Fashion Revolution Week: What can we do to make fashion fairer for planet and people?

It’s here: Fashion Revolution Week, the global movement advocating for transparency, sustainability and ethical practices in fashion. With the sector facing several challenges surrounding supply chains, the environment and fast fashion, what can we do to make it a safer, fairer space? At Clarino, we believe it’s important to highlight these issues, as well as play an active part in solving them.

Understanding the task in hand

The fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions, and is the second largest consumer of water, polluting it through chemicals.[1],[2] Plus, only around 1% of garments is recycled into new clothing – the MacArthur Foundation found that one truckload of textiles is landfilled or burned every second.[3] Evidently, change is needed and the whole supply chain is responsible. At Clarino, we hold ourselves accountable by ensuring our products are manufactured responsibly, reassuring customers and consumers of this through independent certifications. Our portfolio includes products that fulfil different certificates such as STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® (e.g. Clarino Suede), or that are approved by RCS or Dermatest. These certifications verify that the textiles are free from harmful substances, contain recycled content and are safe for skin contact, providing assurance to customers that quality, safety and sustainability standards are being met. Durability is also important in tackling waste– a durable product is a longer-lasting one, and today’s consumers are increasingly investing in quality products that withstand ever-changing fashion trends.

Advocating transparency

A lack of transparency from brands makes it difficult for consumers to understand not only where their clothes come from, but the environmental and social impacts they have. Only 37% of the world’s 250 most influential fashion brands disclosed information about their suppliers and practices for the Fashion Transparency Index[4] – persuading brands to take accountability remains challenging. CLARINO™ products aim to tackle this with materials manufactured through a controlled and transparent production process, meaning each metre of material can be traced back to the raw piece through its batch number.

The use of animal-derived products is another challenge raising concerns about animal welfare and the environment due to the carbon emissions produced by leather or fur goods. By using synthetic leather like CLARINO™, manufacturers not only have a cruelty-free alternative, promoting ethical and responsible practices, but a material made using innovative technologies and high-performance microfiber creating leather-like texture, appearance and performance.

Looking to the future of fashion

Fashion Revolution Week may only last seven days, but working towards a more sustainable fashion industry is a long-term effort involving everyone. Creating a safer and fairer fashion industry is important, and as a leading supplier we are taking great strides towards this by making it easier for brands to be sustainable with our materials. Our CLARINO™ portfolio stands out for its luxury quality and resemblance to genuine leather, but also for the sustainable, transparent and ethical production behind it. By encouraging similar innovations across the industry, we can make a difference together.

You can find out more about CLARINO™ and how we are playing our part in the fashion industry revolution by getting in touch with our team at amaretta@kuraray.com.

[1] Putting the brakes on fast fashion (unep.org)
[2] https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/blogs/the-top-5-industries-that-consume-the-most-water/
[3] Fashion and a circular economy | Ellen MacArthur Foundation
[4] Fashion Transparency Index, p.8