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Top designer Stella McCartney has told Plant Based News that she believes the fashion industry is ‘finally waking up’ to how much damage it wreaks on the environment.
The veggie designer – who never uses leather or fur in her creations – has said she promised herself when she started out in the industry that she would not ‘kill any animals for the name of fashion’.
Fashion and the planet
In recent times, people have become more aware of how bad fashion is for the planet.
According to Business Insider, fashion production ‘makes up 10 percent of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams’.
The outlet adds that clothing production has roughly doubled since 2000 and while people are buying more clothes, they are keeping them for a shorter length of time.
Changing
While she has admitted that her brand isn’t perfect and has work to do, McCartney has made steps towards making her line kinder to the planet, animals, and people.
She doesn’t use glue, as it is derived from animal and fish bones, and she ditched PVC after learning that the chemicals involved in the manufacturing process can be carcinogenic for workers.
She has also been involved in the development of eco-friendly alternatives to fabrics like viscose and silk.
‘Most harmful industries’
Speaking at the 2018 Copenhagen Fashion Summit, McCartney described herself as ‘just a fashion designer’ and revealed that ‘having sustainable conversations wasn’t part of [her] plan’ at the beginning of her career.
But she has found herself having to do just that, as the scale of fashion’s impact has become more widely understood.
“It’s not a great place where we are at. Honestly, it takes up more time in my company than creating product… [we’re] just being decent human beings and having a decent label practice, [but] it’s a big problem because there are very few people that are doing that,” she told the summit.
‘Finally waking up’
But the tide may be starting to turn, McCartney told PBN, as those within fashion start to realize the environmental damage it wreaks.
“Fashion feels like it is finally waking up to the fact that it is one of the most harmful industries environmentally,” McCartney she said.
“Let’s hope it isn’t a trend and here to stay!”
