Why measuring progress is the next step in the eco-friendly fashion revolution
When I last Googled “sustainability” and a few variations of that search term, I found an article about how Burger King has introduced lemongrass into its cows’ diet, which will make their intake easier to digest, resulting in fewer cow farts and, thus, less harmful methane gas in the environment.
What I didn’t get were any articles on page one (or two or three) referring to efforts made by apparel or textile brands or retailers.
When I added “major apparel companies” to my search, I did get some news about companies you would recognize, like Adidas, H&M and Burberry, detailing some sustainable products or events that are geared to warm your heart.
I’m sorry to say: it didn’t do much for me. Sustainability in apparel is not a small matter; with the millions of tons of apparel that are purchased — and thrown away — every year, a style here or there does not solve the problem.
Furthermore, the apparel industry volume is dominated by a few huge companies. It stands to reason that even if thousands of small companies made huge efforts to totally or overwhelmingly cleanse their lines of products that were not sustainable, it would make little impact, at least in the short term. One article in Business of Society, for example, said that, “The top 20 companies in the clothing industry, mostly in the luxury segment, account for 97% of its economic profit (McKinsey 2019).”
Without major, tangible and measurable efforts by these big companies, sustainability is going nowhere. If companies, driven by profits and overwhelmingly answerable for those, are paying lip service to sustainability to placate customers or trying to answer the sustainability call while also satisfying the CFO, board and shareholders, no measurable progress will ever be made.
Clearly, today’s customers are interested in sustainability and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. The same report in Business of Society claims that 94% of Generation-Zers believe that companies should address social and environmental issues (Cone 2017) and that Gen Z alone will account for 40% of global consumers by 2020 (McKinsey 2019). Additionally, 90% of millennials would boycott or otherwise refuse to buy from a company that is doing harm (Cone 2017). Consumers want to support brands that are doing good in the world, with 66% willing to pay more for sustainable goods (McKinsey 2019).
And the above speaks only to the motivation to buy clothes. If clothes are seen as a negative purchase, there will be no urgency to buy.
So how can we hold major companies accountable and show customers whether they are really making substantial efforts toward sustainability? Burger King has already devised some sort of fart-meter to measure the efforts of the cows’ diet change. What can the apparel industry do?
Metrics have been developed to measure sustainability efforts, but many existing measurement efforts fall short. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition, for example, has developed the Higg Index, which seeks to measure sustainability efforts in each segment of the apparel process from design through delivery. Although well-meaning, it is hard to imagine a large apparel company paying for the technological changes to measure sometimes vague steps from the beginning to the end of its supply chains.
Industry leaders should be mandated by customers to develop some metrics that can be easily understood and followed and should be reported on a quarterly basis, such as: the amount spent on sustainability efforts; cost of measures taken to reduce waste and environmental damage in processing, packing, packaging and shipping; average lifecycle of garments based on testing compared to previous periods and number and weight of garments recycled per period, regardless of original brand.
It will take qualified accountants to clarify and quantify these types of measurement, but large companies certainly have the means to hire them. The major question is whether companies will institute such measures.
To ease the path, some simple and straightforward measures can be implemented. One is to eliminate all plastics and synthetics. As stated in the article, “Sustainability Trends That Will Shape the 2020’s,” EcoEnclose suggests that our relationship with plastic will need to change. The damage done by plastic and synthetics to the environment is incalculable. From packaging to microplastics in water, it is still possible to change these habits now.
Manufacturers should also make better-quality, easy-care garments. As the writer of the BOS article said, “I am often asked what one can do as an individual to be more sustainable when it comes to fashion. My answer is in two main parts. First, buy fewer, better-quality items, and wear them for longer. … Second, re-think how you care for your clothes. Washing them less, at lower temperatures, and hanging them to dry will all result in gains for both your energy bill, as well as the environment, estimated at a 3% carbon reduction.”
Businesses should also start a recycling program. Every garment made and shipped to customers should be clearly marked as to how it can be returned for recycling. That tag should be permanent, perhaps next to the care label.
Communicating these efforts to consumers will make them more loyal to your brand, as we know that consumers want to see the relationship between apparel companies and the environment change. And while such large-scale change may seem daunting, it has to be done.
