We are all victims of wanting the latest & greatest trends each season. I know I am! We were trained by intelligent marketers to buy the newest fad because God forbid we are wearing something that is “SO last season” or even worse something we already posted on Instagram (guilty.)  In reality, they are doing a great job and pushing new SALES!

However, the issue lays in how these clothing are being made, what are they made of, and how are we to recycle these unwanted items? If you haven’t already guessed, we have a major problem!

I recently attended a breakfast, hosted by Pure London, to discuss the future of sustainability and launch the Power of One campaign which encourages “disruptors” to increase awareness and change within the Fashion Industry. No voice is too small!

We sat amongst many thought leaders, including Steve Kenzie from the United Nations. Steve brought to our attention the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (aka Global Goals) that are meant to be achieved by 2030. Personally, I had NO CLUE about this! Have you ever heard of the Global Goals? Well, here you go…

In 2015, the UN created the picture of an ideal world, then categorized 17 Goals (comprised of 169 targets) that needed to be met in order to achieve this ideal world by 2030. These goals included: No Poverty, an end to World Hunger, Gender Equality, Healthcare…Climate Action etc. You can read more here. When chatting with Steve, I asked if we were close to obtaining those goals… he politely gestured not really but awareness is increasing.

When it comes to sustainable fashion, the entire cycle needs to change: Synthetics (plastic) and dyes have taken over the natural process of manufacturing clothing. Designers choose the cheapest factory and at times don’t even know the conditions. There is no transparency of what consumers are buying. And lastly, fast fashion is causing an excess of material that don’t degrade.

We were also shown an educational video, created by Fashion4Change  which you can watch here.

Crazy right? We get so caught up in our daily lives that we don’t realize the impact and harm being caused. By 2050 we will have more weight in plastic then fish in our ocean. This is no joke. We are drinking the dye from our jeans and chemicals from our face wash. The Power of One campaign is so important because CHANGE will be driven by consumer demand. 

I’ve become so passionate about Sustainability the more I’m educated. It’s hard not too.  Aside from my previous blog on Living a Greener Life, the Power of One campaign recommends the following: