In recent years, climate change and pollution have become increasingly pressing issues for the world. As a result, the term “sustainability” has emerged as a buzzword, particularly in the fashion industry. However, it remains to be seen whether fashion can ever truly be sustainable. This has become a concern for many fashion practitioners, social economists, and politicians alike.
The realm of sustainability and ethics within the fashion industry is complex and multifaceted. It encompasses a variety of factors, from supply chain management to consumer behavior and the ethical treatment of all entities within the value chain, including producers, employees, and consumers. As such, it is not simply about adapting to sociological shifts and consumer preferences in today’s rapidly evolving society. Rather, it is about integrating sustainable and ethical practices into the core business models of companies. An ideal company committed to ethical principles should embrace the Triple-Bottom-Lineaccounting framework. This framework optimizes three crucial components: Profit, representing the economic bottom line; People, reflecting the social equity bottom line; and Planet, addressing the environmental bottom line. By prioritizing these three pillars, companies can strive for a balanced approach that ensures profitability while simultaneously fostering social responsibility and environmental stewardship. This holistic approach to business not only benefits the company itself but also contributes positively to society and the planet as a whole.
There is an innovative textile company that adheres entirely to this core concept in producing innovative eco-friendly fabrics beneficial to both humanity and the environment. Here is their story.
Ananas Anam, a London-based company, is the innovative force behind Piñatex. With branches in Spain and the Philippines, their expertise lies in producing, promoting, and distributing Piñatex. This exceptional product is a non-woven textile made from upcycled pineapple leaf fibers. Its versatility makes it ideal for various uses, including fashion and accessories, interior design, and automotive industries. Piñatex is a revolutionary sustainable textile that provides a practical alternative to mass-produced leather and synthetic materials that harm the environment.
Ananas Anam stands out from traditional for-profit enterprises as they operate with a dual focus on creating a positive social impact while leaving a minimal environmental footprint. According to Dr. Carmen Hijosa from their team, “Design is not just about product. Design is about responsibility.” The company’s mission is to tackle modern-day challenges by developing innovative products that balance commercial success with social, ecological, and cultural development.
The company is currently working with pineapple farmers in the Philippines. As they expand, they aim to work with other countries to support local economies and strengthen exports. One of the directors of this company, Clare Brass said like this, “Piñatex is one of those rare products of design thinking that hits all the sustainability buttons at once. It brings new income streams to subsistence farmers, allowing them to fully utilize their crops. The implementation of Piñatex will have far-reaching societal and environmental benefits.” Furthermore, by adding value to this waste, not only has it created a new source of income for farming communities who otherwise rely on a seasonal harvest, but it also offers an additional environmental benefit.
It is worth mentioning that, several other eco-friendly fabrics that repurpose food waste, such as Orange Fiber, Q milk, and Bananatex have been developed by a variety of companies. When browsing the websites of these fabric innovation companies separately, I can feel the fascinating research and development processes and the challenges of innovation for each type of fabric.
Sustainable fashion involves not only producing clothes, shoes, and accessories in sustainable ways but also changing patterns of consumption and use, which requires shifts in attitudes and behavior. While high-income groups tend to favor sustainable products and eco-friendly brands, younger customers targeted by fast fashion often make impulsive purchases leading to unworn clothes. To address this complex challenge, we can consider using biodegradable fabrics and increasing prices to reduce consumption. This could help win back middle to high-income consumers and expand the customer base.
However, I have noticed that some innovative textile companies have missed potential distribution opportunities both domestically and internationally. I discovered that most of these fabrics are sold exclusively through their respective companies, which can be inconvenient for designers and the general public. Fortunately, there are exhibitions like The Future Fabrics Expo in London that showcase sustainable and innovative textiles annually. Organized by the Sustainable Angle, the expo provides designers, brands, and industry professionals with a platform to explore eco-friendly alternatives to traditional fabrics, including organic cotton, recycled polyester, bio-based fibers, and innovative textiles made from materials like algae or mushroom mycelium. The event features seminars, workshops, and panel discussions led by sustainability and fashion experts, offering valuable insights into the latest trends and developments in the field.
While these exhibitions serve as excellent platforms for promoting sustainable textiles and fostering innovation within the fashion industry, they do have some limitations. Firstly, despite their influence, exhibitions may have a limited reach compared to larger fashion events or trade shows, which could restrict the number of participants and attendees, potentially limiting the impact of the sustainable solutions showcased. Secondly, attending the exhibitions may be challenging for individuals or organizations located outside of the city or unable to travel to the event, which could limit the opportunity for broader participation and collaboration, particularly for international stakeholders. Lastly, participation fees, travel expenses, and other associated costs may make it challenging for smaller brands or designers with limited budgets to attend or exhibit at the expo, potentially excluding valuable contributions from these stakeholders.
Currently, the sales and promotional channels for innovative and eco-friendly textiles are quite limited, which poses a challenge for industry practitioners in developing countries and impedes public awareness. As a result, the advancement of sustainability within the fashion industry is being hindered. Is there a way to address this issue?
I spoke with two students from China and Thailand studying bio-designs and material futures at Central Saint Martins to gain insight into the challenges facing sustainable fabrics and the feasibility of establishing a sales platform that brings together a range of innovative, eco-friendly fabrics.
The students explained that producing sustainable fabrics on a large scale while maintaining quality is difficult. Fabrics made from discarded food or vegetables may have limited practical applications and may be better suited for decorative or experimental purposes. These fabrics show potential for wider use in fashion, but further development is necessary to enhance their durability. The feasibility of selling eco-friendly fabrics in Southeast Asia is hindered by challenges in large-scale manufacturing and environmental factors, making it difficult to integrate them into e-commerce platforms. The type of fabric is also an important factor, with fabrics made from recycled materials being more feasible than design-oriented bio-friendly fabrics, which face operational and stability issues. Sales channels for eco-friendly fabrics are limited, with most options involving transfer to larger companies or startups. The eco-friendly fabric sector is still in the developmental stage, with individuals or studios selling eco-friendly fabrics on social media platforms and emerging physical stores. However, offline sales are more common in China. Both interviewees agreed that eco-friendly fabrics cannot solve environmental pollution alone, but they can contribute to alleviating it. They see potential in promoting sustainable fashion development and driving consumer demand for environmentally friendly options.
In conclusion, the advancement and marketing strategies of sustainable fabrics still require continuous improvement to achieve the goal of promoting eco-friendly fashion.
References
- Gwilt, A. and Rissanen, T. (2012). Shaping Sustainable Fashion. Routledge.
- Thomas, D. (2019). Fashionopolis : The Price of Fast Fashion–And the Future of Clothes. Penguin Publishing Group.
- Lee, S. (2011). Grow your own clothes. [online] www.ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes.
- Anon, (n.d.). The Sustainable Angle |. [online] Available at: https://thesustainableangle.org.
- Sierra, B. (2022). H&M is Being Sued For ‘Misleading’ Sustainability Marketing. What Does This Mean for the Future of Greenwashing? [online] The Sustainable Fashion Forum. Available at: https://www.thesustainablefashionforum.com/pages/hm-is-being-sued-for-misleading-sustainability-marketing-what-does-this-mean-for-the-future-of-greenwashing.
- Anzilotti, E. (2018). Food waste is going to take over the fashion industry. [online] Fast Company. Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/40584274/food-waste-is-going-to-take-over-the-fashion-industry.
- Ananas Anam (2017). Piñatex – Piñatex. [online] Ananas-anam.com. Available at: https://www.ananas-anam.com.
- Miller, K. (2020). The Triple Bottom Line: What It Is & Why It’s Important. [online] Harvard Business School Online. Available at: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-the-triple-bottom-line.
Interview Questions:
1. What do you think about the prospects of new eco-friendly fabrics made from discarded fruits, vegetables, or food?
2. What are the sales channels for these new eco-friendly fabrics that you know of?
3. Assuming these eco-friendly fabrics can be sold on the same e-commerce platform to Southeast Asia, do you think it’s feasible? What difficulties might arise?
4. Do you think it’s possible to address environmental pollution at its source using these eco-friendly fabrics? Can it promote sustainable fashion development?
ANSWERS
Thailand – csm material futures
1. From my perspective, I don’t particularly favor the term “eco-friendly”; instead, “biodegradable” or “sustainable fabric” seems more appropriate. Currently, there are numerous alternative fabrics developed from natural sources, making it easier to achieve both functionality and aesthetic appeal. The future of these fabrics looks promising, potentially becoming a standard for fashion brands. However, there’s a need for further development to enhance their durability and longevity.
2. The sales channels for these fabrics are still limited in variety. Typically, they’re not sold individually but rather transferred to larger companies or startups interested in utilizing them for their products, like Ganni. However, this sector is still in development.
3. Temperature and environmental factors may significantly impact these fabrics. Consequently, large-scale manufacturing processes pose challenges, making it difficult to integrate them into e-commerce platforms instead of treating them as craft items.
4. Absolutely, highlighting the environmental impact of conventional materials and contrasting it with the sustainable practices involved in creating these alternative fabrics could serve as a compelling narrative to encourage greater environmental consciousness. It could help illustrate the importance of adopting eco-friendly alternatives and inspire people to make more sustainable choices in their consumption habits.
Chinese – csm biodesign
1. The prospects are moderate. (Cons: Firstly, due to operational characteristics and success rates, it is difficult to mass-produce; Secondly, prone to mold and difficult to preserve; Thirdly, fabrics made from discarded food or vegetables are difficult to achieve the quality required for clothing fabrics or truly usable fabrics, generally only suitable for partial decoration, ornamental, or experimental purposes, lacking practicality. (However, dyeing with food and fruit can be achieved.)
2. Social media platforms like Instagram, Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), etc., often feature many individuals or private studios selling their own developed environmentally friendly fabrics. Additionally, there are gradually emerging physical stores and experiential DIY studios for eco-friendly fabrics offline.
3. (It depends on the type of environmentally friendly fabric.) If it’s the type made from recycled materials: such as recycled denim, regenerated fibers, biodegradable materials, etc., it’s feasible. These fabrics can be mass-produced and are highly practical. However, due to the weight of the fabrics, shipping costs from domestic production to Southeast Asia could be a significant expense. This might necessitate raising the price of the fabrics to balance profitability, which could potentially reduce the purchasing desire of buyers. (However, there are examples of factories being established directly in Southeast Asia.)
If it’s more design-oriented bio-friendly fabrics: such as bio-leather, plant-based leather, etc., the feasibility is low due to operational difficulties mentioned earlier. It’s hard to achieve machine mass production, and these fabrics are not stable enough. Issues like temperature, humidity, etc., can cause damage to the fabrics.
4. It cannot fundamentally solve the problem but is rather one way to alleviate or reduce environmental pollution. Environmentally friendly fabrics still cannot completely replace traditional fabrics in terms of practical performance or cost.
However, it can indeed promote sustainable fashion development. Environmentally friendly fabrics are an important part of sustainable fashion. They meet people’s demands for both fashion and environmental protection. The increasing variety and styles of eco-friendly fabrics significantly drive the market for sustainable fashion, which is becoming an increasingly important topic in the fashion industry and among consumers. The prospects are promising.