From The Straits Times    |

Credit: Lawrence Teo

Did you know that the fashion industry is not part of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, the ambitious national movement that outlines concrete action steps that will help us meet our net-zero objectives by the second half of this century? That’s not to say that the Green Plan is not intensive enough (it is), but it means that all of us – consumers and fashion players alike – need to play our part. The unvarnished truth is that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world, emitting 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than shipping and aviation combined. Moreover, only 4 per cent of the 137,000 tonnes of fashion and textile waste is recycled.

These numbers are mind-boggling, especially when we see the word “sustainability” bandied about liberally in fashion. But according to a Business of Fashion Sustainability Report, fashion sustainability is not regulated by an external governing body; neither are there standardised frameworks that set regulations in place. The jargon used varies from company to company, and without a standardised language, it becomes increasingly complex to implement must-haves versus good-to-haves – which results in companies not really understanding where or how to start their journey.

Then, there is the fact that fashion production entails many steps in the process, including textile manufacturing, design, transportation, and distribution. And let’s not forget the end of life of the item you’re wearing – most of which ends up in a landfill.

By opting for a small scale production model, Lily & Lou manufactures according to demand, resulting in less deadstock.

In November 2021, Singapore’s Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) announced the launch of its Fashion Sustainability Programme, which came to fruition in July this year. The agency has released a road map of sorts for brands, designers and manufacturers who are looking to reduce their environmental footprint* across all layers of the fashion chain, and gain access to green financing.

Carolyn Poon, TaFF’s director for sustainability, says that education is a crucial component to starting the journey. “Right at the beginning, we had a lot of dialogues with many companies – big and small – across the fashion value chain.

“We recognised that there were many questions around fashion sustainability, like what is the benchmark, what are the standards, how do they gain knowledge, and what are the trends. We realised that many companies have a real knowledge gap.”

Understandably, “going green” is an incredibly challenging endeavour for fashion brands.

For instance, did you know that pattern-making produces waste, that even a natural material like cotton requires a significant amount of water to grow, or that dyeing fabric releases toxic chemicals into our waterways and soil? Transporting, distributing and packaging also add to a brand’s ecological footprint, and with some steps of the production process dependent on third parties, it’s almost impossible for a brand to completely control the extent of its environmental impact.

As a result, there aren’t many fashion brands that can claim to be truly sustainable. Still, it’s no excuse for “greenwashing” – and brands need to take more conscious steps to reduce their ecological footprint across all layers of the fashion supply chain.

In this article, we explore the different methods and new technologies that are getting fashion brands started on their sustainability journey and helping environmentally aware shoppers make better choices – thus building a better, greener world for the next generation.

It starts with the design…

Indian brand Wray Crafted protects traditional crafts by embracing slow fashion values. Available at Zerrin

By implementing slow fashion values in the design process, waste can be reduced significantly by designing with longevity in mind, and tweaking the pattern-making process. Here are some ideas you can consider.

Take a cue from the “slow fashion” movement

This aspect of clothing production considers all aspects of the supply chain. The movement is described as the antithesis of fast fashion – that is, deliberate, with intention, and focused on the long-term well-being of people and the planet. Fast fashion, according to the Slow Fashion Movement, thrives on disposability and encourages wasteful practices. It also causes immense environmental and ecological stress.

Consider “modular design” techniques

Lily & Lou, a local womenswear brand that does made-to-order, customisable clothing, takes the modular approach in its design process, where each design journey begins from a base template.

Says Yan Ng, the brand’s founder and CEO: “This ensures consistency, and from here, we’re able to ‘browse’ our library of components to select parts for our new designs, based on data collected or market trends. It’s similar to ordering a bento, where you pick what you like to make a final product.

“Many steps in the design workflow are therefore made redundant. Sometimes, it’s even possible for us to skip the sampling process and move directly into production. Some impact is mitigated from these skipped steps.”

Technology can help reduce waste

The cutting stage of a garment (to test for and achieve the right fit) accounts for the largest amount of pre-consumer fabric waste at the design stage. In fact, it can take five to 20 samples before a garment is actually finalised.

Maisha Concept, available at Zerrin, only uses organic cotton and sources exclusively in its home country of India to keep its footprint low.

Digital sampling can help brands dramatically reduce their textile waste and carbon footprint. It can also improve sizing and fit, especially for curvier customers, thereby increasing sales. According to Susannah Jaffer, founder and CEO of multi-brand boutique and e-commerce store Zerrin, it’s not uncommon for designs to have less uptake because the sizing wasn’t graded properly.

“Currently, many sustainable/slow fashion brands only design up to a UK size 12 (although at Zerrin we can cater up to a UK size 16/18). We need more inclusivity when it comes to sizing, and digitisation can help get us there.

Lily & Lou was one of the first fashion tech adopters in Singapore. As the brand specialises in customisable clothing, it has to digitise in order to achieve scalability, among other goals.

Digital pattern-making and sampling have helped Lily & Lou drastically reduce preproduction waste and make its design process more efficient. Traditionally, brands can create as many as 20 samples before production is given the go-ahead.

“With digital sampling, we produce just one physical sample, successfully reducing the number of resources needed. The design process is shorter since we’re able to simulate the same cycle (pattern, cut, sew, evaluate sample, repeat) on the computer in one sitting,” says Yan.

With recent improvements in 3-D technology, the digital previews of Lily & Lou’s designs have become almost identical to the final products. Yan says that they no longer have to rely on their imaginations when working with prints, but can preview them seamlessly on their desktops. The financial risks are also mitigated as they’re able to make calculated decisions on inventory.

“Less deadstock inventory also encourages brands to grow in a sustainable manner, financially, environmentally and socially,” she adds.

Lily & Lou has also leveraged its digital capabilities to create virtual models unique to its brand image. The ability to create imagery with its digital assets allows the team to further make use of its work beyond production.

“There are other use cases for our assets beyond just making physical products,” says Yan. “For example, the digital garments could be applied in metaverses.”

Then the material selection…

Penelope wears an adult-size floral dress by La Tierra and outer robe by Akosee both available at Design Orchard. La Tierra uses only natural dyes, while Akosee focuses on elegant, longlasting designs.

Did you know that producing 1kg of cotton can use up to 20,000 litres of water? Whether you choose a natural or synthetic material, the environmental impact can be substantial. So how can we make the right choice?

Choose the most sustainable fabrics

When you think about the most environmentally sustainable fabrics, natural is likely the first one that comes to mind. According to Alicia Tsi, founder of local brand Esse, fabric blends can be 100 per cent natural or have some form of synthetic fibres.

Natural fabrics are derived from natural, renewable sources like plants, and producing natural textile fibres requires agricultural resources, such as land, water, pesticides, and fertilisers.

Synthetic fabrics, on the other hand, are derived from nonrenewable fossil fuel resources like oil and natural gas. Synthetic fibres require large amounts of energy to produce, and are a significant contributor to climate change and the depletion of fossil fuel resources.

So is natural better? It’s not so straightforward, says Harold Koh, CEO and founder of Nextevo, a sustainability start-up that upcycles agricultural waste at scale into sustainable value-added products for everyday living.

“There are many impact categories to evaluate, for example, global warming potential, eutrophication, water resource depletion, fossil fuel depletion, and so on. Under each impact category, natural and synthetic fibres will perform differently.

“That said, processing natural fibres contributes much less of an environmental impact. The manufacturing process for synthetic fibres is a lot more energy-intensive, as it emits more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere compared to the extraction of natural fibres. When looking at the end-of-life of consumer products, those produced from natural materials are biodegradable, while the synthetic ones are nonbiodegradable.”

Environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic materials

Natural alternatives like pineapple leaf fibres and banana stem fibres are mechanically extracted from agricultural waste. As by-products, they do not require additional land, water and other resources to cultivate the raw materials, says Nextevo’s Harold. These natural fibres also have innate biodegradable capabilities.

On the other hand, tencel lyocell and other man-made cellulosic fibre solutions are derived from wood pulp, sourced from eucalyptus, bamboo or beech trees. These are fast-growing tree varieties that are most often grown on land that is otherwise unsuitable for alternative uses. Harold explains that the wood pulp raw materials are dissolved in a solvent to extract the raw cellulose, so that it can be reconstructed back into fibres through the spinnerets. Lyocell is more sustainable than viscose as its processing has higher resource efficiencies and a lower environmental impact. This process is also closed-loop, recycling over 99 per cent of the chemicals used in the production, with the remaining discharged as non-hazardous effluent.

Lastly, according to Harold, responsibly produced cotton and linen are grown using significantly less water and without the use of pesticides, insecticides or genetically modified systems. Instead, they use natural pest management methods, which translate to reduced pollution to nearby water bodies, as well as improved soil health and a healthier surrounding ecosystem.

Polyester fibres contribute to microplastic pollution

Polyester is made out of petroleum and is a form of plastic. When worn or laundered, this synthetic fabric sheds microfibres, releasing them into the air and our oceans. Like all plastic, these microfibres don’t biodegrade or break down. Instead, they remain in our air and waterways, where they absorb organic pollutants and contaminate these delicate ecosystems. They also contaminate the ocean food chain, as we end up ingesting these microplastics through the seafood we consume.

…And closing the loop

Penelope wears an adult-size dress and hat by Paradigm Shift Label, which designs timeless silhouettes that can be worn for years to come.

It’s inevitable – at some point, you will want or need to discard old clothes. Do you dispose of it or drop it off at the Salvation Army? Here’s how you can close the fashion loop in a sustainable, responsible manner.

What does “closing the loop” actually mean?

In fashion, a “closed loop” system refers to a design and production process that works to keep textiles and clothing in circulation for as long as possible, reprocessing them back into new textiles and clothing. It can also incorporate a method that reprocesses textiles and clothing into raw materials for use in other industries.

How can we play our part as consumers?

Being more discerning when washing our clothes, choosing the right types of clothing materials, and supporting sustainable brands are all doable steps that consumers can incorporate into their everyday lives.

Says TaFF’s Carolyn: “Not using the dryer as often and washing full loads is important not just in saving water, but also in reducing the microplastics that are generated through washing and drying. With every active reduction of washing and drying, it reduces the amount of microplastics in the water.

“When we buy clothes, choose natural fibres or single blends. This is because natural fibres don’t generate microplastics, while single blends make recycling down the road easier.

“Finally, you can choose and support sustainable brands. These can be used, second-hand or vintage clothes. If we do not support these brands, they won’t have the base to thrive. It’s important because as customers, we need to choose responsibly with our wallets as well.”

How to dispose of pre-loved clothes

Donate

Greensquare collects clean clothes and household linen like bedsheets, as well as clean and wearable shoes and accessories. According to its mission statement, the start-up aspires to make a positive impact. Currently, it aims to double the percentage of recycled textiles from 7 per cent to 14 per cent by 2030.

Swop

The Fashion Pulpit is a clothing swop platform and boutique. Drop off your unwanted items at its premises and pay a membership fee. Once your clothes are assessed for wear-and-tear, you can grab a swop bag and choose from its range of other preloved pieces.

Sell

The Paris-based Vestiaire Collective is a social commerce platform with a 15 million-strong community. List your item, add a photo and a short description, connect with a buyer, and ship it off.