Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion

Alison Gwilt, Alice Payne, Evelise Anicet Ruthschilling, Alison Gwilt, Alice Payne, Evelise Anicet Ruthschilling

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781350058156
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Modedesign

Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion showcases the global fashion industry's efforts to reduce the negative impacts associated with fashion production and consumption. Illustrated throughout with infographics, photographs and diagrams of creative works, eighteen essays focus on six regions, examining sustainable fashion in the context of local, cultural and environmental concerns. Also included are 18 regional 'Spotlight' sections highlighting the differences and similarities across regions by concentrating on examples of best practice, design innovation and impact on the community.

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PART 1

LATIN AMERICA

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CHAPTER 1.1

SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY

Sustainable Fashion in Brazil

Evelise Anicet Rüthschilling, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

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INTRODUCTION

Brazil occupies 47 percent of the territory of South America. Its population of 207 million inhabitants is composed of different ethnic groups from many parts of the world, resulting in a multi-cultural nation that loves Nature. This essay focuses on sustainable fashion design in the context of contemporary Brazilian society. The text drawn on information strands from three key sectors: the environment, people, and the economy.

The objective of this essay is to present a mapping of the current scenario in sustainable fashion, identifying the production, consumption, and disposal guidelines that are being followed, the Brazilian way of doing things, success stories, fragilities, and the vision of the future.

The study¹ covers the traditional large-scale production system, and the corresponding system of retail and consumption, in relation to different types of businesses emerging from slow fashion, such as rural and digital associativism, phenomena of social innovation, and solidarity economy projects. It identifies the available raw materials and fashion brands with sustainable intent that are making contributions to a change in the system of production.

The discussion of the results presents the circular economy as a link between the two trends observed, identifying the capacity to promote the transition to a fashion production ecosystem while having a positive impact on society. The relationships in this field are networks that are simple in their purpose but complex in their transactions, constituting a multi-dimensional fabric of relationships that function in movements reminiscent of a spiral.

FAST FASHION

The Brazilian textile and clothing industry (traditional and fast fashion) currently has a contingent of 29,000 legally operating companies, providing 1.5 million direct jobs and 8 million indirect jobs, of which 75 percent are held by women (ABIT 2017). The industrial apparel chain in Brazil is one of few complete chains in the West (comprising fiber production, spinning, weaving, processing, manufacturing, and strong retail), and is the fourth largest industrial garment manufacturer in the world in terms of volume of production. Self-sufficient in the production of cotton and fast advancing in the productivity of petrochemical fibers (extracted from the Petroleum Pre-salt basin), soon the country will be in a position to stop importing synthetic fibers. Brazil is a world leader in the beachwear, jeanswear, fitness, and lingerie segments, and Brazilian Fashion Week is among the five biggest fashion weeks in the world (ABIT 2017). Financial reports at the end of 2017 (ABIT 2017) indicate the beginning of economic recovery, with an increase in production, retail sales, and jobs, as well as a general repositioning of fashion chains to pay more attention to sustainable issues in order to align with external markets and foster exports as a solution to correct the trade balance.

Analysis of corporate policies for the sustainability of Brazil’s largest clothing and fashion brands take into account codes of conduct, sustainability reports, and certifications. Results show the presence of controls in the following aspects: social standards (working conditions, legal employment rules, health, safety, discrimination, human traffic, relationships); environmental standards (management of water, waste, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), effluents, energy and substances dangerous to people and habitat); product safety (chemicals) and ethical integrity (ABIT 2017). Entrepreneurs are aware that these controls will ensure the competitiveness of Brazilian companies in the domestic and international markets, with a focus on the United States, Japan, and the European Union. On the other hand, they are also aware that most Brazilians cannot afford the higher costs generated by cleaner and more sustainable production.

The vision of the future of the Brazilian textile and clothing industry is based on two main pillars: investment in certifications and compliance of products with sustainability standards; and Advanced Manufacturing, also called “Industry 4.0,” which comprises several integrated automated systems (Bruno 2016). In retail, chain stores offer products for the whole family within the security of air-conditioned malls, and these stores are responsible for the largest volume of clothing purchases in Brazil. According to ABVTEX (2017), the increase in consumer-awareness campaigns for ethical and socio-environmental causes, and the adverse scenario of the economic recession, which affected mainly the middle class and poorer sections of the Brazilian population, forced the executives of these companies to create monitoring systems for suppliers and subcontractors, called the Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC). They also signed the National Pact for the Eradication of Slave Labor in Brazil (Federal Senate 2017). Together, these initiatives send auditors on unannounced visits, and are monitored by various institutions (ABVTEX 2017). International suppliers are governed by protocols such as the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), WCA (Workplace Conditions Assessment), and SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audits).

The future focus is on the more conscious consumer, who buys fewer products, but of higher quality, aiming at greater durability. This consumer is concerned with the ethical values of the companies—for example, responsibility and transparency, considered essential in relations with employees, suppliers, customers and the community as a whole.

SLOW FASHION

“Slow” ideology has recently been gaining favor, proposing a rethinking of the actions and processes underlying the relationship between clothing and user—the latter no longer referred to as a “consumer.” The user may temporarily use the piece through a rental service, buy it at a second hand market, or purchase an individual piece that will last a long time, without going out of fashion, and which has a proper disposal system in place, usually by returning it to its manufacturer, in a circular system.

Unhurried fashion operates though a low-scale production system and creates trend-free fashion, seeking innovation, timeless design, clean processes, and raw materials that are less polluting. It preserves natural resources, encourages manual labor, and values quality over quantity by manufacturing meaningful clothing. The following are the main natural raw materials found in Brazil and considered alternatives for use in slow fashion. Next, we present the main Brazilian brands that focus on sustainability.

Natural Raw Materials

Brazil has a rich green chain of biological-fiber production, which appeals to manufacturers and consumers due to its renewable, carbon-free, and biodegradable credentials. Thus, older and more traditional fibers are now those of the future, but in a form enhanced by contemporary scientific and technological development. Extractive activities based on family agriculture produce rubber, vegetable fibers (cotton, bamboo, coconut, jute, sisal, flax, and hemp), and a...