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The fashion industry has a problem.

Considered to be the second-biggest consumer of water, the clothing and accessories industry is responsible for between two and eight per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, according to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. To say nothing of the actual textile waste of unwanted clothes piling up in landfills around the world.

“This is a business-model problem, not just a materials problem,” says Ashley Boyce, CEO of the Toronto-headquartered company Zero Collective. “The industry still overproduces, and too many brands are rewarded for selling more units rather than maximizing the life of what they already make.”

The question of sustainability in fashion is a multi-faceted one. It’s not just about which brand you buy from or how the material used to make it came to be. Additional factors include labour practices, pricing, manufacturing and supply chain transparency, rapid mass production and more.

Spurred on by an increasingly quick turnover of trend cycles and online influencer “hauls” featuring huge piles of products, many people have become accustomed to the idea that more is better when it comes to clothes. According to a UN report, the average shopper buys 60 per cent more items of clothing today than they did 15 years ago.

And they keep those times for about half as long.

In response to the dire industry statistics, some brands have pledged to clean up their act — hoping that, by doing so, they can influence others to do the same. In 2020, the Los Angeles-headquartered clothing brand Reformation, which operates several stores across Canada including in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, pledged to be climate positive by 2025.

According to the Institute of Sustainability Studies, carbon positive refers to an approach that sees an organization “remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it emits, going beyond net-zero emissions.” Through avenues such as investing in carbon sequestering programs and reforestation initiatives, companies can surpass their carbon zero goals and effectively have a positive impact on climate change.

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In a recent virtual meeting with media, Kathleen Talbot, chief sustainability officer and vice-president of operations at Reformation, provided an update on where they stand on that ambition.

“We’re proud of the progress we made, but we’re also very clear that there’s work still to do,” Talbot says.

With a main focus on cutting their own emissions across manufacturing, supply chain and transportation of product — a total of 98 per cent of the company’s total emissions, according to Talbot — Reformation has focused on the “science-based targets initiative” to unearth areas where they could improve.

Noting the lack of guidance within the industry to help other companies similarly clean up their production and practices at scale, Reformation created a free guide, available online, for other brands to follow their footsteps.

“We really hope to be a proof point, and as well as a resource for the broader industry,” says Talbot.

Focusing on recycled and natural materials is another important avenue for improving sustainability in fashion, both on the consumer and brand side.

Reformation introduced its first 100 per cent recycled-material sweater made from recycled cashmere and wool in 2025. It also launched Ref Recycling, which Talbot says helped to “extended the life of nearly two million garments during that period, through resale, rental, repair, and recycling programs.”

But ask most sustainability experts about the best way to embrace a more eco-conscious approach to fashion and they’ll undoubtedly advise you to buy less, and to buy used.

“As consumers, we can make a conscious choice to curb our consumption by using thrift and consignment options. It helps contribute to a circular economy,” the David Suzuki Foundation urges on its website.

Vancouver entrepreneur Courtney Watkins has built her business around the idea that consignment and resale has become an increasingly important avenue for fashion fans who are eager to find a way to enjoy trends without embracing fast-fashion waste.

“Fashion can move in a more sustainable direction, but it’s never going to be perfect. At the end of the day, it still relies on production, resources, and consumption, and that’s not going away,” Watkins says. “What can change is how we participate in it.

“Instead of the traditional model where something is made, bought, and eventually forgotten, we need to think more circularly. You buy something, wear it, resell it, and it keeps going and finds a new loving home.”

Through her company Mine & Yours, which operates stores in Vancouver and Toronto as well as online, Watkins offers a way for shoppers to buy, sell or consign pre-owned fashion pieces.

“Resale is the most sustainable way to shop,” Watkins says. “It keeps pieces in circulation, reduces the chance they end up in landfill, and lowers the demand for new production. That’s the circular economy actually working, not just being talked about.”

And the business of resale is booming. According to Watkins, the global market for pre-loved fashion is valued at more than $300 billion, and is forecast to grow faster than traditional retail. What’s even more interesting, she notes, is the shift in consumer behaviour toward wearing vintage or pre-owned.

“About 58 per cent of Gen Z shoppers say they check second-hand before buying new,” she says. “That’s not a small trend, that’s a real shift in how people are thinking about shopping.”

While fast fashion is a main contributor to the industry’s waste woes — as well as fuelling the perception of disposability — luxury and slow-fashion options from small, local brands have proven to become pieces that people keep in their closets over a much longer period of time.

“These pieces are designed to last,” Watkins says. “Unlike fast fashion, no one is throwing away a Chanel bag, no matter how worn it is. It gets repaired, resold, passed on. It actually lives a full life.”

The enduring appreciation for designer pieces has prompted another growing niche in the sustainable style discussion: rental.

“Research suggests that high-use rental can reduce climate impact per wear by 44-78 per cent,” says Boyce. “Because one item serves many people instead of sitting in one closet.”

Through her company Zero Collective, Boyce rents designer handbags from some of the most coveted brands, priced from $159 to $229 per month.

“The strongest feedback is that Canadian customers want access without excess,” Boyce says of the response from shoppers since the company launched in 2024. “They like being able to carry a dream bag without a major upfront purchase, and they appreciate having a more flexible, lower-waste option.”

For many of the company’s members, rental has become a smarter way to dress well. And she’s confident that it will be a major vertical going forward.

“The future is less about ownership for every occasion and more about access, rotation and getting more life out of every piece.”

Aharris@postmedia.com