Models wearing fluid dresses with floral motifs and scallop-sleeved moss-green blouses graced the catwalks of the Grand Foyer of Palais Garnier during Paris Fashion Week this autumn.
But it wasn't just the stylists and buyers who were busy scrutinising Stella MCartney's latest dazzling creations. Environmentalists were watching closely too. These unlikely followers of fashion were eager to see whether the British designer could put her sustainability principles into practice.
They weren't disappointed.
Over 75 per cent of McCartney's ready-to-wear collection is now created from zero impact fabrics. These include materials such as regenerated nylon made of plastic waste and viscose harvested from sustainably-managed forests.
"The world is crying out for change and it is our responsibility to act now," said the creator in a note left on the seat of every participant at her show. "Like all businesses, we are part of the problem… But we are pushing the boundaries every day to find solutions that do exist in an industry desperately in need of change."
McCartney is not a lone voice. Responding to consumer pressure, a growing number of fashion houses are embracing sustainability. The hope is that technologies such as recyclable materials, 3D printing and blockchain will transform the USD2.5 trillion fashion industry.
Glamour and garbage
Fashion's reputation suffered a fresh blow when leading luxury brands including Burberry and Cartier admitted that they burned or destroyed unsold merchandise to maintain prestige and exclusivity through scarcity.
The ensuing public outcry has given urgency to the need for the industry to clean up its act.
From the production of cotton or silk to manufacturing and end-of-life disposal, fashion is an exceptionally resource-intensive business.
Mega’s analysis, using the Planetary Boundaries (PB) framework, shows that the sector produces 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per USD1 million of annual revenue across its entire value chain. This is nine times more than what the model considers sustainable for our planet.1
A 2018 report by the UN Economic Commission for Europe found that the apparel industry sends 85 per cent of textiles – 21 billion tonnes – to landfills each year. This is equivalent of one garbage truck per second.
"Unless the current trend… improves, fashion will continue to be a net contributor to climate change, increasing the risk that the Paris Agreement’s objective of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius during the remainder of this century will not be achieved," says a report from Global Fashion Agenda, a Copenhagen-based advocacy group.
A pact for the future
Facing intense public pressure, the industry is now taking steps to improve its social and environmental credentials.
One such initiative is the Fashion Pact, which brings together 150 of the world’s biggest fashion names including Stella McCartney, Chanel, Nike and Hermès.
The Pact, signed in August 2019, commits signatories to meeting science-based targets in three areas.
Upcycling innovation
The more consumers buy, the quicker fashion companies’ revenues grow.
This is the wear-once-and-throwaway business model that has proved so rewarding in recent years.
But now, the big labels recognise that implementing sustainable practices can also bring financial rewards.
Research from the Global Fashion Agenda shows that investments in resource efficiency, secure work environments and sustainable materials can boost profitability by 1-2 percentage points in EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Tax) margins by 2030.
Separately, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has estimated that transforming the way clothes are designed, sold and used can unlock USD500 billion in economic opportunity.2
The race is on to develop sustainable fabrics to reduce the environmental price tag.
Italian textile mill Aquafill has developed Econyl, a proprietary material made from industrial waste like fishing nets. Used by leading brands such as Stella McCartney, Prada and Breitling, Econyl yarn reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 58 per cent across its life cycle compared with fossil-based virgin nylon.
Separately, a growing number of designers are starting to replace plastics with wood-based advance materials such as cupro, viscose, rayon, tencel and lyocell.
New technologies also play a key role. German footwear brand Adidas has launched a line of sustainable trainers with personalised, 3D-printed midsoles using ocean plastic waste, while LVMH is using blockchain to track and authenticate their products, which should also help the company streamline products, identify excess stock and minimise pre-consumer waste throughout its supply chain.
“For the next generation, ethical fashion is already a ‘no-brainer’,” McCartney told Vogue magazine.
“Now is the time to look at what can be done and how technology can save us.”
[2] A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
