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Follow the Technology

We have extensively covered the effects of the fashion industry on the environment.  It contributes more to climate change than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.  What we have not addressed is the solutions.  As the industry remoulds itself as it continues to battle the effects of the pandemic, sustainability must finally be at the heart of any recovery and rebuilding.  At the core of making fashion more sustainable is the embrace of new technology.

One of the most high polluting parts of the fashion process is dyeing which involves toxic chemicals, waste and high water usage, and is responsible for polluting a number of large bodies of water.  New technologies though are beginning to tackle this.  Wrangler for instance has developed a new ‘Dry indigo’ denim fabric which eliminates 99 percent of the water typically used in indigo-dyeing by using a new foam dyeing process.   Meanwhile, Colorep has come up with an ‘AirDye’ system which uses 85% less energy and 90% less water.  It works by applying dispersed dyes to paper and then using heat to transfer the dyes from the paper to the textiles.

Who is Stepping Up and How

Nike is taking a different strategy.  As renewable energies have become more efficient, they have pledged to power their plants with 100% renewable energy by 2025.  Teemil in the UK is already manufacturing t-shirts using renewable energy and pioneering technology to minimise waste.  Teemil has developed a factory that utilises dozens of robotic devices and artificial intelligence to produce items in real time, removing the issue of unsold stock.  On top of this they offer free postage and store credit to incentivise customers to return the items instead of binning them, which the company then recycles in the hope of creating a circular economy.

Other brands have focused on using more sustainable materials.  Vegan leathers made from 100% natural materials are beginning to be embraced.  New technology has allowed for leather to be produced from yeast cells that are fermented.  This both removes the need to raise cattle, cattle being a huge polluter, as well as removing the need for the highly toxic tuning and dyeing process.

Another technological innovation helping clean the fashion industry is blockchains.  Blockchain helps track the production of consumer goods through the supply chain creating an online public ledger of transactions.  This provides transparency in terms of how goods are produced, allowing consumers to make informed decisions on where they buy their clothes.  It is hoped that this will encourage fashion houses to ensure their supply chain is as green and ethical as possible but also highlight where supply chains are failing.  Jarlgaard have embedded blockchain technology into their garments, so that consumers can track the journey of the item from raw material to shop floor and it hoped more brands will do so in the future.

 “Blockchain helps track the production of consumer goods through the supply chain creating an online public ledger of transactions”

It is clear that the fashion industry has a long way to go in terms of improving it’s sustainability and moving further away from fast fashion.  Nonetheless, new technology is paving the way for a brighter future.  We must hope that further advances will help provide more universal solutions to fashion’s sustainability problem.

By Samson Royston, July 2020