An Environmental Approach to Sustainable Fashion

Abstract

Fashion is an industry which has a significant impact on the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental and economical. This master’s thesis investigates the environmental aspect in particular because the sector negatively influences the healthy state of our waters, land, atmosphere and biodiversity, and too little is done to change that. Firstly, the facts on how the fashion industry affects the environment are presented. Then, the data of a survey conducted amongst consumers is analysed. Next, a best practice section describes how five fashion brands (Ecoalf, Gayaskin, MUD Jeans, People Tree and Stella McCartney) tackle the problem and minimize their environmental footprint. Finally, both research topics are discussed and crossanalysed to highlight the keys for a fashion brand to be operational, respect the environment and meet consumer’s expectations at the same time. They all confirm the hypothesis of this thesis which claims that, in order to tackle its impact on the environment, the fashion industry should carefully choose the materials used, take a more circular approach and better communicate to aim for radical transparency.