Por Andrea Mejia Fajardo
Michelle Bachelet, high commissioner of the UN for Human Rights, commented that it is time to "think about a new inclusive and sustainable economy". The high commissioner emphasized how the pandemic of covid-19 has highlighted social and economic inequalities.
Today's lifestyle demands an unbridled exploitation of natural resources: 1.75 times faster than their regenerative capacity, putting the sustainability of the planet at risk. For some academics, the capitalism of the 21st century is the main problem.
Capitalism, barrier or opportunity for sustainable development?
In the 19th century, Marx denounced how the dynamics created by capitalism are based on a constant search for monetary profits and material excesses, sometimes violating human rights and affecting the ecological system. For Marx and Hegel, human actions towards nature should always be aimed at caring for the earth.
The social and environmental impacts generated by the high demand for natural resources in the different economic models, especially by the form of consumption driven by capitalism, demonstrate the need for change.
It is not about eliminating capitalism. Capitalism has succeeded in reducing poverty rates, and in AsiaIn addition, the production of low-cost garments has boosted employment generation and made possible the democratization of fashion.
Capitalism has even shown the capacity to transform some companies by requiring them to reflect on how to adjust their business models to generate economic development around sustainability. It does not necessarily represent a barrier to the achievement of sustainable development, but it does require a transformation, among others, to incentivize the circular economy, accept the limitations of the earth as a biophysical system and promote respect for all human beings.
The role of the private sector
Companies are key players in the evolution towards an inclusive and sustainable economy, as they generate employment and social and economic development.
The circular economy seeks to discourage that side wild from capitalism based on competition, acceptance of asymmetric profit and discouraging collaboration, to, on the contrary, invite the generation of industrial symbiosis projects, in which knowledge can be shared, as explained by Juana Camacho, PhD. expert in circular economy.
The private sector has the capacity to eliminate business models based on a linear economy and, through a collective effort of innovation, to seek sustainable alternatives to production processes, opening up enormous market possibilities.
In addition, States need the support and commitment of the private sector in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. And in the fashion sector, number 12 - responsible production and consumption - is particularly important. The fast fashion transformed consumer habits by creating a consumer who prefers low-priced products, sacrificing quality for quantity and novelty.
But how can we promote lower consumption without affecting the economy? One challenge for the private sector is to create business models that are not only financially oriented, but that also focus on how to preserve the environment, set an example of social development and discourage wasteful consumption. hyperconsumption.
Fashion is part of the change
The accelerated growth of the fashion industry in recent decades, driven by the desire to purchase garments disposablehas promoted unsustainable manufacturing in the future.
It is estimated that the Fashion System moves between 80 and 150 billion garments per year. With an estimated growth of 81% by 2030, according to the Global Fashion Agenda, and a projected increase in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 50% by the same year, ¿how the industry can contribute to the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement and avoid a catastrophe for the planet and those who inhabit it.?
Tim Jackson, a professor at the University of Surrey in England and author of the book Prosperity Without Growthbelieves that the only option is to question growth: "efficiency cannot be sought in terms of higher production volumes". The Fashion System must think about producing less.
The industry has historically shown itself to be an example of innovation in overcoming challenges and finding its way again, and the pandemic has given entrepreneurs and designers the opportunity to rethink their priorities.
Some designers have begun to apply what Jackson proposed. Vivianne Westwood lowered her ready to wear at 37%, handbag production at 55% and footwear at 58%. Christopher Di Pietro, brand director, says, "We can sell less, but sell better, and still be profitable."
This reality of producing less calls into question the capitalist system built on the concept of unlimited growth. Can we demand that industry produce less and at the same time rethink capitalism? For Céline Semaan, founder of Slow Factory, it is simply irrational to continue with the current exploitation of natural resources.
It will not be an easy task to implement strategies designed to reduce production and consumption without affecting corporate profits in order to achieve SDG 12, but it is worth it for present and future generations. That is the great challenge for entrepreneurs.
El texto original fue publicado en Revista Semana y hace parte de la tesis Policies for the sustainable development of the Fashion System in Colombia: opportunities in the value chain (Universidad de los Andes) de Andrea Mejia Fajardo.
