First off I'm super thankful to have met and learned from amazing people who've helped broaden my horizons and sparked my interest in the other two pillars of sustainability - the economic and social. It's high time my mind was opened to encompass other fundamental fields into my vision of sustainability besides just the environmental one. I think it'd be most appropriate for me now to talk about circular economies and my new steer away from fast fashion.
In a nutshell of what I took away from a business-focused sustainability conference I attended last month, for the longest time the economy we live in has been very much Linear: raw materials are used to make things (resources & energy are used up) -> we buy these things -> things wear out (sometimes too quickly) -> we discard its waste (landfills get bigger, oceans get dirtier). Whereas in a Circular Economy that we strive towards, items are produced using renewable energy and non-toxic inputs, distributed using renewable energy, used by consumers ideally through leasing or sharing rather than ownership, reused/repaired at the end of their lifetime, and only then recycled. The design of new products would then incorporate these recycled materials, with a lesser need for raw materials. To illustrate:
Why does this matter? Conspicuous consumption leads to a significant amount of waste:
- In Vancouver, 2.6 million disposable coffee cups are thrown in the trash every week. (The simplest solution ever? Your own mugs, your own mugs, your own mugs)
- In the USA alone, 9.4 million tons of e-waste is thrown away ever year. (Where does your phone go every year you replace it with a new one? E-waste is difficult to recycle. Often they get shipped to third-world countries for processing, exposing the workers there to harmful chemicals and radiation.)
- Globally, we only recover about 5% of the plastics we produce. 10 million tonnes of plastic waste goes into the ocean each year. (which is why I mention here that recycling isn't the solution to plastic pollution - not using or reusing them is. Plastic already produced ought to be circulated and kept in the economy, out of the environment.)
- One third of all food produced globally is wasted in the supply chain. An estimated $31 billion worth of food gets tossed into compost or the landfill in Canada every year.
- The average US citizen throws away 70 pounds of clothing and textiles annually, most of which goes to landfills.
Mentioning third-world (or developing) countries leads to my next point: the social injustice towards manufacturer employees in such regions working under large global chain companies, particularly in the fast fashion industry. This article, describing the terrible working conditions and abuse (namely "rape, slapping, preventing women from taking bathroom breaks, etc") that H&M and Gap workers face, is just one illustration. I switched from Joe Fresh's makeup remover cotton pads to plain tissue after finally learning about the tragedy that caused the death of their 1,130 workers at their factory in Bangladesh (and also after learning how thirsty and water-consuming of a crop cotton is. Of course as well, its production scale has to keep up with the scale that fast fashion demands).
More interestingly, though some brands offer textile-recycling programs and clothing discounts as incentives, does, for example, 'H&M Conscious' really make H&M a more sustainable brand? I think not (no tea, no shade, just facts). Here it is explained in detail why it is so difficult for clothes to be recycled into other textiles especially new clothes; it also points out reasons to be skeptical of 'sustainable' initiatives by such fast fashion brands, which I wholly agree with. A good image is what every business needs; what easier way for them to present that than to initiate sustainable-seeming programs instead of actually changing up their production systems and methods? Large volumes of cheap, disposable, resource-thirsty clothing will continue to be produced, and less privileged employees will continue to be mistreated and underpaid. The clothing industry is the second largest industrial polluter next only to the petroleum industry. This screenshot of Carmen's Instagram story says it best:
Examples of fast fashion brands may be surprising; they include Zara, Primark, Topshop, Boohoo, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Bershka, Fashion Nova, Misguided, and many more.
So besides a resolution made a few months back to reduce (and ultimately stop completely) online shopping due to plastic packaging and whatnot, more recently I've tried to be more mindful when buying clothes, trying to only buy them after being assured of their ethical production methods, otherwise to salvage some secondhand items I head more often to thrift shops, which I love anyway and are everywhere in Vancouver. From my research (I've only done a bit thus far. Recommendations please!) the most attractive sustainable and ethical fashion brands I could find in North America are Everlane and Frank and Oak, where I managed to shop at some weeks ago. These prices are definitely not cheap compared to fast fashion ones, but surprisingly I feel no guilt, nor a waste of money. At the conference I went to, I had the privilege of chatting for a bit with Stephanie Ostler, an eco-friendly fashion designer based in Vancouver who runs her own clothing line and business - Devil May Wear. Talking to her felt like I was listening to a mini TED Talk, and afterwards I found out that she indeed spoke at a TEDxTalk once. The main things I learned or realized after talking to her were that we/I shouldn't feel bad about investing more into clothing items that are fewer, but that last a much longer time, allowing me to keep my wardrobe more free of clutter and filled only with pieces that I really, really love. On the contrary we/I should feel amazing knowing that what I/we wear or buy does not incur negative environmental impacts (or at least the impacts are reduced) and is not the product of any slave labor. As what we say or do mostly reflects our values and who we are as an individual, so should what we wear or possess. I personally found that a striking concept. Stephanie talks about this on a way deeper level and much more in her TEDxTalk here.
Beyond switching away from fast fashion brands, I also think knowing about all this has made me a lot less materialistic, which is probably natural for people who go through a similar stage. Knowing how much waste our society produces every day - and about how most businesses and industries would do anything to entice us into consuming more, spending more and discarding more - can make one wish to stay away from it all (there ARE more sustainable ways to keep up with ever-changing fashion trends! Then again I think such trends are a tactic by industries to promote heavier consumption). It's really prompted me to take a step back and assess the things that truly matter to me and that make me happy, which I now realize are experiences more than material luxuries. Looking back at my high school days I was a typically materialistic person who could never get enough of buying more clothes, more makeup, etc. But now, being back in Kuala Lumpur after over a year and revisiting shopping malls, I realize (quite gladly) all the shops selling products I used to covet so much in the past no longer excites me the same way now. I no longer feel such strong desires to splurge on things just because they're nice to look at or to own, nor have I for the longest time bought a makeup product unless something ran out (yes I'm aware I can improve on this, by for example looking into what eco-friendly cosmetic brands are available, but it's been a big step so far compared to a year ago). And when it comes to gifts for people often I'd much rather buy them tickets to go experience things, or set aside time to bake or cook them something.
Consumer demand is a powerful thing. Though there is the argument that many other huge brands and companies and not just the fast fashion industry are likely guilty of slave labor etc, I do think that the more we know the more responsible we should feel when making purchasing decisions. More importantly I think this knowledge helps guide and inform our consumer actions, and I believe every purchasing decision we make really is like a vote with our dollars, and a collective way to influence corporations and to hold them accountable. When I buy something, what kind of system am I supporting and what impacts do these systems have environmentally or socially? I think just pondering over this question could help individuals be more conscious about their every purchase and even just that can make a good difference.
I end off with this great poem written by my friend Avneet from this summer when we took a Creative Writing class together. Thank you for reading and again I am beyond grateful for every single person in my life who thus far to me have been inspiring, such teachers (indirectly and they probably don't even know it!!), supportive and just lending their ears (if you're wondering if you're one of these people, you most likely are); would be nowhere near where I am right now on my lower-impact journey if it weren't for you. Merry belated Christmas and wishing everyone all the warmth in the world. :
Escape from domination
comes in the realization
that everything you fall in love with
is temporary
-consumerist
