Designers have incredible agency and influence over how we make the world.  For fashion designers, there is a great need to shift industry practice as apparel is made in large volumes via highly polluting industrial processes and an exploited labor force. If you are interested in taking climate action through your work, these resources will help you begin your journey.

Also be sure to check out our Getting Started Guides starting with What is Climate Design?

Introduction

The fashion industry is responsible for an estimated 8-10% of global emissions, and 20% of wastewater worldwide.  Clothing consumption has doubled in the past two decades, while the number of wears per item has fallen.  More of our clothes are made from synthetic petroleum based fabrics than natural fibers, and that too is on track to continue its rapid growth.

Taming the fashion beast will take decarbonization across supply chains, decreases in consumption, circular recovery and remanufacture of textiles, manufacturing innovation, and worker protections.  Luckily there is a ton of innovation happening across all of these pillars, but implementing sustainable practices in fashion comes with big challenges given that transparency into supply chains is spotty at best, and production continues to increase year over year.

Here are some questions to consider:

• Is the garment durable and designed for a long life?
• Are the materials ethically sourced? Can lower impact fibers be used?
• How might one design for end of life? Can the garment and all of its findings be remanufactured, downcycled, or composted? Avoid natural/plastic blends to aid in the above?
• Can existing chemicals used in the dye and manufacturing processes be removed, or replaced with ones that are healthier for workers, the environment, and the wearer?
• What are the opportunities for zero waste and circular design?

Getting Started

• Can Fashion Designers really learn to be sustainable? - Primer on the impacts of the fashion industry and what consumers can do.
• How Carbon Might Go Out of Fashion - BBC article on how the fashion industry might have to change to enable a net zero world.
• Why We Need to Be Paying Attention to Fabric Innovation - On current evolutions in textile remanufacturing and the need for circular systems. This appears to be an advertorial for CiCLO, but otherwise a good article.
• Ultimate Clothing Material Guide - From the folks at Good on You, a great primer for understanding the landscape of materials and sustainability.