The majority of the time, fashion is still not on pace to reach its climate ambitions. According to a recent Stand.Earth report, only four of the top 14 brands plan to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to the level required to prevent global warming from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius.
By 2024, the fashion sector will need to move more quickly, which experts say would call for increased cooperation. “With just one or two leading the charge, we are 100% not going to get where we are going,” says Samata Pattison, founder and CEO of Black Pearl, a cultural sustainability company. “We need the biggest competitors in the industry to down tools and hold hands.” Since we don’t have enough time for anything, it’s practically all hands on deck.
Fortunately, new eco-design regulations are finally in the works. The European Union approved new eco-design regulations in December, which would prohibit the destruction of unsold textile and footwear products and impose guidelines aimed at enhancing product circularity.
In the meanwhile, some of the necessary answers may be provided by fascinating breakthroughs, such as new recycling technologies or environmentally acceptable colors. Dio Kurazawa, the creator of the sustainable fashion consultant The Bear Scouts, says, “I would definitely like to see more people backing new innovation; [those] finding solutions to help [the industry] get close to true circularity, and the reduction of waste and overproduction.”
Finally, legislation is in place
Legislation has long been advocated for, and it’s finally on the verge of being passed. New eco-design laws have been accepted by the EU, and early in 2024 the European Parliament is anticipated to formally adopt them. The ban on destroying unsold textile and footwear products, specifications for product durability, reusability, and repairability, and the introduction of digital product passports that will help provide more transparency about how things are made and their environmental impact are all planned, though the specifics are still pending.
The demand for on-demand fashion is expected to increase
In the fashion sector, overproduction is a major issue since between 10 and 45 percent of garments are never sold in the first place. This is due to the fact that the present model relies on retailers’ predictions of what products customers will purchase, which is where on-demand manufacturing is useful. The made-to-order business model has been tested by companies like Weekday and Desigual, while Unspun, which collaborated with Eckhaus Latta on its spring 2024 collection, offers 3D technology that allows clothing to be manufactured on demand, straight from the yarn.
Greener dyes are developed
Nowadays, dyeing is a very harmful procedure; the chemical discharge from dyeing has entirely changed the hue of rivers in Bangladesh and China. Fortunately, a new generation of technologies has emerged, including Air-Ink (which transforms pollution into dyes), Living Ink (algae-based dyes utilized in a recent Nike x Billie Eilish collaboration), and Colorifix (bacterial dyes used by Pangaia).
These days, seaweed is all the rage
Seaweed has remained mostly unnoticed—until recently—whereas leathers made of mushrooms have been discussed for a while. While companies like Another Tomorrow have worked with SeaCell, which is made by ethically harvesting seaweed from Iceland’s fjords, Stella McCartney introduced a new seaweed-based yarn, Kelsun, on the runway for spring 2024.
Blended fabric recycling is possible with new technology
Less than 1% of used clothing is currently recycled into new items, making recycling a significant problem. The challenge of isolating composite materials has proven to be one obstacle; this is where Circ enters the picture. It converts polycotton fabrics into fibers that can be recycled into new clothing, such as polyester and Lyocell. The first designer to reveal a dress was Mara Hoffman in October.
A fair transition is essential
New advancements are vital, but we also need to remember the people who manufacture our clothes: the garment workers. Surprisingly, 93% of brands do not now pay livable wages to garment workers. Fashion Revolution, a campaign organization, cautions that switching to on-demand models may result in extreme strain on employees because of “sudden and unpredictable surges.” Because of this, a fair transition is necessary, guaranteeing workers safe employment and equitable compensation while the sector adopts new technologies and shifts toward a more sustainable future.
