Framework for Environmentally Sustainable Fashion and Textile Production to achieve United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12

Muhammad Sayem, Abu Sadat ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3034-7892, Haider, Julfikar ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7010-8285, Uddin, Mohammad Abbas, Khan, Ayub Nabi, Sayeed, MM Alamgir and Hasan, Mahbub (2023) Framework for Environmentally Sustainable Fashion and Textile Production to achieve United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12. In: The 92nd Textile Institute World Conference (TIWC) 2023, 03 July 2023 - 06 July 2023, University of Huddersfield. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

A framework with three key actions - identify (I), act (A), and evaluate (E) to achieve complete environmental sustainability in fashion and textile production in line with SDG 12– has been developed as a part of a Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) project. Called as the ‘I-A-E framework’, it emphasises more on zero or near-zero waste generation at source and incorporating sustainability thinking in material and process selections, rather than post-production waste management after generating huge amounts of wastes and effluents. The first step involves ‘identifying’ present scenarios and points of action in context of resource consumption, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and solid waste generation in product development and production. The next step is to ‘act’ for sustainable development, which includes - incorporating a zero-waste philosophy during production, incorporating sustainability thinking into material selection and incorporating sustainability into production process, incorporating sustainability in resource and waste management. The third component of the framework is to ‘evaluate’ to celebrate and move forward by checking the eco-indices to amend targets or set new ones. This new framework was validated through stakeholders’ workshops and roundtable discussion. It is an easy-to-follow toolkit that the fashion and textile industry will be able to implement into their product development and production activities.