One Love, One Heart.

The things that really have value such as human life, culture passed down from your elders, or friendship cannot be priced. What was mentioned throughout the economic and cultural text in The Designers Atlas of Sustainability was the influence of Nature in the economy as well as culture. I also found articles that discussed strategies in the apparel field that scrutinize and implement sustainable methods for there business.

I personally believe there is no better sound than the ocean waves crashing on a beach. I could live forever reading a book and lying underneath the sun. There are few places now that you can really enjoy nature. Commercialism has transformed local beaches in to multi-million dollar hotels and condos. These are filled with tourists who do not care about the preservation of the beach they long to vacation to. 

Faceless corporations fill these shores with shops and restaurants that put the locals out of business. According to the economy section nature’s services are estimated to be worth 36 trillion dollars annually. Our market counts this money as “free” because they don’t pay for them. We have to stop considering nature as invaluable. The economy is based on debts paid back with interest, if the economy does not expand to the money required for interest the system collapses. This is a major problem for designers in all cultures. Unless something has a price than we all perceive it as having no value. This makes using sustainable products more expensive due to the extra time and money needed to create them. Culturally we live in a world that focuses of efficiency and low price. We want an item now! Designers are forced to think short-term in order to stay afloat. Our current approach of zero price means zero value is difficult for sustainable practices to ensue. As stated in the Cultural section “We need to rethink our connection to nature- the way in which nature is in fact part of culture as it shapes us on a psychological as well as a physical level” (170). Seeing this pollution happen as recent as 2011 in this video shows the affects of our actions. If individuals walked on an untouched beach they’d be less likely to invade it with tourists and pollution.We have to accept that humans have destroyed nature over the centuries but there is still time to restore and maintain what is left. Nature, culture, and the economy are all interrelated. We have one planet to live on and must learn to share and preserve it.

In the OSU archives I found a Women’s Wear Daily story that illuminated the first Sustainable Fashion Forum meeting; which coincides with changing strategies in companies toward sustainability. Bruce Bergstrom is the VP of Li & Fung and was a speaker at the meeting. He said that sustainability is a focus for vendors and retailers but “It’s a great concept, like liberty or justice, but difficult to define.” He believes that sustainability has three factors economic, social, and environmental. The focus needs to be aligning sustainability into business plans or “woven into the organizations fabric”. The entire conference understood that no one could obtain a successful and sustainable business alone. You need compliance with shareholders, supply chains, academia, producers, and designers. This Forum meeting led to the textile trade show in Asia to dedicate two days of seminars to sustainability in the textile industry. The Asia Pacific manager for Control Union Hong Lee said implementing sustainability is coming from retail  “The retailers and brands are pushing the manufacturers to get certification however, brands need to show the manufacturers that they can save money in the long run.” Making profits and being sustainable is the ideal business plan.

Carolina Rubiasih is CP of sourcing and product development for The Sak, which is the supplier for handbags to retailers across the United States. The company is implementing as many sustainable protocols as possible. Fully aware that they cannot pass the extra cost associated with sustainable product to there consumers. The company cuts costs by having tight inventory control, improving design to reduce waste, reducing packaging, maximizing container loads, and paying attention to taxes and tariffs. I decided to Google The Sak more closely and found that their philosophy is “happy & free, peace and harmony among all things is interwoven onto our spirit, our deep rooted heritage and our down-to-earth style.” Rubiasih advice for all fashion designers is to produce only what you can sell, improve designs to reduce waste, use less packaging, increase efficiently, and study tariff regulations for all countries. She implements her advice stated during the Fashion Forum conference and her company outperformed her previous years revenue. Environmental and ethical concerns are becoming a greater priority among companies.

It has been discussed both online and in the text that sustainable practices come down to bottom-lines. Businesses focus on risk aversion and protecting their brands. They want to decrease cost and time while still maintaining sustainable products. Thankfully, there are companies out there that focus on businesses becoming sustainably sound. DNV is an independent business whose purpose is to safeguard life, property, and the environment. They focus on risk management and business assurance or providing responsibility for any company that asks for their assistance. There vision is a global impact for a safe and sustainable future they have operated in over 100 countries and have 300 offices employing nearly 9,000 individuals who strive for fair trade and sustainable production.

I think as students we are to recognize that sustainable business is something that will take time. It is our job to urge the brands, retailers, buyers and suppliers to make small adjustments towards sustainability. One answer cannot solve this complex and multi-faceted issue. Finding a solution will require a collaborative effort in all spectrums of fashion and design. As spoken at the fashion Forum, Designer atlas for Sustainability and in the DNV research improvements in education, innovation, technology and government policies will make sustainable fashion possible and inevitably profitable.