TO gain a better understanding of their fashion footprint, Star Media Group (SMG) employees attended an insightful talk by Kloth Circularity that focused on the question: Is sustainable fashion really sustainable?

The social enterprise, better known as Kloth, is dedicated to diverting textile waste from landfills and incinerators.

It does so via the 5Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose and Refuse.

Speaking to SMG employees, Kloth Circularity marketing and communications assistant manager Adelyn Ghwee explained the impact of the textile industry and its waste on the environment and society.

She said the lifespan and circulation of clothing had changed over the decades.

Overproduction, she added, had resulted in an estimated 100 billion pieces of garments going to waste annually.

“The reason these producers or fashion brands don’t want to change the way they do things is because we continue to give them money,” she said.

“So, if we boycott a brand, for example, then they will realise it’s time to change.”

She said fast fashion brands were among the biggest culprits in textile overproduction.

“It’s very hard for consumers to stop buying fashion.

“But if you can educate yourself and make more informed choices, that can be the starting point in making a difference in the industry,” she said.

Addressing the environmental pressures caused by today’s fashion system –- from fibre production to disposal -– she also stressed the importance of being conscious about decisions when purchasing and discarding clothing.

While discussing the perception of sustainability in the fashion industry, Ghwee also emphasised that being fashionable did not have to harm the planet.

“When we talk about being fashionable, it can mean so many things.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean following the latest trend or buying the most expensive goods.

“All of these are subjective,” she said.

She encouraged exploring alternative environmentally-friendly fashion choices.

“For example, if we convince 10 people that vintage clothes are good, then that will work too.

“There are other ways to be fashionable without costing the earth,” she added.

Ghwee also touched upon the issue of greenwashing in the industry and the importance of genuine sustainability efforts.

Education, she believes, is a critical starting point for changing industry practices.

She highlighted that both consumers and producers have roles to play along the supply and logistics chain.

“Unless we demand for change and change our ways, they’re not going to change.”