[Issue 106] Sustainable Fashion
Issue #106 // November 21, 2019
This has been me trying to get the newsletter out lately, in the midst of a busy period of work. My brain has been fried.
Lucky for you, however. I'm passing the mic this week to ABL's fabulous intern Lora who is much better suited than me to dive into this week's topic: sustainable fashion.
This conversation is perfectly timed given this week's Washington Post Magazine article, The Troubling Ethics of Fashion in the Age of Climate Change, which asks, "Is it possible to buy fashion that does not imperil the environment?"
And, if you don't already know who Lora is, simply put: Above the Bottom Line would not arrive in your inbox every week without her.
She has been on the team for nearly two years, working hard behind the scenes to make it possible for me to do this while also working a full-time job. She's talented, passionate, and an absolute delight. Even more, she has a valuable perspective on this issue that I'm honored to have her share on this platform.
When you're done reading, hit reply and send us your thoughts!
️❤️️,
Nikita
P.S. There will not be an issue of the newsletter on November 28th due to Thanksgiving. I will see you again in December!
Hello! My name is Lora Sipal, and I am an intern at ABL.
I am currently studying at NC State in the fashion/textile design major. Fashion design has been my main passion for many years now. I learned to sew in elementary school, and when I entered high school I began to teach myself how to sew clothes.
When I began to design my own clothing, it was very freeing and affirming, and I realized very quickly that fashion has a lot of power, both over the environment and humanity. I gravitate towards this field not only for my love of sewing, fabric, and design, but also because I have an equal passion for sustainability, worker’s rights, ethical business, and self expression.
To me, fashion design has an incredible amount of power to disrupt and end many of the problems the world is experiencing.
It is well known that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world (after oil and gas). Less known, however, is that fashion is one of the most exclusionary industries as well and one of the industries with the most worker’s rights violations.
Here are a few noteworthy stats:
Microfibers, which are the small fibers that make up most yarns, degrade quickly and are released from our discarded clothing. This single source of pollution makes up 85% of the human debris around coastlines, and it can barely be seen.
Only about 15% of discarded clothing is recycled or reused. The rest goes straight into a landfill.
20% of industrial water pollution comes from the textile industry.
97% of the clothes Americans wear are made overseas by approximately 40 million garment workers. These workers are mostly women whose rights are regularly infringed upon, be it through low pay, unsafe working conditions, or extended hours.
All of these are issues that me and many of my peers are hellbent on changing.
I love fashion, and I want to fix the problems within the field, not only because I care about corporate social responsibility but because I care about fashion and want the field to be able to survive in a changing world. For the industry to survive, I think it will have to encompass sustainability past just environmental concerns.
Fashion can be an alienating field, and if it does not become more inclusive and begin to diversify its culture — from the CEOs to the designers, the models, and every buyer, retailer, product developer, and employee — it won’t be able to sustain itself for much longer.
In an earlier issue of ABL, I learned that 94% of my generation, Gen Z, believes the companies they support should take stances on social and environmental issues. This means companies, especially fashion companies, are going to need re-earn people's trust on what they are doing to prevent climate change, treat workers right and pay them fairly, and be representative of a diverse world.
The ways that I embrace sustainable fashion into my life are varied, and there are many ways everyone can find a balance that works for them. For me, these are my personal go-to habits.
Buy second-hand, first. It gives the clothing another pass through the cycle before being retired or recycled.
You can also get your friends involved and organize a clothing swap. Everyone gets together with wearable clothes they no longer want, and then you trade amongst each other. It is really fun, but be sure to donate the un-traded clothes to a thrift store or other organization after.
If your clothes are no longer wearable, there are many textile recycling programs, and it is possible that you can find one in your area!
When buying new, be conscious of the companies you're buying from. There are many websites and reports, like the Fashion Transparency Index from FashionRevolution, where you can learn more about your current favorite brands and make adjustments accordingly. You can also download the app Good On You to look up how ethical a brand is before you purchase.
Re-wear, re-wear, re-wear! In today’s age, the old adage of “never wearing the same outfit twice” could not be more off base. Limiting your wardrobe to a smaller amount of clothing, and then having a few “go to” looks can help you from having a never-ending expanding wardrobe of clothes you'll wear once or twice, and then forget about.
There are many other ways to incorporate sustainable and ethical fashion into your life, and it can look different for every person while still being effective. Finding habits that work with your lifestyle is perhaps the most important tip! Whatever habits you decide to incorporate into your life, just be sure that you do them consistently.
Live reaction of me, Nikita, reading this piece. Isn't she amazing!?
Do you enjoy Above the Bottom Line?
The best way to support our success is to join the Patreon community!
Chick-Fil-A Is Ending Donations Criticized By LGBTQ Activists After Years Of Backlash. On Monday, Chick-Fil-A announced that is will be ending donations to two groups that have anti LGBTQ stances, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army. This comes after Chick-Fil-A faced backlash for many years since 2012, when they stopped donations to many other controversial groups but continued to work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army. Chick-Fil-A will instead be concentrating on donating to programs for hunger, homelessness, and education. // BUSINESS INSIDER
Amazon Says It's Considered Face Scanning In Ring Doorbells. Amazon has confirmed that it has considered adding facial recognition technology to its Ring Doorbells in a letter sent to a U.S. Senator Ed Markey defending the companies partnerships with police. Amazon has yet to roll this feature out, and they also stated that they do not have plans to allow law enforcement access to the facial recognition feature. // AP NEWS
Mo’Nique Takes Netflix to Task Over Racial and Gender Bias In 29-Page Discrimination Suit. Actress and comedian Mo’Nique has filed a suit against Netflix based on an offer that the studio made to Mo’Nique for an exclusive stand-up special in November 2017, which was “only a fraction of what Netflix paid other (non-Black female) comedians”. Mo’Nique was offered $500,000 as an opening offer, while other popular comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, and Amy Schumer multi millions. Netflix says they will fight the lawsuit, and reports that they are committed to diversity and equality. // FORTUNE
Airlines On The (Business Class) Hot Seat Over Emissions. Last week, Jozsef Varadi, who is the CEO of Hungary’s Wizz Air, made a statement calling on the rest of the aviation industry to ban business class on trips of less than five hours, in an effort to curb carbon emissions. While the idea has some flaws because banning business class could also lead to higher carbon emissions, experts believe still that overall using the amenities and extra space involved in business class less could help reduce emissions. The article goes into more detail on the nuances of the debate, and what businesses can do to help. // TRIPLE PUNDIT
More Companies Are Openly Supporting Abortion Rights. That May Be Controversial, But It’s Also Good Business. There has been a recent increase in businesses supporting abortion rights, and top executives in many businesses even signed a full-page ad in The New York Times, which was important for both abortion rights and for good business, especially in the tech field. The reasoning for this is because in Silicon Valley, supporting abortions rights can attract female employees or customers, and also indicates a change in the “bro-culture” of the tech world. // FORTUNE
Wall Street Regulators Will Investigate Whether Apple’s Credit Card is Sexist. The New York Department of Financial Services is starting an investigation into Goldman Sachs and the Apple Card after customers began complaining that the algorithm discriminates against women when determining credit limits. A married couple reported that the algorithm determined that the husband should receive 20x the credit limit than the wife did, even though they filed joint tax returns. // QUARTZ
ACLU And Time’s Up Legal Defense Back McDonald’s Employee Alleging Sexual Harassment. On Tuesday, a former McDonald’s employee named Jenna Ries filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s and one of their Michigan franchisees, following 50 other employees who have filed sexual harassment charges against the company. Since then, The ACLU, The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fun, and the labor group Fight for $15 have backed all the plaintiffs after the McDonald’s CEO was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with an employee. // FORTUNE
Facebook Empowers Racism Against Its Employees of Color. This week, Facebook held an event for its African-American Facebook employees called Black@. At the event, the employees heard directly from Mark Zuckerberg and Sherly Sandberg about how Facebook plans on being more inclusive and empowering internally, however, the Facebook employees are reportedly still feeling angry, and oppressed. This article discusses why the employees feel there has been no real change since Mark Luckie’s post that highlighted the patterns of racism at Facebook only a year ago. // MEDIUM
Amazon Sells Clothes From Factories Other Retailers Blacklist. In 2013, a factory collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 workers, and after this horrific event, most of the U.S clothing retailers joined safety monitoring groups which blacklisted clothing from these factories that violated certain safety standards, however, after a Wall Street Journal investigation, it was found that a lot of the clothing listed on Amazon is from Bangladeshi factories that do not follow these safety standards. // WSJ
Japanese Women Are Fighting For The Right To Wear Glasses To The Office. Japanese women are fighting for the right to be able to wear glasses to work, instead of being restricted to just contact lenses or no corrective eye wear at all. This comes on the heels of the #KuToo movement, a movement to end the requirement for Japanese women to wear heels to work. The movement gained traction after #GlassesBan began trending on Twitter and Japan’s Nippon TV aired a segment on the movement. // FORTUNE
Planned Parenthood’s New Tool Can Help Navigate The Dizzying World of Abortion Laws. Planned Parenthood has launched a part of their website that will help people find a Planned Parenthood that has an abortion care provider nearby, as well explain the abortion laws in that state so that they can plan accordingly. Planned Parenthood wants to add third-party abortion care providers to the tool in the future. // FAST COMPANY
This week's headlines were curated by ABL's intern, Lora.
"Each complicated answer eventually spirals down to consumption. The simplest, best path to sustainability is not anti-fashion; it’s anti-gorging."
- Robin Givhan, Washington Post Magazine