the fashion industry has experienced remarkable growth, becoming one of the largest industries in the world. Naturally, mass production of clothing was normalized, with more affordable prices and rapid changes in trends that encouraged a habit: people buying and discarding clothes at a rate never seen before.
According to a survey by the Global Fashion Agenda, the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world. In recent years, more than 92 million tons of textile waste have been discarded and the projection is an increase of 60%, or more than 140 million tons, in the coming years.
And not only the environment is affected, but also society. According to data from the Brazilian Association of the Textile and Clothing Industry (Abit), Brazil has around 18 thousand companies in the clothing sector in operation and generates around 957 thousand direct jobs.
With so many points of attention highlighted and the awakening of awareness in many companies in the sector – which are already seeking to adopt more conscious practices -, a market concept stands out, summarized in three letters: ESG.
ESG
ESG is an acronym that represents three important elements, namely: Environmental, Social and Governance. These three pillars form a set of criteria used to evaluate a company’s performance in terms of sustainability and corporate responsibility.
In the clothing sector, ESG implies the adoption of more sustainable, ethical and socially responsible practices in all phases of operation – from production to the marketing of products.
Environmental aspect
In the environmental aspect (E), some clothing companies are already looking for ways to reduce their impact. This includes the adoption of sustainable practices in clothing production, such as the use of organic, recycled or low environmental impact materials. Furthermore, energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in production and logistics facilities are essential aspects of minimizing the carbon footprint of the fashion industry. Waste management is also a concern, with an increasing focus on minimizing textile waste and promoting recycling and reuse practices.
The challenges regarding the environment in the clothing sector are mainly linked to the generation of waste and the disposal of items. With the focus on reducing the waste generated by clothing and footwear, the brands’ work begins with design – the phase in which the clothing material is chosen and the shapes and type of stitching of the pieces are defined, which implies the greatest or less waste of leftover fabrics.
According to the Brazil Fashion Transparency Index, a report carried out annually by Fashion Revolution, in addition to the lack of transparency about the quantity of pieces produced, 90% of companies do not disclose the results of effluent tests from their suppliers. There is also a lack of data on the volume of waste generated. Of the companies analyzed, 82% do not disclose the amount of pre-production waste (leftovers, trimmings, threads, ends of fabric rolls) accumulated over a period of one year, and 88% do not publish the amount of post-production waste ( surplus stock, samples, defective parts) generated in this time interval. Without the public disclosure of data, it is not possible to precisely measure the size of the problem.
Companies have a responsibility to look at their chains, identify possible risks and impacts on human rights and the environment, and resolve them, says Fashion Revolution.
Still according to the report, only 28% of companies in the sector disclose data about their processing and processing facilities, such as weaving, printing, finishing, dyeing and laundry facilities. This number drops to 8% when searching for information about raw material suppliers.
Rapid and excessive production, low quality products and consumerism, in combination with limited recycling, reuse and repair mechanisms, is a context in which less than 1% of the material used to produce clothes is recycled into new clothes, intensify fashion’s social and environmental problems. , explains the study.
Seeking to be more sustainable in its actions, Riachuelo declares that its entire process and development of parts is designed to reduce water consumption and reduce the use of chemicals, in addition to using renewable energy and more sustainable fibers in production.
In addition, the company also maintains the Moda que Transforma Program in a store that aims to contribute to the circular economy, with the aim of extending the useful life of products.
Read the full article in the October 16, 2023 edition
