This article is part of an examination series responsible fashionand innovative efforts to address issues facing the fashion industry.
Lately, one word has popped up again and again in conversations about fashion and climate change: decreased growth.
what does that mean? Jason Heckel, economic anthropologist and proponent of the movement, I have written this retreat “The planned reduction in the use of energy and resources designed to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a way that reduces inequality and improves human welfare.”
At first, it seems an awkward bout. Fashion is rooted in constant consumption and extraction of the earth's resources, but degrowth is an anti-capitalist movement that challenges the long-held view that more is always better.
term, Coined in 1972 Introduced by French political theorist André Gorez, it is becoming more popular as consumers become more aware of it Catastrophic levels of global warming.
Shows slow growth Bookshelves in Tokyo Philosopher Kohei Saito published Capital in the Anthropocene, a popular book on the subject. In London's debating galleries, How to Academy presents events such as "The pursuit of growth is a disaster for our country and our planet.” And the low growth is shown on TikTok too, with twisted edited interpretations that appeal to Gen Z.
Discussions of declining growth are not limited to the fashion industry. However, it appears to be particularly challenging there, given that global apparel consumption is expected to increase by 63 percent by 2030, from 62 million tons to 102 million tons, According to research by the Boston Consulting Group (Equivalent to over 500 billion additional T-shirts).
Our coverage of the COP27 Climate Summit
Decreased growth may be especially resonant now that the evidence points to climate change Accelerates Emissions from textile manufacturing are expected to rise by 60 percent by 2030, according to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
At the same time, weather patterns are unpredictable and dwindling resources It affects supply chains, including the cotton fields of Pakistan and the Amazon rainforest, making the material more difficult to obtain and produce. So far, many of the goals fashion companies have set to reduce pollution and improve labor standards, or invest in new green technologies and regulations, have little effect.
There are no household-name companies completely revamping business models to align themselves with aggressive growth captives yet. But decades after Patagonia unveiled its iconic "Don't Buy This Jacket" ad campaign, some are tentatively exploring how they might incorporate the concept into their business.
Almost all efforts involve Circular Purposeful approaches to ensure that products are recycled, generated and reused on an ongoing basis. in SeptemberBritish department store, Selfridges announce It wanted nearly half of customer transactions to be based on resale, repair, rental or repacking by 2030. Fledgling brands like the early majority, which was founded by a former executive in Patagonia, are described as growth-disrupting brands because they entice consumers to buy items only once. And the Ralph Lauren Explores what "financial growth through declining resource growth" might look like.
“We've seen our finances improve even though we're producing fewer units compared to five years ago,” Halide Alagoz, Ralph Lauren's chief product and sustainability officer, told delegates at COP26 last year.
The company did not disclose details when contacted by The New York Times in October. But lower growth here is mainly used to mean supply chain optimization; Improve efficiency by using raw materials to produce more of the product that actually sells - which means less product waste and more profit.
Like the term "sustainability," which means different things to different people, low growth is used in a variety of ways—and this leads to major disagreements about what it is and what it means. Some say the wide range of tariffs makes them vulnerable Green washThe practice of companies making misleading claims about their environmental credentials deceitful customers.
"Part of the problem is that nobody knows the terms," he said. Daniel Susskindan economist and research professor at King's College London and the University of Oxford.
He said that economists who believe that declining growth is the answer, insist that the only way to reduce carbon emissions is to achieve lower growth. But he said a mindset that focuses solely on shrinking the fashion economy would be a mistake.
“I think for it to be credible, the focus has to be on what growth is different, what types of growth are best and how to catalyze that,” Susskind said. “The throttle-or-brakes mentality is not realistic here. Helping people find a safe path to more responsible business practices and sourcing.”
American designer Eileen FisherConsidered the godfather of the slow Western fashion movement, it has spent four decades preoccupied with the idea of buying less, consuming less, and producing less while still running a profitable brand. She's also wary of the term "reduced growth."
"We're not saying 'degrowth' here - we're talking about good growth and how to grow the good things in our business while cutting out the bad," she said. (She decided not to publicize her business 20 years ago after investment analysts told her she didn't have a "robust" enough growth plan, she says.)
"Healthy growth means fair wages and consideration for the Earth's dwindling natural resources," said Ms. Fisher said.
Her solution is to sell timeless designs made from durable, ethically sourced fabrics that are easily repairable and recyclable. She also started Renew, a buy-back program, in 2009, where customers can return clothes they no longer want to resell, donate, or have them made into new designs.
Others believe that the decline in real growth will come from consumers, rather than demand-creating brands. Buying less is the easiest way for consumers to reduce their impact on the planet because it avoids all the headaches and contradictions that come with trying to shop sustainably, said Alec Leach, former fashion editor and author of the book. "The world is burning, but we still buy shoes."
“I am very skeptical that any company will give us growth — it's something we'll have to take on ourselves,” said the master. Leach said. “Brands may provide resale opportunities, but they still work with influencers, drive ad campaigns, put on international runway shows, and ultimately produce the same if not more stuff.”
New legislation may have an impact. In the US and Europe, potential new regulations could improve supply chain due diligence and enforce robustness requirements designed to reduce waste
Many experts say that conversations about declining growth in fashion must also take into account the livelihoods of millions of garment workers. fast fashion Retailers rarely own the factories that make their clothes. The vast majority of orders for clothes and shoes Outsourcing to suppliers Global South, where the cost of human labor is cheaper.
The economic fallout from the pandemic may have magnified some of these concerns, and advocates of degrowth have suggested that efforts should begin in rich countries. Mostafauddin, owner of a Bangladeshi garment factory with 2,000 employees, noted that any slowdown in orders - unless carefully managed - could have a disastrous impact on jobs.
“I often read about reaching net zero goals, and I'm not against them,” Eldin said. But he also noted that workers could lose their jobs depending on how efforts to reduce growth are implemented.
With the global economic recession, rising energy costs and geopolitical instability, mr. Audi has managed volatility lately, although it hasn't been linked to declining growth. His orders slowed as the economy slowed, and he reduced his employees' hours.
"We must be very careful and have many clear and collective talks between East and West to create a suitable infrastructure," he said.
While saving the planet is crucial, he said, "we need to consider people as well."
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