This article explores sustainability issues in the fashion industry. Starting Feb 7, 2022, the Sustainability Hub will host Sustainable Fashion Week - a week long series of virtual events and workshops, including a special talk by fashion consultant and author, Aja Barber.
Learn more and register for free public events during Sustainable Fashion Week.
The global fashion and textile industry is expected to increase carbon emissions by more than 60% by 2030 [1]. The women and children in the communities that produce these goods continue to experience disastrous human rights and equity issues [2]. Once purchased and run through the laundry, these clothes begin releasing microplastics into waterways, adversely affecting biodiversity in the ocean [3]. Then most garments enter the waste stream – also set to increase by 62% by 2030 – with only 1% entering the circular economy via closed-loop fibre-to-fibre recycling [4].
To explore these issues further, the Sustainability Hub launched UBC’s very first ‘Sustainable Fashion Week’. An opportunity for students, staff, faculty, and the public to learn more about the social and environmental issues surrounding the “fast fashion” industry, and to explore alternatives including sustainable buying, clothing repair and reuse, and textile recycling. According to Sustainability Hub organizer Tim Herron, the inspiration came from, “reading an article about how scientists were beginning to detect and measure textile fibres in the waters around Vancouver and the Island, and around the same time hearing the concept of slow fashion, textile waste and thrifting coming up in conversations, articles and television interviews.”
As a diverse and interdisciplinary space, our home in the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) provided the perfect venue to bring together students, faculty, staff and the broader community to explore academic, artistic, and social engagement on the topic of sustainability in the fashion industry. Over four days, CIRS hosted events including a student-run clothing swap, a repair café with local non-profit Frameworq, a film screening plus panel events with representatives from the North Face and Patagonia, a competition sponsored by Arcterxy, and a thrift store challenge – pairing master thrifters with fashion newbies – to put together an amazing new outfit on a second-hand budget.
Katy Ho, 4th-year UBC Sauder student, hosted the 'Fashion for Good' panel discussion and summed up the feeling among participants. “One piece of clothing can cause massive amounts of environmental damage while exploiting animals, farmers, and workers,” said Ho. “But on the other hand, if done correctly, fashion can help uplift communities and bring joy into the world.”
Working in partnership with manufacturers, retailers, and non-profits to provide free public engagement programming attracted strong interest from the media. In total, our events were covered by 12 outlets across television, radio, and online including Global News, CBC, and The Tyee.
Starting Feb 7, 2022, the Sustainability Hub will host Sustainable Fashion Week again - a week long series of virtual events and workshops, including a special talk by fashion consultant and author, Aja Barber.
Learn more and register for free public events during Sustainable Fashion Week.
[1] Boston Consulting Group and Global Fashion Agenda, "Pulse of the Fashion Industry," 2017.
[2] Vicki Crinis (2019) Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights and Clothing Workers in Bangladesh and Malaysia, Asian Studies Review, 43:2, 295-312, DOI: 10.1080/10357823.2019.1588850
[3] Duis and Coors Environ Sci Eur (2016) 28:2 DOI 10.1186/s12302-015-0069-y
[4] Ellen McArthur Foundation and Circular Fibres Initiative, "A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion's Future," 2017.