Sustainability Needs To Be Embedded Into The Core Of Brands Before Irreparable Damage Is Done

Sustainability should not be a mere fad. It needs to be embedded in the core of companies before irreparable damage is done

- Amos Chin

WHETHER IT IS GREENWASHING OR MARKETING PLOY, the sustainability trend has helped underscore the environmental issues within the fashion industry while encouraging people to be more conscious of their shopping habits. While it’s good that many brands and consumers are putting some effort into reducing their carbon footprint, there seems to be no long-term plan or scheme. Understanding the severity of the situation, brands such as Burberry, Loewe, Kenzo and Moncler have taken things in hand by launching a series of initiatives to take environmental sustainability to the next level. In pursuing this new paradigm of earth-conscious living, these brands are setting a precedent for other conglomerates, and hopefully emboldening them to kickstart their own trajectory towards a climate-resilient and sustainable future.

Biodiversity Protection

More than just practising the three Rs, sustainability is also about reducing and mitigating the industry’s contribution to biodiversity loss and damages within the ecosystem. While the correlation between fashion and the aforementioned is ambiguous, experts highlighted the gravity of the situation, pointing out that retrieving raw materials from farms and agriculture can lead to soil degradation, habitat loss and cause harm to species that reside around the vicinity of harvesting. Not to mention, viscose, one of the many concerning tree-based fibres in textile production, contributes to deforestation and chemical pollution.

Though it will require immense efforts to improve biodiversity, bringing nature back from the brink is possible when more brands start taking actions collectively.