Fashion brands are minimising their carbon footprint

Many fashion brands are minimising their carbon footprint

Manisha Kinnu, Campus Director, NIFT, believes that the concept of sustainable fashion is still in infancy in the Indian context.

IBT: What is sustainable fashion? Manisha Kinnu:

Sustainable fashion covers the whole gamut of practices across the complete raw material supply chain, designing & production processes, marketing & distribution, usage, disposal and recycle – colloquially termed as “cradleto-cradle” as well as sustainable livelihoods.

While the focus is primarily towards environmental issues, it would be a grave mistake if the world does not factor socially responsible behaviour, health and other societal factors while reviewing sustainability. the per unit cost of production. We, at NIFT, ensure that concepts of sustainability and sustainable fashion are inculcated in all our programmes and graduates go out in the industry with not only awarenessabout the harmful impacts of unsustainable practices but also alternative practices and solutions. We have specialisations in various areas of Design, Technology, Management and Communications and try to cover the complete value chain.

IBT: How receptive are customers to sustainable fashion today?

Manisha Kinnu: Sustainable fashion awareness, in the Indian context, is still in its infancy. While a section of urban consumers is waking up to the environmental challenges with which the fashion industry operates, a lack of eco-friendly options limits the penetration of sustainable fashion.

Customers are also sometimes sceptical about the quality and authenticity of products. There is another section of consumers who have not warmed up to the idea of sustainable fashion yet due to a desire for variety.

IBT: What sustainability efforts are companies currently making in the global fashion value chain?

Manisha Kinnu: Many prominent fashion brands across the globe are minimising their carbon footprint by working on various parts of the value chain. While some are working towards procuring safer raw materials, others are working on reducing emissions from their production process.

There are others who are also working to make the front end more environment-friendly by addressing concerns related to marketing, packaging etc. Some are going back to more traditional methods of production and experimenting with natural materials and dyes.

IBT: How can sustainable fashion be made cheaper?

Manisha Kinnu: Sustainable fashion costs have to be assessed through a holistic LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and scaling it up and reducing

IBT: How can India brand itself as a hotspot for sustainable fashion?

Manisha Kinnu: Sustainability has been a way of life for traditional societies like ours. Even now, India has been a champion of sustainable fashion particularly through the encouragement of its localised handloom and handicrafts.

We have a craft cluster initiative at NIFT where our design students visit various craft clusters and learn traditional environmentally sustainable practices from master craftspeople. This helps them to incorporate sustainable practices in their own designs.

However, the more organised and industrial aspects of fashion in India are still driven by profits, which often leads to flouting of environmental norms. An equal thrust is needed in all directions to become truly sustainable.