The fashion industry is a lot of things—glamorous, big business, global. The most environmentally conscious sector however, it is not. The industry has drawn ire from environmental activists for everything from the harm that happens during production, to the fast fashion cycle, which promotes disposable clothing.
Christie’s held its third annual Green Auction: Bid to Save the Earth this week in New York City, which raised approximately $600,000 and counting (the event will continue raising money online until April 19), with a focus on the world’s water. Four organizations are benefiting from the event—Oceana, Conservation International, the Central Park Conservancy and the Natural Resources Defense Council [NRDC]. Susan Rockefeller, a honorary co-chair of the event and longtime conservationist said of the auction, which she has been involved with since 2009, “We wanted to create an innovative fundraiser that not only would raise money, but also would bring awareness to the critical protection needed for our environment.”
The event showcased that the fashion industry is increasingly rallying together to clean up its act. Vogue editor Anna Wintour said in a video shown at the event discussing fashion’s eco-conscious push, “This is something that we have to do together.” One of the auction’s lots, “Clean by Design," supporting NRDC's work, drew attention to the rampant water pollution in China, where 65% of the world’s clothing is produced. NRDC President Frances Beinecke reiterated the saying, “You know the color that’s going to be in fashion next season by the color of the rivers in China.” The overall lot brought in $185,000, with the money going towards outreach to compel apparel companies to clean up their production lines, workshops to help Chinese factories meet environmental efficiency standards and programs to help brands use water more efficiently.
“I think the [fashion] industry is making great progress in terms of going green, and it’s doing it in a way that shows consumers that 'green' doesn’t have to mean unstylish or boring,” Rockefeller said. “Many fashion companies are thinking about how to protect the environment, while still producing their visions.”
Of the fashion companies making the biggest strides, luxury conglomerate PPR (which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, among other brands) started the Creative Sustainability Lab in 2011 to help foster innovation around sustainability. It should be noted that François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of PPR, was also a honorary co-chair of this year’s Christie's Green Auction. On the mass side of the spectrum, H&M has made a push into sustainable fashion with its "Conscious Collection" which uses environmentally friendly fabrics like organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles. The brand has also made changes like using lower-impact water-based solvents to make nearly 2.5 million pairs of shoes last year. Brand’s like LVMH-owned Edun have proven that eco-fashion can be as chic as anything else.
Still, the fashion industry clearly has a long way to go. One need only to look at the photo above of red polluted water flowing from a sewer into the Jian River in Luoyang, China, taken last year, to know that there is still much to be done.
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