Things Must Change: Fashion, Environmental Sustainability & the Climate Change Intersection in Africa
by Tariro Sharleen Chikeya
I want to tell my story. My story as a "fashionista" who had a rude awakening of the fashion and climate change intersection in Africa and now I am an advocate for sustainable fashion in my community and youth groups.
I remember sitting in our undergrad class on sustainable consumption and practices adoption, oblivious to the topic like many, but definitely loving how I looked in my new Gucci shoes and matching handbag. I was startled when the lecturer mentioned my name asking if I had heard the question he had posed. Definitely I hadn’t, but my friend sitting next to me helped me out, “He was asking where you got the bag that you so can’t take your eyes from” she said. Blushing and embarrassed I had been caught off guard. I whispered my response that I had gotten it from the street side market – mupedzanhamo as we call it in the vernacular language (the place where all even the poor can buy). And that stimulated the conversation that drew the whole lecture of the day. How the second hand clothes, bags and shoes were flooding Africa from Asia and the West, posing massive waste management in destination countries like mine – Zimbabwe and how the production was often not climate smart and used child labour!
Through the discussions that ensued, my view and light of fashion and sustainability totally changed. I learnt that sustainable fashion concerns more than just addressing fashion textiles and products. It addresses the whole system of fashion i.e. the social, cultural, ecological and financial systems that encompass and epitomise production processes and their resultant impact and contribution to biodiversity loss and climate change.
Another term that that I heard in the discussions that followed was - fast fashion. A contemporary term often used by fashion retailers for designs that flow from the catwalk quickly to capture current fashion trends. Fast fashion collections are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at the fashion weeks both in the spring and fall of every year. The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means environmental concerns are often cut in the name of profit. A systemic change is therefore needed to address the climate and biodiversity crises from fast fashion processes as they have often been blamed of ocean pollution and species population demise due to land pollution and degradation.
Research shows that the sector was responsible for some 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in 2018, about 4 percent of the global total. To reach the 1.5-degree pathway, the fashion industry would need to intensify its abatement actions and scale up existing decarbonisation efforts to reduce annual emissions to around 1.1 billion metric tons in 2030, roughly half of today’s figure. Systemic change in this industry is greatly needed and this change should cover key environmental aspects including emissions from clothing factories and discharge of effluent containing dye and other chemicals into local water bodies.
Most consumers nowadays are empowered youths who are conscious of their environmental footprint, from flights to fashion the enlightened youth consumer is asking questions and if fashion organisations do not change in terms of transparency and sustainability reporting. They will be replaced by alternative greener sources of clothing to feed the needs and aspiration of a cleaner and greener future that characterizes the current youth customer base.
Ultimately this would also improve working conditions, enhance responsible sourcing of raw products, e.g. a push by consumers can lead to raw materials like cotton being 100% produced sustainably and using climate smart agriculture practices like conservation agriculture and agroforestry at the same time.
150 to 300 chinchillas are killed just so an individual can have a fur coat! It just makes me understand now the outrage and anger that drives the PETA protests at fashion shows in Milan we often see on television in my rural homestead. Some of the high end brands have been at the receiving end of angry environmentalists over the exploitation of animals. The PR always takes care of it and business goes on as usual. We often buy clothes all the time yet do not know how many people, biodiversity and wildlife species suffered just to get us that one item.
Systemic change in the fashion industry would save water sources from choking due to algae bloom and the aquatic life contained therein from the detrimental impacts of hazardous effluent. This systemic change needed in the fashion industry could entail tying industry wide standards on effluent discharge to manage the quantities of hazardous chemicals used in the clothe production line, other forms of change that can be led from a legislative and policy point of view include pushing for mandatory ESG reporting and disclosure in the fashion sector. This would definitely change the customer and producer perspectives towards sustainability, climate action and biodiversity conservation.
Imagine if we all embraced the sustainable fashion ideology or school of thought. Imagine the trends we would set if we all said we are no longer procuring fashion products that are not responsibly sources or produced! Imagine if we used natural fibres instead of synthetic fibres that use up lots of water and energy and produce so much waste in the production of our clothes. Imagine if fashion companies used natural dyes or colorants derived from plants, instead of chemical based dye products which have been recorded to promote blooms of alien species in water bodies and on land. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources- roots, berries, bark, leaves and wood and other biological sources such as fungi. Methods and ingredients that date back to our ancestors who used natural fibres and basked in their natural beauty through nature based fashion systems and cosmetics. They adorned beads and painted alluring colours on their faces as fashion yet lived in harmony with nature, and so why can’t we?
Embracing natural methods and products in the fashion space would not only help fight climate change, but it would also enhance livelihoods for local people in the form of jobs and employment related wages. It would also promote creativity and encourage local designs, hence boost economies.
Whilst the term sustainable fashion is broad and not precisely defined, it often incorporates a large socio-economic viewpoint, taking steps to ensure raw materials are ethically-sourced, retailers align with best practices and conditions for workers at all stages of the supply chain are improved where possible. In today’s culture, floating somewhere between concern and conscientious, fashion brands are seldom seen without sustainability / environmental policy yet alone a responsible procurement plan. Most brands are just green washing their fashion products a paper practices with detrimental climate change and biodiversity impact. Yet they do not have sustainability at the forefront of their business strategy.
Policy makers and investors also have important parts to play in these efforts. Governments and regulators should promote sustainable practices and conscious consumption, and provide incentives to support decarbonisation measures with high abatement potential. Investors can make their contribution by encouraging decarbonisation initiatives, emission transparency, and sustainability-focused innovation among the fashion companies in their portfolios.
My dream is to wake up one day knowing that I’m going to put on a pretty dress made from responsibly sourced products or natural fibres, a dress made by employees of legal age and that we have all formed a united front to fight climate change and biodiversity loss issues related to fashion and our looking pretty. My dream is to wake up in an Africa where youths are empowered, vocal and innovate ideas are accepted and used to make a positive change towards adoption of sustainable fashion on the continent.
About
I am a rising, ambitious and proficient social worker with a firm commitment to social development and environmental impact. I advocate for gender equity and equality in all programs and operations by amplifying the voices of girls, youths and women and their needs. My desire and goal is to impact positive change in societies and in the lives of disadvantaged and minority groups through effective, team based and innovative strategies.