Fashion meets Sustainability: focus on the Swedish Fashion Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyse the complexity and potential of the fashion system, starting from where the fashion industry is today, what kind of effects the industry has on the environment and communities, to the appearance of a new paradigm, that is sustainable development. In terms of revenue and employment, the fashion industry is one of the largest and most globalized industries in the world. However, the industry can boast of another primacy, in terms of environmental pollution and social impact, fashion is also one of the most harmful systems. The fashion production systems are extremely resource intensive resulting in a great deal of pollution, environmental degradation and large amount of toxic waste. Moreover, poor regulation of the globalised market has stifled the development of protections for garment workers who experience exploitative labour conditions, unsafe workplaces and health risks caused by toxic products. As described so far, sustainability and fashion thus appear to be an oxymoron. Fashion is driven by a constant change based on business models that promote continuous replacement of goods in which the old is quickly replaced by the new, while sustainability refers to systems and processes that are able to operate and persist over long periods of time. The essential objective of sustainable development is to provide real improvements in the quality of human life while preserving the vitality and diversity of the Earth. This study aims at responding if sustainability and fashion can coexist together and how fashion can be ethical, with particular reference to the Swedish fashion industry. The most important aspects and practices of green fashion are analysed with a particular regard to circular economy approaches, sustainable business models, ethical supply chain and sustainable production processes. The dissertation is organized from the general to the particular, starting from the fashion and luxury industry analysis, continuing with the concept of sustainability in fashion industry, ending with a business case study of a successful Swedish ethical company: ASKET.