The fashion industry faces a significant environmental challenge. As the second-biggest consumer of water worldwide, the clothing and accessories sector contributes between two and eight percent of global carbon emissions, according to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. Textile waste from unwanted clothes continues to pile up in landfills globally.
A Business Model Problem
Gina Yoo, founder of Toronto-based Zero Collective, emphasizes that this is not just a materials issue but a business-model problem. The industry still overproduces, and many brands are rewarded for selling more units rather than maximizing the life of what they already make.
Sustainability in fashion involves multiple factors beyond brand choice or material sourcing. Labour practices, pricing, manufacturing transparency, supply chain ethics, and rapid mass production all play critical roles.
Consumer Habits and Trends
Accelerated trend cycles and influencer hauls have normalized the idea that more clothes are better. According to a UN report, the average shopper now buys 60 percent more clothing than 15 years ago and keeps items for about half as long.
In response, some brands are committing to change. In 2020, Los Angeles-based Reformation, which operates stores across Canada including Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood, pledged to become climate positive by 2025.
Carbon Positive Goals
The Institute of Sustainability Studies defines carbon positive as an approach where an organization removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, going beyond net-zero. Companies achieve this through carbon sequestering programs and reforestation initiatives.
Kathleen Talbot, chief sustainability officer and vice-president of operations at Reformation, recently provided an update on the brand's progress. "We're proud of the progress we made, but we're also very clear that there's work still to do," she said.
Reformation focuses on cutting emissions across manufacturing, supply chain, and transportation—98 percent of the company's total emissions. The brand uses the science-based targets initiative to identify improvement areas. To help other brands follow suit, Reformation created a free online guide for sustainable practices at scale.
