Fast
fashion might be dubbed dirty and bad for the environment but there are some
simple steps that can be implemented this year that will make the sector more
sustainable by 2030.
Welcome
to 2025 and the official five-year countdown for when many fashion brands and
retailers need to have hit their self-proclaimed 2030 sustainable goals.
Given the clock is ticking, it is essential
the apparel industry keeps sustainability front of mind, and remains open
minded about how its environmental goals can be achieved.
This does not necessarily mean a complete
end to fast fashion. The big brands that are built on seasonal trends will be
relieved to hear consumers will be able to tap into the latest TikTok fashion
crazes without the worry of their purchases ending up in landfill one day.
In a recent interview with Just Style,
Vanessa Vongsouthi, the research founder and head of protein engineering at
Australian enviro-tech company Samsara Eco, oozed positivity about what her
plastic-degrading enzyme technology can achieve.
She admits there is still a way to go before
the fashion supply chain will be truly circular. However, as a scientist
working in the field, she is hopeful garment manufacturers in future will be
able to source the original monomers that go into polyester from fashion waste
— instead of polluting petrochemicals.
In other words, infinitely recycling
worn polyester garments into new clothing could be possible.
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Of course, any kind of major change requires
a mindset shift and this will mean the fashion industry will need to take a
fresh look at how it approaches recycling.
Textile-to-textile recycling non-profit
Accelerating Circularity investigated the pitfalls of recycling polyester
by examining a number of supply chains in 2024 and realised there are many
problems that still need to be addressed and fixed.
But, no matter how you look at it — the
number one thing the fashion industry can do today and throughout 2025 to be a
future friend to itself by the time we reach 2030 is to up its game when it
comes to designing with circularity in mind. That includes both the materials
that are used and how they are placed so they can either be repaired or
separated back down to their constituent parts at a later date.
If the entire industry produces all garments
with the end in mind, it will make it much easier for scientists to develop
solutions and for fast fashion to finally say with confidence that it is no
longer costing the earth.
