Fast fast fast fashion: "Wear me baby one more time!"

Economically, the textile industry is one of the most important sectors in the world with a value of USD 1.3 trillion per year [1]. In Europe, according to estimates by the European Commission, the sector generates a turnover of 160 billion Euro per year and employs more than 1.5 million people with approximately 160,000 companies in the sector [2].

Il settore tessile è anche tra i più inquinanti al mondo e si trova al 4° posto, dopo l'alimentazione, l'alloggio e la mobilità. Questo primato negativo si deve, soprattutto, ad un raddoppio della produzione dell'ultimo decennio, così come alla nascita del nuovo settore della moda, ovvero "fast fashion". Il termine è caratterizzato dalla vasta produzione di collezioni in breve tempo, con materiali di media-bassa qualità, ad un prezzo basso e quindi molto accessibile. Infatti, questo accesso quasi illimitato ai vestiti a prezzi contenuti, ha portato ad una diminuzione della durata media dei capi di abbigliamento, perché diventa molto più facile acquistare qualcosa di nuovo per essere "alla moda" piuttosto che indossare un vestito diverse volte oppure ripararlo. La Commissione Europea riporta che ogni capo d'abbigliamento viene sostituito dopo circa 12 mesi [1].

Moreover, the amount of clothing produced exceeds customer demand in the long run. It is estimated, in fact, that around 85% remains unsold in large fashion shops. Certainly, fashion outlets or end-of-season sales help to sell an important part of these clothes, but, nevertheless, a remainder is sent to developing countries, such as Chile or Ghana, where these clothes are resold at even lower prices. What cannot be sold, however, ends up in an open-air dump, such as that of the Atacama desert (currently the largest garment dump in the world - ed) [2].

It should be pointed out, at this point, that online trade has also played a role in increasing the amount of clothes that are sent to landfill. In particular, the free returns offered by companies with the aim of increasing sales have created a boomerang effect whereby a significant amount of clothes ordered online are returned, further increasing the environmental impact of a single piece of clothing.

INCREASING CUSTOMER'S AWARENESS: OVERDRESSED AND JUNK

The above figures are worrying. In fact, starting in the 1980s, a counter-trend began to spread, namely a new way of creating and wearing clothes, oriented towards the support of local craftsmen and the use of eco-friendly materials, called 'slow fashion'. The importance of the movement was reinforced after Elizabeth Cline's famous publication ("Overdressed: The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion"), which raised awareness and brought to light the damage the fast fashion industry was creating to the environment [3]. A few months ago, the docuseries "JUNK, Closets Full" was released, made by Will Media and Sky Italia, which brings to light the irreparable damage created by fast fashion in Chile, Ghana, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Italy, with the aim of making people realise that there is still a way out, but that we, as consumers, are definitely also the protagonists of change [4].

Certainly, the awareness towards materials of natural origin, such as cotton, linen, hemp, but also bamboo and eucalyptus, can be a further step towards a more sustainable textile sector. In particular, hemp fabric, thanks to its resistance to pests and thus the absence of pesticides in the growth cycle, as well as its excellent heat-regulating and breathable properties, make it an ideal ally for all those who are willing to change their clothing and move towards a slower, but above all more sustainable fashion.

This new awareness is changing the fashion paradigm, and therefore, in the last period, more and more consumers are basing their purchasing choices not only on the aesthetically 'beautiful and fashionable', but also following the criteria of a more sustainable production, which must, of necessity, be present in all production phases. This is precisely a fashion that is oriented towards the use of less polluting raw materials, reducing waste during the production phase, offering good working conditions and stimulating a conscious consumption of clothing (a point that came to light with the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, and was later reinforced by the slogan "I made your cloths")[5]. The ultimate goal is thus to encourage the emergence of brands that create clothes that are durable, sustainable and provide a decent wage. Indeed, in recent years, more and more companies have started to re-adapt their production.

HOW TO MEASURE THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY'S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?

The environmental impact of the fashion industry, now impossible to ignore, is leading some segments of the contemporary fashion industry to adapt their production process. This process, however, is costly, as is the procedure itself for measuring the so-called 'sustainability performance' of the textile industry. Furthermore. the measurement process should also be of immediate use for consumers, who will necessarily have to compare the performance of different companies. In general, however, it is possible to refer to two internationally constructed indices such as:

1. Higg Materials Sustainability Index;

2. Product Carbon Footprint.

The first social and environmental performance index was launched in 2012 in the context of a project called 'Sustainable Apparel Coalition'. Its purpose is to check how much the environmental impact of the brand or even of a single product within a specific collection amounts to. This index appears to be valid since it proposed, before other indices, a systematic approach to assessing sustainability; it stimulated communication between different companies in order to identify what improvements could be made in the energy, waste, hydrological and waste sectors [6].

The second index, the Product Carbon Footprint, is in a nutshell the product resulting from the calculation of all greenhouse gases that are emitted in the life cycle of the product from the time it is sourced to its disposal. The final value, kg of Co2, is important because it gives an indication of the emission of carbon dioxide, one of the primary causes of the current global warming [7].

How to recognise if a brand is truly sustainable?

Al giorno d'oggi la vasta scelta dei marchi di moda sicuramente non sta agevolando la scelta dei consumatori, ma nemmeno la distinzione tra quelli veramente sostenibili e quelli tradizionali. Difatti, è bene sapere che, negli ultimi anni, molti marchi di moda stanno abusando del termine "sostenibilità" fino al punto di avere un effetto opposto, ovvero quello del Greenwashing (ne ho parlato qui). Greenwashing è un meccanismo creato dalle grandi marche che si presentano come sostenibili anche se non lo sono davvero.

On the consumer side, avoiding falling into the trap of greenwashing is by no means easy, which is why those oriented towards sustainable fashion must necessarily be aware of the most important indicators, such as:

- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): indicates the use of natural raw materials, mainly organic cotton;

- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): promotes responsible forest management;

- Craddle to Craddle: certifies a brand when it respects product quality and safety by following the dictates of the circular economy.

Prima di fare un acquisto risulta quindi necessari fare una piccola investigazione sulla marca che ci interessa. Meno sono reperibili le informazioni sulla filiera produttiva del marchio, e maggiormente aumenta la probabilità che si tratti di un brand poco sostenibile. Inoltre, i brand che davvero credono nei valori della moda sostenibile sono fieri del loro percorso, quindi sarà possibile verificare la loro veridicità cercando informazioni sul loro sito web (di solito nella sezione "about us" oppure "chi siamo" ci sono molti informazioni aziendali che riguardano anche la produzione). Ci sono poi anche delle applicazioni specifiche che permettono di avere informazioni dettagliate su ogni singolo prodotto oppure marchio che ci interessa. Qualche mese fa ho scoperto l'applicazione Renoon, che uno strumento che permette di verificare l'impatto ambientale di moltissimi brand di moda.

HEMP AS A KEY SUPPORT FOR SLOW FASHION

The question that arises at this point is whether hemp textiles can reverse the trend and accelerate the transition to 'slow'? Of course, this is a trick question, because the aim is not to go faster but to use more sustainable and environmentally friendly textiles. The Cannabis Sativa L. plant, as mentioned here, has long been the subject of prohibition due to its connection with the active ingredient THC - which does not exist in the fibre - and thus all knowledge of processing but also fashion related to textile hemp has been forgotten. However, the importance and sustainability of hemp is confirmed by the study "Ecological Footprint and wateranalysis of cotton, hemp and polyester" produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute, which compared the characteristics that distinguish hemp from cotton and polyester [8].

The first important characteristic that distinguishes hemp from other crops lies in water consumption. Whereas hemp requires very little water and even a smaller amount of soil for processing, the opposite is true for cotton. Hemp also does not need to be protected by chemical pesticides, fertilisers or herbicides, so its development is less likely to contribute to environmental and groundwater pollution.

Hemp, by itself, is able to return 70% of the nutrients it takes from the soil: in general, all trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in return, but, compared to other plantations, hemp is able to absorb a very high amount: each hectare of hemp, in fact, is capable of absorbing as much as 22 tonnes of Co2 [9].

Those mentioned so far are all the advantages that can be derived from hemp cultivation; very advantageous aspects, however, also concern scutching, i.e. the process used to separate fibres from the hemp bark for use in the textile industry. Here too, the water required for this process is very limited; cotton needs four times as much water for scutching as hemp.

The processing step just mentioned, moreover, does not need to be supported by chemical and toxic substances and agents even when the garments are to be dyed. Compared to cotton, hemp is naturally present in more colours, so the likelihood of having to dye the final fabrics is considerably lower.

In conclusion, hemp is a completely organic fibre and therefore even for its disposal there are no particular difficulties or dangers of pollution. In addition, the fibre is particularly resistant so that clothing products made from it can last for years and years without showing signs of wear and tear. However, at a certain point, it is still possible for the fabric to be damaged, but from the point of view of environmental sustainability, nothing worries environmentalists since hemp is a biodegradable material and therefore also compostable and recyclable.

BENEFITS OF HEMP CLOTHING

On the other hand, the benefits of hemp for sustainable fashion are certainly not limited to its environmental impact during the cultivation phase.

In this respect, it should be emphasised that this natural fibre makes it possible to create unique garments that respect all the values advocated by slow fashion. In addition to its durability, hemp fabric has important antibacterial and antifungal properties, which makes hemp fabric ideal for various uses in the laundry sector as well, such as in hospitals (I mentioned this in this article - ed.).

In addition, hemp fabric is very breathable and thermo-regulating, which makes it very cool in summer, preventing the accumulation of stagnant odours such as sweat. However, this thermo-regulating property is also of interest during the more wintry periods, especially when mixed with other natural fibres, as it maintains body temperature.

In conclusion, textile hemp is definitely the number one ally for slow fashion that cares about ethics and environmental responsibility. Not only does the cultivation of hemp help rebalance the devastated ecosystem by minimising its environmental impact of production, but by wearing hemp clothes, we could reduce our clothing consumption due to the fabric's durability.

To learn more about the 10 reasons to wear hemp textiles, I recommend reading

this article - 10 reasons to wear hemp textile.

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