The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters, responsible for up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable fashion aims to lessen this impact by considering the human and environmental costs of production and consumption.
A key element of sustainable fashion is circular fashion, which promotes a closed-loop system where clothing is reused, recycled or biodegraded at the end of its life. Experts estimate that doubling the lifespan of clothing could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44%.
Circular fashion is gaining momentum, with brands and consumers embracing sustainable initiatives like refurbished clothing, clothing rentals, resale apps, and upcycled textiles.
Refurb, Reuse, and Rent
More brands are incorporating circular fashion into their business models, offering clothing rental services, clothing repair, or utilising upcycled fabrics.
For instance, Dr Marten’s repair service, which repairs Dr Marten shoes, bags and accessories, helping customers extend the life of their clothing and reduce waste. Or brands like Hissy Fit, which exclusively uses deadstock fabrics to design its entire clothing collection, thereby saving unused fabric from going to landfill. There are also clothing rental platforms like Nuuly that offer monthly clothing rental subscriptions, allowing customers to rent and return clothing.
The second-hand market has also grown in recent years, with consumers increasingly using resale apps like Vinted to buy and sell clothing. Vinted now has over 16 million users in the UK alone, reflecting a wider shift in consumer habits towards sustainability, affordability and conscious consumption.
These circular initiatives encourage reuse and reduce demand for new production, signalling a shift away from the linear fashion model, in which clothes are made, worn, and then discarded.
Staged promotional photography for the Sustainable Fashion Management course at the University of Leeds. Images feature diverse students in a modern learning environment, collaborating around tables, using laptops, and reviewing printed sustainable fashion supply chain materials. Captured to showcase academic study, sustainability, and teamwork.
Encouraging a More Sustainable Fashion Industry
Sustainable fashion is essential for shaping a future that supports both the planet and the fashion industry. Understanding how to implement sustainable initiatives and enable consumer engagement is crucial to making these initiatives effective.
The PACE Sustainable Fashion Management and Consumer Involvement course is designed to help prepare learners for a shift towards sustainable fashion.
Led by Dr Joanna Blanco-Velo, Lecturer in Fashion Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation, this online course will explore the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), empower learners to understand the core concepts of sustainable fashion and consumer behaviour, and think strategically about sustainable product development and marketing.
“Future roles are going to have quite a hefty reliance on understanding sustainability in its broadest sense and how we bring that sustainability to bear within the industry.”
Dr Joanna Blanco-Velo
Lecturer in Fashion Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation
Sustainable fashion is needed to reduce the impact that the fashion industry has on climate change. Understanding sustainability in fashion will enable brands to evolve and adapt to changing environmental and consumer demands.