By Sophie Lambert Russell
With high-street fashion retailers including Adidas and Zara announcing their commitment to sustainability over recent months, and others including Arcadia, H&M and Primark even going so far as to call for a parliamentary group on sustainable fashion, it seems like the fashion industry is finally addressing the environmental impact it has on the world.
With 71% of Britons now saying that climate change is more important than Brexit, it’s smart for fashion retailers to adapt their business models to the more conscious consumer.
Lyst’s recent annual year in fashion report revealed that three of the top ten most Instagrammed clothing brands are now classed as sustainable, however some argue that it is not consumers who are leading the drive for a more sustainable industry.
Resource scarcity is an increasing problem within the fashion industry. Fashion has traditionally been a wasteful business – Burberry for example has come under scrutiny for burning unsold stock – and there is now a very real need to bolster resource efficiency and take steps to make fashion circular.
Nonetheless the heightened awareness of sustainable fashion among consumers thanks to programmes like Stacey Dooley’s Fast Fashion, will hopefully foster change in consumer consumption. While it remains to be seen what the future holds for sustainable fashion, it is clear that big-name brands now have an opportunity to address supply chain issues and develop greener processes to benefit their customers and the planet.