The Tragedy of the Commons

Tragedy of the Commons; sounds like an ancient Greek epic, but there is nothing heroic about it at all. It’s a term used in the economy and refers to the cost of individuals’ actions on society; the results of choosing individual interests over the collective good and depleting resources eventually. The term was coined by English economist William Forster Lloyd in the 19th century to describe the consequences of overpopulation but was popularised by an American biologist, Garrett Hardin, in a journal in Science in 1968 to underline the consequences of our actions on world resources.

Examples include deforestation, overfishing and extinction of other species, exhaustion of nature, and depletion of natural resources. Most of these are unfortunate consequences of human actions on our planet. Predominantly our industrial actions create such unwanted and yet overlooked effects. For instance, freedom of trade blessed most of humanity with undeniable riches. Cheaper and wider selections of products were made available to the masses, and lifestyle quality, therefore, increased considerably (especially for low and middle-income groups). Free trade shaped the global economy and sustained its development as much as it made us devoid of a green and healthier world.

The nasty consequences of consumerism that originated from the abundance of the increased global output resulting from free trade are more evident today. Please don't mistake me for a protectionist. I am a proponent of free trade for the most part. But one has to look at both aspects of a matter before jumping to conclusions. We failed to grow trade sustainably.

We, as humanity, haven't been very kind to nature. We hear stark warnings from scientists about climate change, and the extinction of species along with other dreadful scenarios regarding earth; the beautiful blue planet where the only known life in our galaxy exists, which happens to be where we live. Nothing seems to emphasize the earth's importance, does it?

Yet our ways have been mostly destructive and our industrious ventures play a huge part in it. I admit that I have been a part of it, as most of us are. I worked in fashion retail with luxury and mass-market brands. I helped retailers increase sales and I loved shopping for clothes as much as I loved working with them. But being a shopaholic is not just wasting one’s money, it's wasting the earth’s resources lavishly too.

Unfortunately, fashion is among the industries that defile our planet in so many ways; excessive water use, pollution of water bodies, burning unsold merchandise, animal abuse, and a much dire road that leads even to illegal wildlife trade. It is evident that we need sustainable fashion.

With the unusual slowdown in commercial activities and long confinement periods in 2020, we - the consumers - had a chance to rethink our actions. This is also obvious in consumer habits. Though some of us have gone back to our usual shopping spree when things returned to the “old normal” (if it ever did), we have enough evidence that this green trend will stick around mostly due to customers’ resilience and demand, not just a fashion marketing trend.

According to Deloitte’s brief “Shifting sands: How consumer behaviour is embracing sustainability” the most common practice among consumers is to reduce plastic. Additionally, consumers change their lifestyles to have less impact on the environment and to live a greener life. Below are the top 5 lifestyle changes that were embraced by consumers according to the Deloitte report.

Fashion Victims

Sustainable fashion is not a new concept. But recently, fashion and sustainability seem to be mentioned next to each other in the same sentence way too often. Certain buzzwords can be annoying as popularity is taking the meaning out of them. Some of them sadly remain as marketing promotion tools. However, sustainability is one that deserves merit albeit the fuss surrounding the word.

Some brands can only claim to be sustainable while others are taking serious steps. The question is can we really force the whole fashion industry to become sustainable and green for the sake of our planet and the future that's bound to it?

Some things are easier said than done. It will take a lot of decisive action but it has to come from all players. The fashion industry is a universe. The story of a piece of clothing you are wearing is a long and intricate one.

Think of one piece of clothing made with one type of material, cotton for instance. Cotton is planted, grown, picked, selected, cleaned, and processed to be shipped then to a factory –which could very well be on another corner of the planet- to become processed further to become fibers, and yarn. Yarn is then spun, dyed, and then woven into the fabric which again possibly travels around the world to be sold to buyers who might resell or use it to produce clothes for fashion houses, designer brands, etc. Fabrics matched with accessories like buttons, rivets, zippers, and whatnot are sewn into clothing and then shipped to... If I share an unabridged story, it would take me several paragraphs and mentioning quite a few parties who are involved.

So imagine the journey of an item and the people who are involved along the way, the businesses that rely on this process, the marketing efforts, and salespeople, until eventually a product finally ends up wrapping up your body. Even without all the details, the story is much more substantial than just considering things as simple pieces of fashion items whether it is a cheap shirt or an expensive dress.

In order to fashion the apparel industry into a sustainable form, all players from start to finish – suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers, buyers, sellers, and designers, - must be aligned around the same principles. If we don't do it every step of the way, we cannot be truly sustainable.

Luckily there are companies that already have ambitious sustainability plans. Stella McCartney was already a pioneer. Kering Group has ambitious plans to reduce waste. Burberry is another such company that wants to be “net zero” in its operations by 2022. As the brand declared, 85% of its global sites are carbon neutral and they aim to reduce emissions from their operations by 95% by 2022. All of these are heartening news.

According to an article by the Business of Fashion, there is also great news about how new technologies can make fashion more sustainable.

Consumers are ready for the change but they also need more action from companies to have faith, rather than just empty promises made around marketing buzzwords. Such positive changes in society follow like an avalanche. And companies that take it seriously and can prove it will gain more reputation and respect from consumers.

It will be the kind of reputation worth having which can even become a brand heritage to pass down to the next generations. Imagine being recognised as a leading sustainable fashion brand. Even little actions will mean much in the future. And the future begins today.