If you’re like me, you love to dress up in elegant, beautiful clothes, shoes and accessories. If so, then you probably love sustainable fashion too. Fancy dresses and gowns can be made from cotton or silk, but those made from synthetic materials are wasteful and environmentally damaging.
The global fashion industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. It is said to be valued at more than $2.5 trillion and employs over 75 million people worldwide. According to American Chemical Society, since the 2000s, fashion products doubled and is estimated to triple by 2050.
What does that mean to us, the end-user?
Well, the world is experiencing an unprecedented increase in income and wealth. The Ellen McArthur Foundation reports that an increase in world GDP by 2050 will mean greater demand in clothing because they will be able to buy more "fashionably" (i.e., luxury) products and services; as such, there is a booming global fashion industry. The market for clothing and footwear has doubled in the last 15 years, driven by growth across emerging economies.
The fashion industry is one of the most important industries when it comes to our environmental impact, in fact it could be ranked first. Famous fast fashion brands may make you look good, but they also have a massive impact on our environment.
In fact, the fashion industry makes up 10% of global carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. That said, 85% of textiles is dumped in landfill and washing some types of clothes sends significant amount of microplastics into the ocean.
A few key environmental facts
According to the World Resources Institute:
- One garbage truck of clothes is burned or added to landfill every second. That equates to fill 1.5 Empire State Buildings every day or enough to fill the Sydney Harbour every year.
- It takes 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton shirt.
- Making a pair of jeans produces as much greenhouse gases as driving a car more than 80 miles.
- Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics can sit in landfills for up to 200 years.
Sustainable Fashion
Despite the incredible potential for these brands to make a real difference in sustainable fashion, a number of them have yet to develop their supply chain to address the issue of carbon emissions. While some luxury fashion brands are very good at sourcing their materials sustainably, others simply aren’t as transparent about their impact on the environment. This complexity and lack of transparency means estimates of the industry’s carbon impact range from 4% to 10% of overall global carbon emissions.
Polyester has grown to become the number one synthetic fibre and now represents more than half of all global fibre production. It is derived from non-renewable resources, requires a great deal of energy for extraction and processing and releases significant by-products.
Tema Moda – sustainable from the outset
At Tema Moda our ready to wear collection and products are made in Italy, with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. Our passion for fashion and the environment drives us to create elegant, sustainable women’s clothing that is made to last and to provide the finest product made by local artisans.
We are committed to “slow fashion”, using luxurious natural materials while adhering to sustainable practices. Our process begins with using natural products to prepare fabrics, favouring silk, cotton and linen while avoiding synthetics at all times. We understand well, the harm synthetics create to landfill and its also a danger to human health.
At Tema Moda, the clothes are made with eco-friendly organic fabrics that are made to last. This involves constant work to source local Italian suppliers and partners who provide quality, sustainable materials.
Our clothes are made with AMORE – Always!