The fashion industry is increasingly singled out as the expression, sustainable development (at the intersection of the economic, social and cultural spheres) on everyone's lips. The ability to dress in the latest fashion, at a reasonable price, echoes the lesser side of the fashion coin. Recent events brought to light bear witness to this:

• The collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh[1][2]

• Individuals (sometimes children) forced into demanding and underpaid labor in unsanitary factories (Uyghurs[3])

• The cotton crisis due to its excessive use of water, which dries up waterways (Aral Sea[4]) and makes communities dehydrated. Its dependence on chemicals, which cause cancer (Monsanto lawsuits[5]), or the suicides it causes among Indian farmers[6]

• The disposal of these ephemeral clothes in landfill sites, the GHGs generated, which impacts climate change[7].

• Worse, the fashion industry is perceived as one of the most polluting[8]

 

In Quebec, 82% of the consumed clothing is imported, representing 11% of the province's emissions[9]. Fast fashion is not the only cause of this. Quebec wool is a good example. For lack of knowledge of the quality, the way to transform it, and the possible use, more than 100,000 fleeces are thrown away each year[10]. The know-how is rare (from shearing to finished products) and the promotion of trades even more so. The multitude of regulations on washing, carding, dyeing etc. makes the task difficult, especially since the factories have long since given up processing equipment for spinning, knitting or weaving, etc. The raw material therefore comes from South Africa, New Zealand or Australia. It is processed in Italy or Romania before going to our distribution centers in the form of finished products to reach consumers, i.e. up to 17 transport phases[11]. Of course, there are many challenges. Nevertheless, a pilot test allowed us to see that both for the vegetable and animal textile sector, they are not insurmountable.

 

Several researches are conducted in various countries on various types of textile fashions and production.

This conference aims to initiate exchanges, not only between researchers on their findings relating to this sector, to the supply chain, including workers' rights, the development of local purchasing, environmental impacts, but also exchanges between practitioners and researchers.

 

Any proposal related to sustainable fashion, incentives to develop it, case studies or the ravages of fast-fashion and all formats will be considered.

 

[1] International Labor Organisation:  https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/geip/WCMS_614394/lang--en/index.htm

[2] https://theconversation.com/years-after-the-rana-plaza-tragedy-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are-still-bottom-of-the-pile-159224

[3] https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/asie/l-industrie-de-la-mode-accusee-de-profiter-du-travail-force-des-ouighours_2131632.html

[4] https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/environnement/2014/10/disparition-de-la-mer-daral-les-causes-dun-desastre-ecologique

[5] https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/roundup-mdl-judge-question-10-billion-settlement-proposal.html

[6] https://classe-internationale.com/2016/11/26/crise-agricole-en-inde-un-agriculteur-se-suicide-toutes-les-trente-minutes/

[7] Niinimaki et al., 2020

[8] Pal et Gander, 2018

[9] CIRAIG (2020)

[10] Deschênes (2022)

[11] Bevilacqua et al., (2011)