General Article Is the dress green or red? Planet-friendly couture won’t be for everyone but it can lead the way

Topic Selected: Environment and Sustainability Book Volume: 368
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Mark Liu, University of Technology Sydney

Hollywood legend Jane Fonda hit the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony stage this week in a beaded red dress by Elie Saab – a gown she had previously worn at Cannes in 2014.

Rising star Kaitlyn Dever walked the Oscars red carpet in a deep scarlet Louis Vuitton dress she told reporters was “completely sustainable” thanks to fibre technology.

Two very different fashion approaches towards saving the planet – but how effective are they at mitigating the environmental impact of fashion? The first comes from an activist trying to be more sustainable, the second from a designer label making production changes.

Size of the problem

The fashion industry creates in excess of 80 billion pieces of clothing a year and is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.

Chemical dyes in fashion create 20% of global waste water and crops such as cotton use 24% of global insecticides.

Microfibers and micro plastics from laundered garments have contaminated our beac...

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