Page 36 - Masala Lite Issue 158 | February 2024

SUSTAINABLY clothes from fast fashion brands, the carbon footprint
STYLISH Moreover, fast fashion brands produce large volumes
of your suitcase will be much higher than your seat!

of petroleum-based fabrics in developing countries,
which causes high levels of carbon emissions and
landfill pollution.

Fashion’s Fractured The fast fashion supply chain was largely secretive
till 24 April 2013, which is when the Rana Plaza
building in Bangladesh collapsed. This incident
Threads led to multiple protests, and it showed the world
horrific images of what happens behind the scenes
in the fast fashion industry. There have been some
Aparna Sharma explains why the
fast fashion supply chain is a social and regulations in the last decade, but most critics
climate justice issue. argue that there haven’t been any major changes.
Fast fashion brands continue with their ‘business
as usual’ attitude, while the world burns from
I live near EmQuartier, so I could easily walk to the Zara showroom there and buy
climate change.
an outfit. It’s the quickest and easiest choice for me, but is it the most sustainable
one? In order to understand the sustainability of a particular outfit, I would need The big question is, will fast fashion clean up its
full transparency and traceability of the supply chain of that particular outfit. There mess in the next decade? Governments need to
is not a single fast fashion label out there which gives the consumer that level of enforce better policies and regulations to ensure
transparency. that the fast fashion supply chain becomes less
carbon intensive. As consumers, we can demand
I just went onto the Zara website to check the label of a pair of high-waisted
trousers, which tells me that it’s made of a mix of viscose, polyester and elastane. transparency and traceability from these big fast
The description mentions that there is a zip fly, inside buttons and metal hook. fashion brands, and try to reduce demand by
thrifting or buying from local brands whenever
Just looking at this description, I can say that polyester is a fossil-fuel-based fabric
which produces a lot of carbon emissions, from creation to disposal. There is no possible. If we choose to vote with our wallet
and not support these brands, there will be
clear transparency on where they sourced their viscose which is 19 percent of the
composition of the trouser. And there is absolutely no clarity on where the zip, more pressure on them to change. Although
buttons, etc. were sourced. There is also no clarity on who made these clothes, and governments have to play a pivotal role in
regulating the fast fashion supply chain,
if they’re getting a fair price for their labour. As a consumer who wants to make
sustainable wardrobe choices, this confuses me, so I open the Good On You app consumers can also play a significant role.
on my phone to check the sustainability rating for Zara, and I’m informed that their It will take the world a lot of determination to make the fast fashion supply chain
sustainability efforts are not good enough. As a consumer, I’m left feeling annoyed more sustainable, and one can only hope that we see some miraculous changes in
and upset that I have to do so much research by myself, because fast fashion labels the next decade.
are mostly focused on greenwashing or misleading the consumer.
Those particular trousers might have been flown to six different countries: each fabric
which comprises the pair could have been sourced in three different countries, the
Aparna Sharma is a non-conformist who believes that fashion must become a
stitching could have happened in another country, and the zipper might have been force for good and style must meet sustainability. She breaks down the
added in a factory in yet another country, giving these trousers a very high carbon
nuances of slow fashion and how we can stay stylish without being trendy.
footprint. If you are flying from Bangkok to Tokyo and your suitcase is filled with new than any of our other 4 senses!

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MASAL A LITE ISSUE 158 - FEBRUARY 2024