{"id":5230,"date":"2019-09-17T17:12:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T17:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/?p=5230"},"modified":"2022-09-29T12:57:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T12:57:15","slug":"8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/about-todd-shelton\/the-company\/8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible","title":{"rendered":"8 Reasons Sustainable Fashion Is Nearly Impossible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

People are beginning to talk more about sustainable fashion. Many realize that clothing consumption is unsustainable for a healthy planet. As the population grows and higher standards of living are achieved in developing countries, things will only get worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farming, energy, water, air – all encounter negative\nconsequences when clothing is produced. And clothing is being produced at\nepidemic levels – with millions of pounds of unworn, unused clothing being burned\nor sent to landfills every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"forest\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cost to manufacture clothing has become so cheap that\ncorporations and consumers no longer value garments. And they turn a blind eye\nto the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organic fabrics and recycled water bottles are easy to understand solutions, but true sustainable fashion is complex, and if addressed, would disrupt economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the 8 unpopular reasons fashion is unsustainable and the potential solutions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. We\u2019re Consuming Clothing at an Alarming Rate <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to McKinsey & Company, clothing manufacturing doubled between 2000-2015. The length of time consumers kept clothing decreased by 50% during the same 15 years.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price of clothing is so cheap, it\u2019s enabling brands<\/a> to over-manufacture and consumers to over-consume. The price is so low, neither group cares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higher prices would slow manufacturing and consumption. Tariffs or consumption taxes would increase prices, reduce consumption, and generate revenue for labor and environmental initiatives. Unfortunately, government involvement would be necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Brands Over-manufacture Inventory  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brands forecast what and how much consumers will buy. But forecasting is simply an educated guess. It\u2019s rarely accurate and highly wasteful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inventory-based manufacturing is the opposite of on-demand manufacturing (a.k.a. made-to-order). On-demand only makes a product when a consumer requests it, maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste. Therefore, on-demand is true sustainable fashion. Clothing manufacturing volume would be a fraction of what it is today if the industry shifted to on-demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Shopping as Entertainment <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Retail developers group clothing, food, and entertainment into social destinations to maximize the value of foot traffic. Inside these developments, marketers are on the prowl, selling us things we don\u2019t need, just to have something to do socially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separate your clothes shopping from your social life. Resist impulse buying. Buy based on needs that fit into an overall clothing plan.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Constantly Changing Trends <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fashion industry is designed for constant variety and change, both are required to drive sales. Always-changing trends generate sales but create wardrobes stuffed with rarely-worn clothing \u2013 that eventually ends up at Goodwill before going to the landfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To minimize wasteful, mistake-prone purchases, develop a plan for what you wear and more importantly, what you don\u2019t wear. A plan less reliant on trends, will help protect you from marketing of the fashion industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Bad Fits  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reason most garments are never worn is usually because of a small fit issue. The problem is, sizing is designed for businesses, not people. S, M, L, XL are easy to manage in a store, but can\u2019t possibly fit a customer base effectively. Look around at how clothing fits people, it\u2019s not good \u2013 and it could be so much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find and support a brand that values fit and fits you well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Brands Take Advantage of Poor Countries <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Brands want products made cheap. They have leverage over factories\nand apply impossible pressure to reduce prices. To survive, factories find a\nway to meet the price; the workers and the environment pay the price.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labor and environmental laws in poor countries are loosely\nenforced, if at all. Poor countries don\u2019t have the infrastructure or expertise\nto police how industry treats their environment or their people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People in every country have the right to work. But if the\nwork damages their health and dignity, is the work worth it? Do your best to judge\nthe values of the brands you support.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Customers Demand Discounts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Making a product responsibly and sustainable costs money. If the price is low, it\u2019s not responsible or sustainable \u2013 regardless of what the marketing material claims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many consumers refuse to buy clothing unless it\u2019s on sale. But consumers can\u2019t expect discounted prices and<\/em> responsibly made, sustainable fashion. Consumers who care about labor and environmental issues must be willing to accept higher prices from responsible brands that manufacture sustainably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Big Corporations Appetite for Growth <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fashion industry is over saturated with clothing, yet corporations have unhealthy appetites for top-line growth. Making many more garments than the world\u2019s population could ever need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"closet<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Significant change will need to come from regulation because corporations won\u2019t self-regulate. Governments must begin studying sustainable fashion and how regulation could better balance supply and demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until then, consumers can help by withdrawing support from\nbrands they believe only focus on selling goods – at any cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 8 points listed above run counter to how corporate fashion operates. Addressing any of these would be unpopular. Corporate fashion will talk about sustainable fashion practices like organic fabrics, less water usage, energy-efficient factories \u2013 all positive, but all of which should be happening anyway. Let\u2019s start the conversation about the real problems.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have thoughts or opinions about this\nstory, we\u2019d like to hear from you. Please reach out to us at support@toddshelton.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People are beginning to talk more about sustainable fashion. Many realize that clothing consumption is unsustainable for a healthy planet. As the population grows and higher standards of living are achieved in developing countries, things will only get worse. Farming, energy, water, air – all encounter negative consequences when clothing is produced. And clothing is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-todd-shelton","category-the-company"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 Reasons Sustainable Fashion Is Nearly Impossible - Todd Shelton Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Organic fabrics and recycled water bottles are easy to understand solutions, but sustainable fashion is complex, and if addressed, could disrupt economies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/about-todd-shelton\/the-company\/8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Reasons Sustainable Fashion Is Nearly Impossible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Organic fabrics and recycled water bottles are easy to understand solutions, but sustainable fashion is complex, and if addressed, could disrupt economies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/about-todd-shelton\/the-company\/8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Todd Shelton Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/toddshelton\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-09-17T17:12:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-29T12:57:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/2019_0923_8_reasons_feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"721\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ToddSheltonUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ToddSheltonUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/about-todd-shelton\/the-company\/8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/toddshelton.com\/blog\/about-todd-shelton\/the-company\/8-reasons-sustainable-fashion-is-nearly-impossible\",\"name\":\"8 Reasons Sustainable Fashion Is Nearly Impossible - 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