Nachhaltigkeit

Clothing is a basic need. It keeps us warm and dry. It protects us against the sun. What we wear also fills an important social need, helping us to express both our personal and cultural identity. Today’s fashion industry is huge. It’s the world’s third-largest manufacturing sector, contributing $2.4 trillion to the global economy. Over 150 billion articles of clothing are produced each year. Fashion employs 300 million people across its value chain*—a sixth of the world’s workforce.

Unfortunately, all this comes at a terrible environmental and social cost.

The fashion industry is responsible for up to 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions—more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. It consumes 215 trillion liters of water a year and accounts for 9% of the microplastics found in our oceans. For the majority of workers, conditions are dangerous and exploitative. Compensation is often below a livable wage, especially for women who comprise 80% of the
workforce.

The industry must change. If not, the United Nations has little hope of meeting its Sustainable
Development Goals by the 2030 deadline. It’s time to rethink every stage of the fashion industry’s ecosystem, from how we source textiles and manufacture garments to how we buy them and dispose of them.

Slow Fashion is the answer.