The fashion industry is the second largest polluting industry in the world, yet they aren’t just a problem. They are also a solution for some of the largest global issues.
The fashion industry is largely targeted towards women, that in itself isn’t equality. However, it allows women to make a living and take control of their lives, earning their own money. That is a solution towards achieving equality. It helps to alleviate women from positions of poverty. It means they can contribute to putting food on the tables for their families thus fighting the global issue of hunger.
Contrary to the well-known stereotype of sweatshops in the fashion industry, it’s also working towards a solution for fair pay and fair working conditions. Yes, working towards. We know it isn’t there yet but with accreditations such as Fair Wear the fashion industry plays a role in solving global issues like economic inequality and unfair and unsafe working conditions.
All this sounds good, but we can hear you think, what about climate change and the environment? Hasn’t fashion been one of the biggest polluters when it comes to these issues? We’ll admit, yes. But we will follow this with a big “but” because the fashion industry has evolved tremendously and is more and more becoming a solution towards these global issues.
With the rise of slow fashion, sustainable fashion, and ethical fashion the industry kills two birds with one stone. It tackles life on land and life below water by fighting unnecessary fashion waste through overproduction by often using a “print-on-demand” approach. Moreover, it doesn’t use any toxic chemicals in their clothing which means they don’t end up in the water when washing your clothes.
The fashion industry has become a contributor to solutions to global issues and we think their role will only become bigger in the future.