Sustainability and its Growing Need in the Fashion Industry

Why do we Need Sustainability Suddenly?

In the series of articles by us, we have sufficiently established the fact that the Fashion industry is the 2nd most polluting industry in the World. This problem has arisen due to many contributing factors like dying, purifying, softening of clothes and leather. Besides that, consumers dispose of almost 15 million kg per year in the United States.

This makes sustainability the most needed process of this era. Sustainability involves the methods that responsibly use natural methods in the process of creating and manufacturing clothes and other fashion accessories. It also includes payment of fair wages to the craftsmen and recognition of their talents.

Dyeing and other Dying arts of India

Dyeing is a very harsh process which involves bleaching of the clothes and conditioning it with harmful and unnaturally extracted dyes. The residue from the dyes not only pollutes the water and rivers but also can cause serious respiratory diseases amongst the workers and consumers.

Synthetic Dyes are used these days to dye the clothes. The leftover dyes flow into the water and pollute it. The residues include bleaches, formaldehyde, heavy metals, etc. which adds to the cocktail of chemicals already mixed in our ocean and fresh water. This also raises the concern about processing and tanning the leather which part from being cruel to animals uses chromium as a tanning substance. This also percolates in our water cycle and is entering our bodies and harming the vegetation.

The craftsmen and handicraft artists are starving in India. They are discouraging their family members from learning the traditional family arts and crafts due to the meager payments that they get for it.

Government and Legal Outlook

The Indian Constitution promotes ‘scientific temperament' and other statutes like the Wildlife Protection Act prohibits the import of leather and the killing of cows for leather is also prohibited in India.  ‘Scientific Temperament’ could also be interpreted as developing such processes that use less synthetic products and don't harm the environment. Apart from that minimum and fair Wages are also equal wages and remuneration is a statutory right.

How does Sustainable Fashion Affect Users?

There is a massive hype about sustainable fashion, mainly because we have choked our Earth to the point where our survival is going to be difficult. Therefore, the millennials and the modern generation are focusing more on fashion and clothes that last longer. They are looking forward to clothes that haven’t harmed animals, are organic, and use nature-friendly products.

Moving Forward

There are many famous fashion brands which have started recycling and reusing used clothes. They motivate their customers to donate old and used clothes so that they can be reused by the poor and needy. They even give attractive discounts for donation.

Besides this, Khadi is widely being used as a sustainable substitute for high-end fabrics. Along with that, Silk and other woven handlooms are even taking the markets over slowly. But does sustainable fashion mean dull and loose fitted clothes?

Absolutely not! Designers and fashion industries are starting to come up with natural dyes that are going to be less harmful to nature and would be attractive in looks too. So go sustainable, look stylish, save yourself and the world too!