he Textile and Clothing Industry (TCI) is dynamic, competitive and plural, having been since always one of humankind’s main activities. In addition to the vital function of dressing, garnishing and building meanings, it is transversal to several fields, in the sense that ideas, dreams, trends, materials, skills and technologies are tested and put to use. It is, as a matter of fact, an industry permanently looking for the best solutions to satisfy the consumer, always eager for functional, aesthetic and symbolic novelties.

The dynamism of our TCI, the use of increasingly advanced technologies in our production, the new materials, namely the synthetic fibres introduced halfway through the last century, and the rise of consumption and globalization in the last decade of the 20^th century, have led us to a society of abundance, where the notion of social well-being became equated with the accumulation of material goods. Astronomical sums were invested, generating profound changes related to production and mass consumption. Between 2000 and 2015, the production of clothing and its respective sale doubled, while the using factor during that same period plummeted [Ellen MacArthur Foundation].

Coincidentally, the TCI has become the second most polluting industry, consequence of the excessive consumption and of the chemicals used in the fibres treatment and improvement, notwithstanding dyeing, washing and all the processes throughout its complex chain. Greenhouse gas emissions come from several sources, such as transportation, animal farming (in the cases of wool and leather), the type of fibre used (for polyester, the origin is petroleum), the water and energy consumption, the using phase where the consumers’ responsibility kicks in and, especially, the clothes’ disposal still in a state of use, for the sake of aesthetic obsolescence, typical of fashion’s ephemeral nature, as Lipovetsky has pointed out.

Almost arriving at a point of no return, as some advocate, the reinvention of this industry has been undergoing for the past few years. That is, the market’s inclination towards a more sustainable fashion and, with it, the need to fulfil methodologies that protect the environment and that are socially just and culturally accepted, since this new pillar of sustainable development also brings a change to society’s values, when handling issues that involve ethics or aesthetics. Both are (or they should be) deeply intertwined. There is no alternative path, other than through adequate practises and consumption. Or, put it another way, the option made by the brands and consumers should seed this path. The brand, as a responsible entity environmentally committed to its production dynamics; and the consumer, watchful, demanding and conscious that his purchasing options contribute to a more balanced world.

What is asked from everybody involved, brands and consumers – to all of us, after all – is that in the production-purchase axis, the environment, the people, and the associated cost, in a fair proportion, be the determining variables. If we do it, and the signs seem to point that way, the legacy for future generations will be far more promising.