For the most part, fashion is still not on the right track to becoming more sustainable and meeting its climate targets. A recent report by Stand.Earth found that out of 14 major brands, only four are set to cut greenhouse gas emissions by the amount required to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Heading into 2024, we will need to see action pick up across the fashion industry. Luckily, in the EU, legislation is finally on its way, with the European Union approving new eco-design legislation in December, which will include a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear products and requirements designed to improve the circularity of products. Meanwhile, other exciting innovations could help provide some of the solutions needed. Below see some of ways the fashion industry can become more sustainable in the new year.
On-demand fashion
Overproduction is a huge problem in the fashion industry, with an estimated 10 to 45 per cent of all clothes never sold to start with. That’s because currently the model is based on retailers predicting what customers are going to purchase – which is where on-demand manufacturing comes to play. Brands, such as Weekday and Desigual, have begun experimenting with the made-to-order model, while Unspun – which collaborated with Eckhaus Latta on its spring/summer 2024 collection – provides 3D technology that can make clothes on demand, directly from the yarn.
Dyes become eco-friendly
Currently, dyeing is an incredibly polluting process – with rivers in countries, like Bangladesh and China, turned completely different colors from the chemical discharge. Luckily, with a new wave of innovations, such as Colorifix (bacterial dyes); Living Ink (algae-based dyes); and Air-Ink (which turns pollution into dyes).
Seaweed as material
While mushroom-based leathers have been talked about, seaweed has stayed pretty under the radar – until recently. Stella McCartney debuted a new seaweed-based yarn, Kelsun, on the runway for spring/summer 2024, while brands like Another Tomorrow have partnered with SeaCell, which is designed by responsibly harvesting seaweed from the fjords of Iceland.
Recycling blended fabrics
Recycling remains a major challenge, with less than one per cent of used garments currently turned into new clothes. One obstacle has been the difficulty of separating blended materials – which is where Circ comes in. It breaks down polycotton materials into polyester and lyocell fibres that can be reused for new garments – with Mara Hoffman to be the first designer to debut a dress using Circ’s technology in October.
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