SDG 15 aims to conserve and restore ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, drylands and mountains by 2030. Acknowledging that halting deforestation is vital to mitigating the climate crisis and that urgent action must be taken to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity.
What is biodiversity?
Simply put, biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. Each individual of each species contributes to their local ecosystem, which in turn contributes to a wider ecosystem. Each ecosystem provides benefits to our planet, such as water preservation, nutrient recycling, reducing pollution, absorbing carbon and more. Biodiversity underpins the ecosystem, so when biodiversity is lost, we lose the ecosystems that humans rely upon to maintain our lives, such as healthy soil to grow our food and purifying water for us to drink.
Are we facing the sixth mass extinction?
Ecosystems have always been changing and evolving but humans are now altering them beyond a healthy balance. Some experts claim that, due to such unprecedented human-driven impacts to ecosystems, we are now in the sixth mass extinction. In other words, this might be the sixth time in our planet’s history that species and biodiversity have been lost in such a short space of time, with the last time being when dinosaurs were completely wiped off the planet.
Mammal, bird, reptile and fish species have decreased in population size by an alarming rate, 60% between 1970 and 2014. Over 40% of insect species and 20% of plants are considered in threat of extinction, in turn potentially destroying the balance of ecosystems worldwide. To make matters worse, even below the 2°C global warming scenario we are headed for, almost 25% of species will be at risk of disappearing due to the impact of climate change on our ecosystems.
What does biodiversity have to do with fashion?
The fashion industry relies heavily on biodiversity, predominantly through the production and processing of all the different materials used to make our clothes, as well as the materials used for packaging. The fashion industry has a significant damaging impact on biodiversity, throughout the production process as well as during wear, care and disposal. A large proportion of biodiversity loss occurs due to habitat change resulting from agriculture and the fashion industry is projected to use 35% more land for fibre production by 2030— an extra 115 million hectares that could be left to preserve biodiversity.
Tropical forests are the most biodiverse ecosystem globally. Forests play a critical role in mitigating climate breakdown because they act as a carbon sink, capturing CO2 that would otherwise be in our atmosphere. When forests are cleared or burnt, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere, mainly as CO2. It is estimated that deforestation accounts for around 6-17% of global GHG emissions.
The fashion industry has a key role to play in preventing deforestation and biodiversity loss: around 150 million trees are logged every year and turned into cellulosic fabrics – such as viscose. Forests are not only vital for biodiversity, but also for human existence. Communities not only rely on the forests for food and water but also forests are a large part of their cultural identity. Deforestation can have devastating effects on communities. For example, the Guarani people in southern Brazil have been forced off their land to make room for cattle ranches and now have one of the highest suicide rates in the world .
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Insects are important pollinators for our crops. Without them, most of our crops would fail since about three-quarters of all flowering plants are pollinated by insects. In addition, insects are at the bottom of the food web, eaten by birds, mammals and fish. If insect populations decline, everything else will as well. Currently, over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction due to intensive agriculture, insecticides, and pesticides. Although the cultivated area of cotton covers only 3% of the planet’s agricultural land, it uses 16% of all insecticides and 7% of all pesticides. Whilst some have been banned and replaced, many insecticides can kill or harm a broad spectrum of insects, including those that pollinate crops.
Fashion is affecting our soil
Soils are home to over a quarter of all living species on earth and their biodiversity plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and storing and purifying water. The intensive agricultural processes used to produce raw materials and fibres used for the textile industry contributes to soil erosion and the loss of biodiversity within our soils. Some multinational fashion brands are beginning to take these issues seriously. For example, farmers producing fibres used by Patagonia, Eileen Fisher and Kering Group (who owns Gucci, Saint Laurent and other major brands) are beginning to use regenerative farming methods in order to improve biodiversity and capture carbon, helping to lower CO2 levels. This method is now being used to produce raw materials used for fashion such as hemp, flax, bamboo and cotton and to raise cattle, goats and sheep. Whilst this is really positive progress, it is by no means widely common practice, meaning we will need to see a massive industry-wide shift in farming practices if we are to meet SDG 15 and prevent a climate catastrophe.
What can fashion consumers do to help protect biodiversity?
Deforestation - Look for brands that source viscose from sustainable sources and look to see if the bands you buy have a policy on the use of sustainable materials or packaging. Whilst this currently isn’t commonplace in the industry, asking brands where their viscose comes from will show there is a demand for it, which in turn will encourage them to look into sourcing viscose and other materials more sustainably.
Cotton - Buy from sustainable sources where possible. This will help reduce or eliminate pesticides and insecticides. Look for labels that show the product has certifications such as Organic Cotton Standard, GOTS, FAIRTRADE Certified Cotton Mark and Cotton Made in Africa.
Leather - Look to see if the brands you love are part of the Leather Working Group, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of their leather. If not, then encourage them to join the group.
Pulse of the Fashion Industry. Global Fashion Agenda: http://globalfashionagenda.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Pulse-of-the-Fashion-Industry_2017.pdf
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