Alice Payne discusses about the different ways the fashion industry in Australia has been implementing sustainable innovations to extend garments’ life-cycle and promote more environmentally friendly trends in the long run. She explains this by discussing how sustainability can be addressed in every aspect of the life-cycle of clothes. From textile production to retail, there are several ways companies can be responsible in dealing with the extraction of natural resources and disposing of products.
What makes me interested the most is the retail aspect of the product life-cycle because I previously believed that companies strived to implement eco-friendly policies during the manufacturing process. But seeing how Target in Australia encourages people to wash their clothes in cold water and let them air dry shows how even during the consumption stage, people can learn how to extend the wear of their clothes. In Uniqlo, customers who purchase over a certain limit can get free tailoring at the store. This shows how companies are focusing on customization to induce customers to take good care of their clothes. I also like the example of Levi’s and H&M discontinuing the practice of sand blasting because of the toxic waste generated from making worn out looking jeans.
Innovation of course is the surest way of achieving futures goals toward sustainability. ‘Designing light’ to reduce transportation costs, making odor repelling clothing, and ingenious methods of weaving all help to lessen the negative externalities of mass production. I think if more companies implement the cradle to cradle (C2C) model and foster designers who seek to innovate ways of producing textiles can significantly change the direction of fast fashion. Slowing down the methods held for hundreds of years isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We can actually develop new ways of efficiently reforming manufacturing processes.