Kate Fletcher and Mathilda Tham wrote a very enlightening article outlining the urgency of action to combat climate change. This article is available both online and in print and is titled Earth Logic, Fashion Action Research Plan. The article encourages us to be critical of the current fashion structure, the need to change the mindset and psychology around fashion and consumption as well as the need to be firm in the actions required to address climate change.
https://katefletcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Earth-Logic-plan-FINAL.pdf
Kate and Mathilda write that despite the awareness and acknowledgement of global warming there has been no real change with the culture of production and consumption. We can see with the increase in interest, knowledge, measures and technologies aimed towards fashion and sustainability, that there has no net reduction. This reminds me of the point made in Living the Change where they explain that the economy requires for nature to support its continued growth. I believe that the reasons why, despite the growing interest and acknowledgement around climate change and sustainability, is because there is a belief that it is possible to address the crisis within the current economic/money system. Not only will this article show why this is not possible, but Living the Change and The True Cost further supports the notion that in order for us to make the changes required in order to address climate change we will need to disrupt the system in place for the sake of economy.
“The plan starts from the simple but radical idea of putting the health and survival of our planet earth and consequently the future security and health of all species including humans, before industry, business and economic growth.”
The above quote captures the mindset we need to adopt in order to address climate change. By doing so, we would be able to start implementing the change needed to begin repairing the damage caused the past hundred of years. It may sound easy to put the survival of planet earth first however this has not been the case. We have seen time and time again that governments have failed to implement the legislation required for fear of how this will impact the current economic system. Here we see that the health of the environment and the future of our children are placed second to profit.
“The fashion sector is shaped by economic and cultural processes and a market-driven cycle of consumer desire and demand.”
Research has shown that “at each stage within the lifecycle of fashion is associated with environmental and social costs.” From the farming of crops required to make fabrics; the production of textiles; the exploitation of workers in underdeveloped countries; to demand of consumerism and economic growth, all of which at the cost of the environment and social welfare. 25% of chemicals produced worldwide are used for textiles; 20% of global industrial water pollution is caused by dyeing and finishing; waste after purchase to the value of “over $500 billion per year is lost due to their underutilisation and lack of recycling”; an estimate of about $700 million worth of clothing ends up in landfills, this is all expected to rise by 63% by 2030. The business model that the fashion industry currently has in place, known as fast fashion, pushes for low prices which feed and enable over consumption.
“The Earth Logic plan draws on a series of key reference points. They have in common the understanding of systems thinking and all species’ interdependence; the ‘intersectionality’ of colonialism, Western hegemony, patriarchy, human exceptionalism and growth logic in creating and reinforcing the current environmental predicament.”
Kate and Mathilda note that the current state of the fashion industry and its contribution to the global warming crisis calls for radical change. Although small systemic changes such as up-cycling clothing, thrift shopping and purchasing from sustainable/environmentally friendly brands may help there this is not enough. We need to make holistic and systemic changes. Holistic changes are required as everything is interconnected. Yes, we are specifically looking at ways the fashion industry need to change in order to address the global warming crisis however we cannot achieve any real change without reinventing/rewriting the economic systems which is the driving force behind all of this.
Below are 6 points explored in the article. These points are overlapping pathways into how the fashion industry can begin to move away from “physical accumulation of goods and towards care and maintenance.”
- LESS: Grow out of growth
- LOCAL: Scaling, re-centring
- PLURAL: New centres for fashion
- LEARNING: New knowledge, skills, mindsets for fashion
- LANGUAGE: New communication for fashion
- GOVERNANCE: New ways of organising fashion
The above points are broken down in detail throughout the text. It provides answers to the what, how and why questions. I believe that each proposed point is definitely radical in that it explains the system changes required by fashion industry and provides ways in which it can achieve this. As noted by Kate and Mathilda, there is no picking and choosing and in order for this be successfully implemented, the industry will need to adopt this model as a whole. The proposed changes are holistic in that they are all interconnected with the intersection of each point being pivotal to its success. The calls to system change are radical as it is not only one for the industry but also for consumers as individuals. To grow out of growth calls for the a change in the economies thirst for unsustainable growth with profits and also for consumers to reduce their appetite for consumption. My understanding is that with the move away from this mentally of growth, more sustainable practices of textile production like natural dying and hand craft will be able to re-flourish. A shift from fast fashion to slow fashion will allow room for the fashion industry to return to age old methods of garment production and will reduce the pressures in areas like farming thus encouraging a move towards the regeneration of age farming methods. With this move back to craftsmanship we will hopefully see an improvement in the treatment of garment factory workers and move towards fair and safe working conditions.
Bibliography:
Fletcher, Kate and Tham, Mathilda, Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan (London: JJ Charitable Trust, 2019), https://katefletcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Earth-Logic-plan-FINAL.pdf
Seini's Blog for Earth-Centred Design and Cultural Sustainability 