Sustainable fashion
As fast fashion grows in popularity, big brands are cottoning on to the necessity of using sustainable materials, writes Jeanette Wang
In the early 1990s, a series of media exposés on poor conditions, worker abuse and child exploitation in garment and footwear factories led to an anti-sweatshop movement. It prompted high-profile companies to move towards more ethical manufacturing.
These days, however, being socially responsible is not enough - environmental sustainability is also key.
"In the past 20 years, the awareness of ethical manufacturing has jumped dramatically, but the sustainability issue has only come to the fore in the past five years or so," says Steven Jesseph, chief operating officer for consultancy group ICG, and a global leader on responsible apparel production.
"In my view, companies that don't move to a sustainable model will likely be out of business in the next 20 years or less. We - businesses, governments and consumers - simply cannot continue consuming non-renewable resources at the present rate and expect to have any decent quality of life in the future."
Jesseph is the former CEO of certification organisation Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (Wrap). In his 10 years at the non-profit he worked to improve conditions at factories worldwide. His current mission, however, is to draw attention to fashion's future challenges, including the dwindling natural resources which it depends on.
The pace of fashion doesn't seem to be slowing, despite a more sluggish economy. According to research group Euromonitor International, the global apparel market was worth US$1.7 trillion last year, up 5.8 per cent over 2011. Spanish fashion group Inditex, which produces Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka, and Massimo Dutti, among other brands - led the pack with sales of US$375 million, ahead of Sweden's H&M.