A STUDY ON REVAMPING MORE SUSTAINABLE FASHION AFTER COVID 19

Ms Anshu Singh Choudhary, Assistant Professor, Amity School of Fashion Design &
Technology, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Maharajpura Dang, Gwalior (MP) 474005,
Email: anshusingh2k6@gmail.com

Abstract
The COVID pandemic, as well as the social and economic shutdowns that have resulted, have
posed unprecedented challenges to the fashion, footwear, and textile industries. However, as
the crisis puts a strain on their commitment to sustainability, it also forces businesses to
accelerate their progress on sustainable measures in order to remain competitive in the post-
pandemic market.
Retail companies are temporarily closing, brands are adapting to declining consumer
spending, and jobs in countries such as India, Bangladesh, and China are being furloughed as
a result of reduced or cancelled orders. Furthermore, the apparel industry is forecast to lose
more than 30% of its revenue due to an impending economic downturn.
Although the industry's future is in jeopardy in some ways, businesses that embrace it will be
among the first to emerge from the pandemic as leaders of a resurgent fashion industry.
Today's business leaders and sustainability practitioners need realistic and actionable advice
in order to avoid reversing progress and actively plan for a changing industry.

 To survive the economic downturn, fashion companies must safeguard vital assets
such as staff, employees, resources, supply chain relationships, networks, and their
customers' confidence and support. In order to plan for reinvestment, now is the time
to eliminate needless uncertainty and costs.
 Leaders would understand the importance of open dialogue and collaborative
collaboration through the value chain in order to identify common strategies for
protecting worker livelihoods and maintaining trust. Cancellation of completed orders
will be considered a last resort, and cancellation without consultation or coordination
will be considered inappropriate.
 Integrate sustainability into company recovery strategies: After the recession, strong
businesses would need to be sustainable. Leaders will prioritise sustainability in post-
pandemic decision-making, while laggards will see sustainability as a means of
resuming normal operations as soon as possible.
 Companies must take advantage of digitalization, creative business models, and end-
to-end strategies – with accountability at the forefront – to assess and demonstrate
significant environmental and social impact to stakeholders.

Companies that successfully handle the crisis while upholding their sustainability initiatives
and commitments would gain a long-term competitive advantage and help to relaunch a more
sustainable fashion industry following COVID-19

Keywords: Fashion, Sustainable, Business, Covid 19, assets, economic, crisis, Global economy
etc
Introduction
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the clothing, footwear, and textile industries were adopting
aggressive sustainability programmes and commitments in a variety of segments, including
luxury, leisure, quick fashion, and value retail. Water, carbon, and chemical intake, as well as
responsible procurement and use, were all part of the industry's sustainability efforts.

Several conflicting factors fueled the rapid growth of these initiatives. First, customer tastes
have changed dramatically over the last decade, with greater consumer consciousness and
interest in the sustainability of their apparel choices, as well as higher standards for fashion
brands' social and environmental responsibility. According to a new market survey, more
than half of consumers will prefer more sustainable products to non-sustainable
alternatives. This is especially true among younger customers, who want brands that
prioritise sustainability and transparency in their brand and product strategies, rather than
just minimising their carbon footprint. Employee pressure has risen as well, considering that
about half of workers aged 20 to 35 tend to work for businesses that they consider to be
sustainable. Climate change has made the fashion business model fragile, with natural
disasters threatening supply chains and raw material availability and pricing.

As a result, many fashion brands are promoting environmental change through individual or
joint public contributions, holistic sustainability initiatives that include design and
production, and concrete goals to strengthen their practises over the next decade. Carbon
reduction, sustainable materials use, changes in social and labour practises, and circular
economy models are all common goals (where products are designed from the outset to be
recovered and materials repurposed).

Efforts had also been scaled in terms of measurement, resulting in better results. The Higg
Index, which standardises calculation for social and environmental effects for brands and
producers, found that average scores from participating facilities increased by 15 to 19
percent year over year. This metric-driven approach has aided businesses in demonstrating
the real value of their products and services. As a result, investors are increasingly
demanding ESG/sustainability credentials from firms, recognising the benefit and profit
potential of investing in more sustainable businesses. Governments were also pushing for
obligatory reporting and accountability provisions, as seen in France, Germany, and the
European Commission, and multilateral agencies such as the OECD were publishing reports.

Sustainabilty appeared to be poised for rapid growth within the industry in the coming years,
buoyed by these developments. New fashion start-ups were seeking exciting advances in
‘textile tech,' pioneering disruptive approaches to centuries-old manufacturing practises. In
addition, scores of investors were forming a new funding infrastructure for the startup
ecosystem. Sustainability was a top priority on the global agenda at events like the World
Economic Forum, and it had become a major factor in executive decision-making and a topic
of discussion among top executives. Sustainability was gaining traction as a key concern for
customers, businesses, and investors prior to COVID-19.
The Fashion Industry during the Crisis

2020 is expected to be the worst year for the global economy since the Great Depression,
according to the International Monetary Fund. The initial outbreak in China caused delays,
closures, and disruptions in the apparel industry's production facilities and supply chains.
Huge swaths of economic activity have been halted in the West due to lockdowns and
shelter-in-place orders.

As the virus and the resulting shutdown steps have spread to more countries, the economic
effect has grown as well. According to projections, global GDP will be 3% lower than
expected in 2020. In March, retail sales in the United States reached a new high. During the
As a result, all apparel firms, including those with solid financial positions, are prioritising
liquidity and cash preservation. Cost-cutting, staff furloughs, working capital management,
and a sales campaign are among the current response initiatives (with some heavily clearing
their inventories with discount strategies or emphasising online sales). Non-essential
spending is being frozen or revalued for many brands, which includes their sustainability
plans and teams in many cases. When sustainability teams are furloughed, there's a chance
that selective rehiring or permanent withdrawals will result in a halt in development. And
without budget prioritisation and leadership, the situation would worsen. nationwide
consumer goods retail sales are experiencing a boom.

How COVID-19 Means for Sustainability

Fashion and luxury are the most adversely affected of all consumer products and services,
following travel and tourism, as department stores close and consumer spending switches
to necessities. (By contrast, sanitation, fitness, and food are all showing signs of
improvement.) The global fashion and luxury industry saw a 60-70 percent drop in sales
from April to May, with footfall in retail and recreation declining.

At the same time, factories all over the world are facing cancellations of completed and
nearly-completed orders, which is already having disastrous consequences. According to a
survey of over 500 facilities in all major development areas, cancelled or suspended orders
have affected 86 percent of these facilities. As a result, 40% of companies are having trouble
paying their workers, resulting in layoffs and plant closures. With livelihoods in jeopardy in
some of the world's poorest countries, the pandemic's human toll is growing, wiping out
wages and threatening food, shelter, and protection for those at the bottom of the value
chain.

COVID-19 is expected to have a negative (32%) or somewhat negative (36%) effect on

growth-stage financing, with the majority of investors predicting a negative (32%) or
somewhat negative (36%) impact. Although government-sponsored loan programmes may
provide a lifeline to some companies, it is expected that many start-ups will lack the
financial capital to survive this crisis.Brands are coming up with inventive ways to contribute
to front-line PPE needs. Barbour, for example, is repurposing manufacturing facilities to
make medical gowns, Migrolio is making free face masks for the Italian government, and
LVMH is making hand sanitizer in their perfume facilities.

Health-related disasters, such as the 2003 SARS epidemic, resulted in long-term shifts in
retail purchasing habits, as many people became hesitant to go outside and instead turned
to online shopping. As a result, COVID-19 recovery would hasten previously evolving
developments across industries, such as the prevalence of remote work, acceptance of e-
commerce and home delivery services, and the importance of meaning and values in major
brands. And, in the clothing, footwear, and textile industries, all signs point to sustainability
being a standard expectation. Early indications indicate that a global health crisis would
boost overall market demand for goods that are close to home.

It's also worth noting that the fundamental factors for manufacturing environmental change
(namely, the reality that emissions and inefficient methods are inherently unsustainable in
the long run) will continue to exist despite the current crisis. Shelter-in-place and lockdowns
reduce human mobility and use, revealing the benefits of environmental renewal, with
cleaner air and preserved rivers reported from Los Angeles to Venice, providing a peek into
how a low-carbon future could look.

Recommendations for the Industry across 3 Phases of Pandemic Response