https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod en-us 2019-04-19 14:14:02 UTC 2024-11-28 14:41:02 UTC hello@padlet.com https://imgglb.padletcdn.com/v13/image?t=g_auto&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet.net%2Ficons%2Fpng%2F1f455.png VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352808721 It’s tough to love our clothes and keep wearing them for longer when we are faced with a tempting array of newness on offer in the shops. But before you head out into the January sales for those irresistible deals, spare a thought for the impact of fast fashion on the environment.

Fast fashion focuses on speed and low costs in order to deliver frequent new collections inspired by catwalk looks or celebrity styles. But it is particularly bad for the environment, as pressure to reduce cost and the time it takes to get a product from design to shop floor means that environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Criticisms of fast fashion include its negative environmental impact, water pollution, the use of toxic chemicals and increasing levels of textile waste.

Vibrant colours, prints and fabric finishes are appealing features of fashion garments, but many of these are achieved with toxic chemicals. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. Greenpeace’s recent Detox campaign has been instrumental in pressuring fashion brands to take action to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains, after it tested a number of brands’ products and confirmed the presence of hazardous chemicals. Many of these are banned or strictly regulated in various countries because they are toxic, bio-accumulative (meaning the substance builds up in an organism faster than the organism can excrete or metabolise it), disruptive to hormones and carcinogenic.

Polyester is the most popular fabric used for fashion. But when polyester garments are washed in domestic washing machines, they shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic in our oceans. These microfibres are minute and can easily pass through sewage and wastewater treatment plants into our waterways, but because they do not biodegrade, they represent a serious threat to aquatic life. Small creatures such as plankton eat the microfibres, which then make their way up the food chain to fish and shellfish eaten by humans.

]]> 2019-04-19 20:55:23 UTC https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352808721 VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352809919 Stacey Dooley Investigates]]> 2019-04-19 21:05:16 UTC https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352809919 VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352810400 The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest lake in the world and it produced thousands of tons of fish for the local economy annually. Since the 1960s, however, the Aral Sea has been sinking.

"As the Aral Sea has dried up, fisheries and the communities that depended on them collapsed. The increasingly salty water became polluted with fertilizer and pesticides. The blowing dust from the exposed lakebed, contaminated with agricultural chemicals, became a public health hazard. The salty dust blew off the lakebed and settled onto fields, degrading the soil. Croplands had to be flushed with larger and larger volumes of river water. The loss of the moderating influence of such a large body of water made winters colder and summers hotter and drier." - https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/aral_sea.php]]> 2019-04-19 21:11:49 UTC https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/352810400 VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/362988800 “We’re seeing a rise in people searching for sustainable and eco-friendly ideas across areas like travel, food, parenting and style. Given the state of the world environmentally and politically, Pinners, especially Millennials and Gen Z’ers, want to feel like they are making an impact and driving change. Even if these are small everyday changes, it’s inspiring to see people work together to make a difference.”]]> 2019-05-23 15:54:05 UTC https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/362988800 VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/362994919 Despite the fact that Millennials are coming of age in one of the most difficult economic climates in the past 100 years, a recent Nielsen global online study found that they continue to be most willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings—almost three-out-of-four respondents in the latest findings, up from approximately half in 2014.
The rise in the percentage of respondents aged 15 - 20, also known as Generation Z, who are willing to pay more for products and services that come from companies who are committed to positive social and environmental impact was also strong—up from 55% in 2014 to 72% in 2015. “Brands that establish a reputation for environmental stewardship among today’s youngest consumers have an opportunity to not only grow market share but build loyalty among the power-spending Millennials of tomorrow, too,” says Grace Farraj, SVP, Public Development & Sustainability, Nielsen.
But younger generations aren’t the only ones who say they care, so don’t abandon Baby Boomers in the quest for Millennials. Fifty-one percent of Boomers (50-64) surveyed are willing to pay extra, an increase of seven percentage points since last year. This segment will remain a substantial and viable market in the coming decade for select products and services from sustainable brands.

https://www.nielsen.com/uk/en/insights/news/2015/green-generation-millennials-say-sustainability-is-a-shopping-priority.html

]]> 2019-05-23 16:08:54 UTC https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/362994919 VHEMP https://padlet.com/VHEMP/5v6t4nkxzqod/wish/363017932 The Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019 Update report indicates that, as a whole, the fashion industry is slowing down on sustainability efforts.
The report, created by Global Fashion Agenda and Sustainable Apparel Coalition in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, uses a scoring system called the Pulse Index to evaluate fashion companies’ sustainability goals and implementation efforts. It showed that while the fashion industry improved its overall score to six points in 2017, in 2018 that score decreased to only four points.
The slowdown in eco-friendly efforts is disappointing, considering data that illuminates the fashion industry’s reputation for high waste-producing activities. As of 2016, the EPA estimated rubber, leather, and textiles make up more than 9 percent of all solid waste within the US.
“The question is no longer whether it is necessary to improve sustainable business practices, but rather how long it will take before consumers stop buying from brands that do not act responsibly,” the report stated. “The industry cannot wait for the consumer to lead this movement—it is up to fashion leaders to take bolder moves today to transition to a sustainable industry.” Today’s consumers are taking note of fashion brands’ sustainability focus as well. The Pulse report showed shoppers are increasingly interested in fashion brands’ eco-friendly efforts, with 75% of consumers indicating they view sustainability as either extremely or very important to them.
Those same buyers are demonstrating their concern by making more purchases from fashion brands that have a focus on sustainability. Over 33% of consumers indicated in the same report they have switched brands to support those that take a public stance on environmental change. What’s more: 50% of of shoppers plan to switch brands in the future to support fashion brands that are environmentally-friendly.

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