How Community Action Can Transform the Fashion Industry
Fashion is by definition ever-changing. Clothing retailers are forced to churn out clothing at a rate fast enough to satiate our appetite for always being ‘on point’. But staying on-trend comes at a cost. From farm to fashion house, the clothes we wear impact on the lives of textile workers, the environment and everything and everyone in-between.
That is why, Conscious Wardrobe is trying to redefine what it means to be fashion-conscious. We’d like to see consumers become conscious of where their clothing comes from, putting pressure on retailers to take a closer look at their supply chain.
Taking on the fashion world however is no task for the faint-hearted. Forcing companies to closely monitor their supply chain is tough with most retailers set on maximising profit and minimising production costs. Jane Goodall, famed animal rights activist, gives us hope reminding us that
“You cannot get through a single day without making an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
That is why I will be showing you how community action can transform the fashion industry.
Greenpeace: A Case Study of How Community Action Can Transform the Fashion Industry
September 2015 saw the launch of ‘Detox Outdoor’, a campaign led by Greenpeace which challenged outdoor apparel brands to eliminate the use of per and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in their products.
PFCs are commonly used in the manufacturing of outdoor apparel and are hazardous to both the environment and potentially human health.
http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/10-toxic-chemicals-to-avoid-in-your-products
The hazardous nature of these chemicals led Greenpeace to send out a team to investigate the prevalence of PFCs in the natural environment. They compiled their findings in a report entitled, ‘Footprints in the Snow’, which revealed that these chemicals were being deposited in the most remote regions of the world.
Out of the 40 products tested only four were found to be free of PFCs.
Video from Detox Outdoor Campaign
While the use of chemicals in the fashion industry is widespread, Greenpeace’s focus on the use of PFCs in outdoor clothing apparel hit a nerve with many across the world. As their toxics campaigner Mirjam Kopp explained it:
"It is ironic to think that companies who depend on nature for their business willingly release dangerous chemicals into the environment.”
PFCs have various industrial uses beyond clothing manufacturing. The release of these industrial chemicals into the environment is concerning because of the long-time taken for them to break down. This means that PFCs remain in the environment for extended periods of time allowing them to spread to even the furthest corners of the globe.
The impact of wearing clothing containing PFCs is uncertain. As these chemicals take a long time to break down, most of us are exposed to low levels of PFCs found in our surrounding environment. Animal studies have linked PFC exposure with cancer but the implications for humans at this stage is uncertain.
In 2015, more than 200 scientists from around the world signed the Madrid Statement which recommended the avoiding the use of PFCs as a precautionary measure due to concerns surrounding ill-effects on human health and the environment.
After releasing their findings, Greepeace launched a petition challenging big outdoor apparel companies to increase transparency around the use of chemicals in their products and substitute PFCs for other chemicals which have the same effect.
As a result of the pressure created by the Madrid Statement and Greenpeace’s campaign several big brands committed to developing alternatives to PFCs so they could be eventually phased out.
In January 2016, Páramo was the first outdoor clothing company to sign the Detox agreement eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals from their products and supply chain. Paramo joins 34 other companies who have joined the campaign, however they are the first outdoor clothing company to do so.
Pressure is gradually being placed on other brands to follow suit. At the time of writing, North Face have committed to eliminating the use of PFCs by 2020.
Greenpeace have created a timeline enabling consumers to track the progress of their campaign.
Campaign Image from Detox Outdoor
While the fight to eliminate PFC use is not over, the Greenpeace campaign is just one demonstration of the effects of community action. The phasing out of PFCs has been on the agenda of OECD countries since 2000, however the work of Greenpeace was effective in creating awareness around this issue.
The Detox Outdoor campaign is part of a broader campaign run by Greenpeace called, ‘Detox My Fashion’, which since 2011 has challenged popular clothing brands to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals.
Turning raw material into textiles requires the use of up to 3,500 chemical substances. Of these approximately 10 per cent are hazardous to human health or the environment.
As a result of Greenpeace’s campaign, brands such as Burberry and Marks & Spencer have begun to eliminate hazardous chemicals from their supply chain.
The work of the Detox campaign proves just how much community opinion drives the fashion. An industry reliant on branding, companies are looking to cater to their consumers.
This blog post was inspired by our mission here at Conscious Wardrobe. We believe that starting a fashion revolution and transforming the industry will only happen through consumer awareness. If more of us are conscious about the clothes we wear and demand to know more about the products we purchase, this puts pressure on clothing companies.
We’d like to see clothing companies increase transparency around their supply chain. We’d love for more companies to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing of their products.
Join us.
Danushi
Co-Founder of Conscious Wardrobe
If you’d like to learn more about some of the content of this post, check out the links below:
Greenpeace Petition
Detox Outdoors in the News
PFC Alternatives
