A Study on the Investigation of Sustainability Practices of Global Brands in the Fashion Market

Abstract

Due to the careless use of natural resources, developments in technology, industrialization and population growth, environmental pollution and resource depletion are experienced in the world. The garment clothing and fashion industry has a significant impact on the rapid depletion of natural resources. The rapid change in fashion, especially in the garment clothing industry, negatively affects sustainability in the use of resources. Besides these; the careless use of large amounts of water and chemicals in production, and the release of waste to nature also harm the sustainability of life. These negative factors have started to increase consumption with environmental awareness, especially among consumers who care about nature. Conscious consumers' interest in nature has led to an increasing emphasis on sustainability in production and consumption by brands in ready-to-wear and other sectors. Especially in the Industry 4.0 process, the concept of sustainability has become one of the most important issues for global brands. The production of garment clothing products with natural fibres and materials is of great importance in terms of sustainability. These materials are compatible with nature and can be recycled. In apparel, due to long supply chains, energy and labour intensive production, ecological, economic and social sustainability studies are of high importance in the production and process management process. In the research, application examples of global brands in the ready-to-wear and fashion sector, based on sustainability studies, were examined. For example; Stella McCartney, one of the luxury fashion brands; uses organic cotton, eco-friendly fibre and recyclable polyester and cashmere for sustainability. While Mara Hoffman uses tencel fabric and organic cotton, Gucci has banned PVC in its products since 2015 and prefers to use a carbon zero footprint in its work. While DeFacto, one of the global ready-to-wear brands, implements many environmental projects related to PET bottles, water use and textile waste, global brands such as Nike, GAP, Levi's, C&A, Inditex group, Nude Jeans also carry out exemplary studies on sustainability. As can be seen from the global brand examples, brands, on sustainability; develop applicable strategies in the fields of development goals, management of production and operation processes, supply policies, waste management.