In her article, Scaturro discusses ways in which the fashion industry utilizes technology. She argues that we can put some of the blame on technology for environmental and ethical challenges (474):
“Technology is in part to blame for the environmental and ethical fallout of fast fashion consumption; there is now biotechnological interference with the environment, a profusion of detrimental textile manufacturing byproducts and waste entering the ecosystem, and of course, a vast amount of energy needed both to make and to take care of all the clothing produced.”
However, I actually disagree with Scaturro. I do not believe we can blame technology. The fault lies in the users of the technology. While I agree that we clearly need to make more conscious design, production, and purchasing choices, we should not blame technology as a facilitator. Instead, we should take responsibility for our actions.
Scaturro claims that “In many ways, technology is a prime enabler to society’s fashion consumption addiction and at the root of many of its negative consequences” (474). While this is true, we should instead blame the agents who decided to use the technology in order to keep the momentum of fast fashion going, feeding into the consumer addiction.
As she writes about cotton, Scaturro comes to the conclusion that (479):
“Environmentalists, public figures, and fair-trade advocates need to seek ways to appropriate and subvert the current technological practices for maximum positive and ethical impact. This means the development of trusting, synergistic, and interdisciplinary relationships between designers, independent scientists, engineers, manufacturers, and the public and private sectors with the goal of creating effective technologies that minimize the negative human and environmental impact of producing cotton and other fibers.”
This paragraph also supports my argument that we should not blame the technology itself, but rather the creators or users of it. Note her use of the term “technological practices” and the phrase “creating effective technologies”.
I like Scaturro’s reference to eBay and Etsy and the example of “how to convert an old jacket and sweater into the JackSweat” (486). Next time I want to “throw something away”, I’ll take a closer look and see if I can repurpose the pieces to create something new!