249
for impact sustainability research to further promote sustainable innovation within
the fashion industry.
16.2 Towards Sustainable Fashion: A Literature
and Practice Review
16.2.1 Introduction
The fashion industry has a clearly negative implication on land and water ecosystems, through the release of both microfibres and pollutants. The International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated that 34.8% of microplastics released into the oceans are due to the laundry of synthetic textiles (Boucher
and Friot 2017). Evidence also shows that for each item of clothing washed, the
amount of microfibres released into the water stream is as high as 700,000; these
microplastics then make their way through the food chain (Napper and Thompson
2016). Fashion is also the second highest industrial polluter – after the oil industry.
The pollutants released from the industry are often released in the affluent which
can consist of toxic chemicals like lead, arsenic and mercury, as well as the release
of chemical fertilizers used in the production of fibres to supply the industry. Some
other factors compromising the overall sustainability of the fashion industry will be
explored in detail in the following sections.
16.2.2 The Fashion Industry and Sustainability: Making
the Links
This review presents the links between the fashion industry and both SDG 14 Life
below Water and SDG 15 Life on Land. The Sustainable Development Goal report
2018 has shown that SDGs 14 and 15 are in a dire state due to increases in the
exploitation of nature, levels of pollution and the acidity of water sources (UN
2019). Marine acidity has increased by about 26% since the industrial revolution
and now faces conditions that are entirely unprecedented. Also, with the increased
rise of pollution, it has been estimated that coastal eutrophication will rise by 20%
by 2050 (UN 2019). Additionally, the increase of pollutant and microfibre levels in
the ocean has a detrimental impact on the aquatic life, including a significant impact
on relevant bioaccumulation processes. Most of these pollutants are nonbiodegradable and highly bioaccumulative (the concentration of these toxics
increases as it passes through the food chain). The fashion industry has also been
shown to emit high amounts of toxic bioaccumulators such as mercury.
Consumers’ awareness has recently increased (Kim and Damhorst 1998; Gam
2011), as consumers look to engage in sustainable lifestyles and opt for green
16 SDG 15 Life on Land
for impact sustainability research to further promote sustainable innovation within
the fashion industry.
16.2 Towards Sustainable Fashion: A Literature
and Practice Review
16.2.1 Introduction
The fashion industry has a clearly negative implication on land and water ecosystems, through the release of both microfibres and pollutants. The International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated that 34.8% of microplastics released into the oceans are due to the laundry of synthetic textiles (Boucher
and Friot 2017). Evidence also shows that for each item of clothing washed, the
amount of microfibres released into the water stream is as high as 700,000; these
microplastics then make their way through the food chain (Napper and Thompson
2016). Fashion is also the second highest industrial polluter – after the oil industry.
The pollutants released from the industry are often released in the affluent which
can consist of toxic chemicals like lead, arsenic and mercury, as well as the release
of chemical fertilizers used in the production of fibres to supply the industry. Some
other factors compromising the overall sustainability of the fashion industry will be
explored in detail in the following sections.
16.2.2 The Fashion Industry and Sustainability: Making
the Links
This review presents the links between the fashion industry and both SDG 14 Life
below Water and SDG 15 Life on Land. The Sustainable Development Goal report
2018 has shown that SDGs 14 and 15 are in a dire state due to increases in the
exploitation of nature, levels of pollution and the acidity of water sources (UN
2019). Marine acidity has increased by about 26% since the industrial revolution
and now faces conditions that are entirely unprecedented. Also, with the increased
rise of pollution, it has been estimated that coastal eutrophication will rise by 20%
by 2050 (UN 2019). Additionally, the increase of pollutant and microfibre levels in
the ocean has a detrimental impact on the aquatic life, including a significant impact
on relevant bioaccumulation processes. Most of these pollutants are nonbiodegradable and highly bioaccumulative (the concentration of these toxics
increases as it passes through the food chain). The fashion industry has also been
shown to emit high amounts of toxic bioaccumulators such as mercury.
Consumers’ awareness has recently increased (Kim and Damhorst 1998; Gam
2011), as consumers look to engage in sustainable lifestyles and opt for green
16 SDG 15 Life on Land