Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 72

FEATURE
GLOBALLY, POLICYMAKERS
AKERS AND
BRANDS ALIKE HAVE STARTED
TO QUESTION THE IDEA OF
FASHION WASTE.
THE WAY FORWARD
Globally, policymakers and brands alike have
started to question the idea of fashion waste. It is
a pertinent question that needs to be answered
at many levels. To this effect, global think tanks
and environmentalists have started working out
textiles economics. This is a process that will
stepwise reduce the harmful errors within the
manufacturing techniques and will then streamline
the production so that less amount of wastage
is created along the process. Smart utilisation of
resources and techniques clubbed with better
clothing consumption and improved recycling
methodology can bring about a holistic change in
the coming years.
Designer brands contribute less on this harm
barometer as they produce much lower stock
levels as compared to high-street retailers, so
their contribution to waste is lower too. On the
other hand, brands like Zara buy small batches
of clothing to set each collection up for the
consumers. It increases the stock only when
it spots good demand for a particular range.
Moreover, such brands also offer End of Season
Sales every few months, just to push out their old
stocks off the shelves. This reduces their waste
footprint. Another brand that has taken a positive
step towards fashion waste reduction is H&M. It
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April 2019
has started giving points to customers who visit it
with old garment stocks. This, it then donates to
NGOs or recycles. Additionally, in May 2018, 12.5
per cent of the global fashion market signed up to
a 2020 commitment. Brands including prominent
global names like Nike, Asos and Gap have
signed a treaty to demolish the demon of fashion
waste through effective recycling. They have
already started launching collections that have
been designed and crafted using recycled textiles
and footwear waste.
In order to get out of this loop of trial and
error, the industry on the global front has to
take an effort to reduce wastage. Since the big
league players have created much of the litter
over the years, it is upon them to wipe off the
damage. Just following environmentally healthy
manufacturing processes will not really bring in
big change until the industry as a whole sees eye
to eye on wastes. The problem has got out of
hand, so only remodelling and serious alterations
can break the unworthy loop.