The demand for sustainable and ethical fashion has steadily grown this year with the spotlight currently on tracking transparency and traceability in the supply chain. As we become increasingly conscious about our consumption patterns, fast fashion brands are being encouraged to adopt sustainability measures that honour environmental and social values.
Countering the misleading marketing tactics of greenwashing is its newest nemesis, climate positivity. Coined by Slow Factory Foundation, the latest sustainability buzzword “climate positivity” or “earth positivity” advises retail brands to build scalable solutions to reverse the detrimental effects of their actions on the environment. Whether it is planting trees, switching to organic and recycled fabrics, or upcycling marine plastics into wearable gear, the idea is to prevent further deterioration of the climate by offsetting environmental pollution and reducing carbon emissions to zero.
However, a brand becoming climate positive does not mean simply neutralizing their individual environmental impact—it means taking responsibility for thinking regeneratively, creating a circular economy, and working to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than they produce. It’s about recognizing that our actions are collectively impacting Mother Earth. Brands, designers, and consumers alike must lead by example in fashioning a new paradigm that focuses on rebalancing the planet by being carbon neutral.
Climate justice can only prevail if the fashion industry finds an active solution to the rampant plastic problems and overflowing landfills by relying on alternative energies and renewable sources to upcycle discarded materials into new biodegradable fibres. But it doesn’t stop there—it comes back to us consumers to stay vigilant about our shopping habits and consumption patterns. Shopping locally, exploring vintage finds, supporting wholly-sustainable brands, questioning greenwashing marketing strategies, and upcycling our old clothes are some effortless ways to create a climate-positive wardrobe.
Considering that the fashion industry’s projected growth predicts that it could potentially be responsible for 1/4th of the Earth’s climate budget by 2050, there’s no better time than now for brands, designers, and us consumers to take serious action and reverse the damage.
