It was a cold Wednesday evening at Hudson Yards, New York City. I vividly remember having hopped off the train at 34th street (by Madison Square Gardens and promptly Power-walking as fast as I can without getting accidentally hit while crossing roads. Narrowly avoiding sudden death while the cold, brisk breeze lashed against my face.. all at the behest of a homework assignment.
Nevertheless, I was able to make it safe and sound to the Hudson Yard HQ. One of my favourite places of all time in New York City!
With the smell of coffee in the air, a beautiful sunset view overlooking the Hudson River and some intellectual speakers, I made myself at home and chimed in to the otherwise bittersweet topic spoken before me.
A lot of the topics had more anecdotes that I would have liked and often times the speakers would cover topics we have yet to learn in our class; should we even have time, that is! Nonetheless, the overarching issue for the whole presentation seemed to circulate around how the supply change correlates with activity in climate change and the unethical labour conditions that take place in said supply chains.
The speaker went on to mention-at incredible length-how each step within the supply chain is overly demanding on our planets natural capital and resources even before completion of the product or service, reinforcing this claim by saying how 2/3rds of the worlds water supply will be too toxic for human use within the span of a decade if we continue to be neglectful with the textile industry. Again, everything down to the most mundane detail like the manufacturing in the glue and ink for the fibres in our very garments are all laborious steps as it is, each one is overseen by a different person! This can be seen as a parallel to various lessons we took in class regarding the use of dye and how wastage/excess use can lead to direct water contamination from liquid waste runoff. Nonetheless, on the topic of fabrics, the panel taught me that every year we accumulate at least 12 Billion Dollars of unused fabrics!
In conclusion, I do not have any qualms nor need to object these claims presented at the panel as I am actively doing everything in my power (as a mere individual) to reduce waste and recycle/repurpose used material.
Nevertheless, the panel
stressed that consumer demands want a lot of transparency. In terms of how this can move the supply chain forwards, we must learn to adapt to the way different generations prioritise their buying habits.
60% of consumers would not care if their favourite brands disappeared the next day. It all starts with how loyal millennials and gen z’s are to a certain brand in order to encourage consistent ethical practices.
The solution is an overrated and overhead one however the security of future lies in repurposing and recycling! What I found most interesting and pleasing during this panel was that I learned that sports companies and sports-apparel brand are now repurposing said excess cloth and thus saving over a billion dollars worth of waste!
Nonetheless, we apparently ALREADY have the technology to measure risks and predict/calculate net waste. Planning is VITAL in terms of sustainability!
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