The biggest environmental hazard in the production of fashion industry is the pollution of water resources: rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. Humanity cannot exist without fresh water; according to statistics, the amount of CO2 emissions from the textile industry exceeds that from all international air travel and shipping. More than a billion tons are emitted annually; air pollution in the light industry is 1 percent of other industries (Berg et al., 2020). Mostly, compounds such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and to a lesser extent, nitrogen oxides, acetates, and gasoline enter the air.
Clothing is made from fabrics and fabrics from fibers. Cotton is a cheap plant fiber from which most clothing is made. To create textiles, you need a lot of cottons, and for it, in turn, a lot of water. In order for cotton to grow faster, many farmers grow not organic but genetically modified cotton. Another environmental problem has been the disposal of unwanted clothes in landfills and the burning of textiles, and this problem is getting worse every year. Every second, between 7.6 and 10 cubic meters of tissue is ejected or burned, creating up to 1.2 billion greenhouse gases annually (Berg et al., 2020). Then according to Berg et al., more than 500,000 tons of unrecycled textiles end up in the world’s oceans, and this is even more than plastic (2020). It will take a hundred years for the tissues to decompose.
The global fashion market segment includes clothing, footwear, accessories, jewelry, etc. The main segment is clothing, which occupies 75% of the world market. Fast fashion is the main and main enemy of ecology (Granskog et al., 2020). The new business model is pushing society to consume more and more by creating artificial demand for marketing gimmicks and selling short-lived products. The system of fast fashion tries to push a person to the fact that by acquiring a new thing, they will be happy.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the fashion industry was experiencing an unprecedented boom. It was global, it developed rapidly, but now it has stopped. Clothing manufacturers have realized that it is necessary to approach production consciously. In particular, to produce less and create comfortable jobs for workers in developing countries with acceptable wages, as well as to create eco-friendly clothes that would be worn longer. Designers and fashion houses must be socially responsible when releasing their collections, as well as when selling and remanufacturing them. Covid-19 has affected the release of new clothes and threatened the launch of fashion weeks. The world may be left without new trends, but what is important is that environmental friendliness, high-quality production, and processing have become the main trend, and masks and gloves have become new trends in difficult times.
Patagonia and its Responsible Business
Technically based in the US, Patagonia is a privately held company that manufactures expensive, high-quality outerwear and equipment for climbers, bikers, skiers, snowboarders, and surfers. But its leaders have been actively proving to the whole world for five decades that the main activity is to preserve the environment. Businesses should save the planet is the Patagonia slogan (Patagonia, n.d.).
This company was founded in California by climbing enthusiast Yvon Chouinard. In the 1960s, he invented rock pitons that would not damage “natural” mountain surfaces and began marketing them for $1.5 apiece, promoting “pure mountaineering” (Patagonia, n.d.). This voluntary eco-tax was expanded by Yvon Chouinard into a non-profit corporation called “1% for the Planet” (Patagonia, n.d.). Since 2002, this organization, using Patagonia as an example, has convinced many other companies to join the planetary movement and donate over $250 million (Patagonia, 2020).
In 2019, Patagonia received the UN’s highest environmental award, Champions of the Earth, in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for its commitment to the environment. The UN noted that Patagonia managed to qualitatively implement an environmental approach to business (Patagonia n.d.). And its financial success reveals consumers’ desire for companies to take the lead in combating climate change and environmental degradation.
Patagonia is one of the world’s leading companies in the production of equipment for extreme sports and outdoor recreation. Patagonia began in a small garage where company founder Yvon Chouinard made one-off equipment for amateur rock climbers. Even then, Chouinard realized how destructive business could be for the environment and the whole planet (Patagonia, n.d.). He transferred the firm environmental principles to Patagonia – the company follows them every day.
Chouinard is sure that as soon as people violate the natural balance, they get a dessert. This applies to absolutely everything on earth, including the production of any goods. At some point, humanity can upset the balance at the planetary level. The concept of sustainable business from Patagonia is as follows. It is necessary not only not to cause unnecessary harm to the planet, but also to use business as a tool and example in solving environmental problems (Patagonia 2020). The company’s in-house scientists have established the essence of the economic benefits of untouched nature, expressed in climate regulation, soil formation, nutrient cycling, as well as fuels, food, fibers, and medicines derived from wild species. It exceeds the benefits from the industrial exploitation of these same lands hundreds of times – and this is according to conservative estimates.
Then, realizing how much production affects the environment, the company performed a life cycle analysis of the four main types of fibers from which products are made: wool, polyester, nylon, and cotton. It turned out that natural materials during production cause even more harm to the planet than artificial ones – this is due to unscrupulous animal husbandry and the industrial method of cotton production. Today, about 25% of all types of insecticides used and 10% of pesticides are sprayed over industrial cotton fields (Patagonia, 2020). Patagonia switched to organic cotton for clothing after realizing the dangers of growing cotton industrially.
Moreover, having found out that neon paints are toxic, the company began to use other types of dyes, carefully checking the degree of their potential harm to humans. Most Patagonia clothing is made from recycled materials such as nylon and polyester. Recycled polyester comes from recycled plastic bottles. From polyester, Patagonia produces warm jackets and comfortable fleece jackets, with each jacket saving 1 liter of oil. The firm admits that we are the last generation that has a chance to see the real untouched nature.” This is what motivates the Patagonia CEO to use sustainable solutions in business development. 90% of the goods we buy in stores end up in the trash in 60-90 days (Patagonia, 2020). Unfortunately, such consumption is more and more damaging to the planet. However, thanks to companies like Patagonia, people’s awareness is getting higher.
It seems reasonable to finish this section with shedding light on the company’s employer-employee relations. There has been no evidence that would show Patagonia’s irresponsible practices in terms of working conditions. The firm pays the necessary attention to its corporate social responsibility and transparently reveals its attainments and activities in this vein in its annual reports.
Risks
At this point, it would be reasonable to state that Patagonia – in terms of conducting responsible business affairs – does not seem to have any limitations. It dedicates a plethora of its practices to maintaining ecology and impacts the whole industry to act in a similar way. However, the company is still facing a number of risks that may be formulated as follows. First, the corporation’s goods are composed of natural materials such as leather and wool, making it extremely sensitive to climate change. Due to extended flooding and drought, obtaining these basic resources can be increasingly difficult (“New shocking facts,” 2019). Second, it is a looming recession – states are experiencing a cyclical downturn. People cut back on non-essentials like Patagonia’s products during hard financial times. Third, the retail industry has been on the decrease for the previous five years, which has been hastened by Covid-19. The company’s profitability and long-term viability are threatened by the downturn. The following waves of the virus might put its income and earnings at risk more.
Recommendations
In order to become even more adherent to the UN sustainability goals, the following recommendations can be given for Patagonia. Outdoor gear shoppers prefer to purchase online, which presents a potential for the brand to expand. Hence, the firm can make better use of e-commerce platforms to boost online sales. This will address the risk of decline of the retail industry, as well as assist in reducing the necessity to use physical facilities, diminishing adverse effects on ecology. Then, Patagonia expanded its product line to include outdoor clothes and other outdoor-related items. The product range may be broadened to include daily clothing, sportswear, and used clothing. Such an approach will increase profits and provide opportunities for more partnerships to enhance sustainability worldwide.
References
New shocking facts about the impact of fast fashion on our climate change. (2019). Oxfam.
Berg, A., Magnus, K.-H., Granskog, A., & Lee, L. (2020). Fashion on climate. McKinsey & Company.
Granskog, A., Laizet, F., Lobis, M., & Sawers, C. (2020). Biodiversity: The next frontier in sustainable fashion. McKinsey.
Patagonia. (2020). Annual benefit corporation report.
Patagonia. (n.d.).Patagonia homepage.