https://unsplash.com/photos/white-crew-neck-sleeveless-top-with-gold-colored-necklace-_ysU7TqBiZI
Whether it’s responding to changing trends, seasons, or other cultural events, no industry evolves quite as rapidly as the fashion industry. However, one issue that is causing fashion to drastically change its ways is the issue of sustainability.
Consumers no longer expect brands to focus on sustainability, they demand it. With so many different fashion stores and eCommerce sites available to us these days, it’s a demand that brands must get on board with.
In terms of specific challenges, here are four sustainability challenges facing the fashion industry right now and what brands can do to counteract these new challenges.
Overconsumption
Overconsumption has become a hot topic in many industries recently but none more so than in the fashion industry. The fast fashion sector has been built off cheaply manufactured goods that aren’t built to list. This leads to items being replaced and ultimately, overconsumption.
As consumers, the quickest way we can consume less fashion goods is to buy clothes that are built to last so we don’t have to make as many purchases. This attitude has led to a decline in the popularity of fast fashion in recent years. On the flip side, purchasing second-hand items from thrift stores has become increasingly popular as consumers look to take a more circular approach to fashion consumption.
Circular fashion involves extending the lifespan of a product. Often this is done by repairing, recycling or reselling. Consumers’ desire to extend the life of products rather than replace them has become a direct combatant to overconsumption which has left the fashion market in a very different place to the fast-fashion-dominated space of the last 10 years.
Carbon Footprint
Fashion brands and their supply chains have a damning effect on the world’s carbon emissions. Manufacturing and delivery processes both involve the emission of harmful gases while the amount of clothes ending up in landfill sites has also become a cause for concern.
Today, more consumers are wary of their carbon footprint and are trying to make more sustainable purchasing choices which is impacting the way fashion brands do business. Whether it’s offering more sustainable delivery options or cleaning up their supply chain, there are ways for brands to become more appealing to these types of consumers.
Despite this, the most sustainably-minded decision a consumer can make is to not purchase. As a result, brands must find new ways to appease these super sustainable consumers.
Raw Materials
The fashion industry is one of the biggest consumers of raw materials. One of the biggest challenges facing fashion brands currently is the pressure being put on them to change long-standing practices that see them consume vast amounts of materials such as cotton, wool and polyester.
In an attempt to reduce this consumption, brands are expected to make more sustainable choices by increasing recycling efforts and using sustainable materials to produce garments. Fashion brands that fail to move with the times are at risk of losing market share to sustainable fashion brands that consumers are choosing to purchase from.
Patagonia puts sustainability at the heart of its business practices. The brand’s mission statement reads “we’re in business to save our home planet” and has no mention of style, fashion, or clothing. Despite putting sustainability before style, the brand continues to post impressive sales data, a perfect example of how consumers’ concerns are shaping the future of the fashion industry.
Unsold Inventory
Massive amounts of clothing go unsold every single year. Whether this stock is then sold off at a discount or destroyed, it’s clothing that didn’t need to be produced and has already involved the emission of greenhouse gases.
For brands, there is increasing pressure to make more accurate predictions around stock levels and forecasts. This is a particular issue for luxury brands that don’t have the option to sell stock at a lower price. For example, you’ll never see the likes of Louis Vuitton promoting a men’s hoodie sale due to the negative impact it would have on their overall brand.
In an attempt to clean up this area of their operations, many luxury brands have turned to AI in an attempt to more accurately predict trends.