The 2018 Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action by the United Nations (UN) Climate Change recognizes that the fashion industry contributes to environmental problems. Renewed in 2021, the charter continues to strive for its mission — “to drive the fashion industry to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050 in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees.”
The charter’s third progress report published in March 2023 revealed that progress has been made. However, it emphasized that to ultimately urge climate action, high priority must remain on sustaining and extending the reporting coverage.
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a non-profit organization fostering sustainability in fashion, said through a 2017 study that the world suffers from greater environmental stress due to the rise of clothing consumption. In the study’s 2019 update, GFA reported that “the fashion industry is still far from sustainable.”
“If production and consumption of apparel and footwear follow their current trajectories, increasing by another 63%, fashion’s environmental footprint will continue to contribute to the negative impacts on the planet,” the organization said.
“Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2017” revealed that by 2030, the total amount of fashion waste worldwide would be 148 million tons, further citing that the industry affects the environment through water consumption, chemical usage and carbon emissions. With the rise of fast fashion, synthetic textiles become the main sources of primary microplastics that pollute the oceans, a GMA article stated.
A 2022 article by Sustainability Solutions Exchange (SSX), the Philippines’ first platform for sustainable practices, showed that "Over the past decade, clothing sales is increasing exponentially each year, while clothing utilization continues to decline worldwide." Utilization is the number of times one has worn a piece of clothing.
SSX also cited statistics revealing the country's gradually decreasing rate of garment exports, while imports have been rising since 2012. With this global situation in the fashion industry, Filipinos' awareness of sustainable fashion increased. But SSX reported consumer behavior doesn't reflect this, with 29% of Filipinos garbaging their single-use clothes in 2017.
Weaving a greener world
In September 2022, the local government of Baguio City, in partnership with Bayo Foundation, launched the HARVEST CommUNITY Hub or “Heritage and Artisanship Reimagined as a Vehicle for Economic Growth, Sustainability, and Technology,” where local artisans champion sustainability in various fashion pieces through weaving.
Bayo, the first mainstream Filipino fashion brand to participate in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) for Sustainable Development programs, has been taking a step toward this greener future through its #JourneytoZero movement that promotes circular fashion—a process of creating clothes that generate zero waste. Bayo Foundation was established in 2017 as the brand’s initiative towards employing fashion as a force for social good.
The HARVEST Hub is located at Botanical Garden, Baguio City, where the foundation conducts workshops that allow local weavers to be sustainable in their crafts.
Co-founder and Bayo executive director Anna Lagon said, as published in Adobo magazine, that their workshops enhance skills in transformative manners and added that “We are here to pinpoint what else we can do for the community.”
In a 2023 Philstar article, Lagon cited how powerful a platform fashion can be. “We can actually make sense with what we do by putting meaning into everything, like in how we choose materials, how we involve marginalized sectors, in the way we see our products, and how sustainable garments can have a lot of stories to tell,” she stated.
Earlier, Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) hosted a “Junk Couture” as part of the city’s July fashion week celebration. Baguio Herald wrote that the event fostered environmental sustainability by creating high-end couture from scraps.
In December 2019, “Turning Trash to Treasure,” a fashion recycling contest, sought to drive people to recycle scraps and transform them into unique pieces. This initiative was executed in light of Baguio being the first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City in the country and as a way to mitigate the city’s waste problem.
Loving the thrift
Alodia Maunahan, an advocate for sustainable fashion, shared in an interview on June 3 that reusing old clothes and turning them into new pieces is one way to forward sustainability in fashion. “If ever it doesn't fit anymore, we can still turn it into rags, bags, or make it a decorative piece at home. Another one is donating old clothes to your locality,” she added.
In a 2019 Philippine Daily Inquirer article, ukay-ukay or wagwagan shops in Baguio were called “champions of sustainable consumption,” such that they promote reusing pre-loved clothing. Moreover, a De la Salle study stated that ukay-ukay came from the word “halukay,” meaning “to dig up.” Usually, people who do ukay dig through piles of clothes searching for items they like. Baguio City has several ukay-ukay areas, including Hilltop, Skyworld and the Baguio night market.
Citing ukay-ukay shops, Maunahan said, “It's another way to promote sustainable clothing. The excitement and joy of finding and getting new clothes at such an affordable price is thrilling for me. It can be quite exhausting to look for a ‘find’ for hours, searching through racks. But it's definitely worth it once you've found the one or maybe even more than one!”
Maunahan shared that this kind of business would always thrive because Filipinos love to buy the latest trends at affordable prices. “‘Maka-masa’ siya. Everyone can afford it while getting the same good quality like it's from the mall. Also, you even help other people's businesses thrive. It's a win-win for people and the environment!” she added.
Aliah Armenio, a Baguio student who patronizes ukay-ukay shops, said that people should buy clothes they could wear for a long time, like choosing clothes that suit different occasions.
“Plain clothes indicate that people will not easily remember you wearing them, making it possible to be worn multiple times. Also, being creative in mixing and matching clothes also greatly help in sustaining fashion,” she added.
Armenio shared that ukay-ukay pieces are still in good condition, adding that one can even find branded or luxury items. “Although the quality is not as good as the brand new ones, with some alterations and bleaching, your ukay finds can become a piece of clothing you would love and add to your favorite collection. Additionally, with its affordable price, various pieces in ukay are very much more than their worth,” she stated.
In a 2007 study, it was cited that some accounts pointed to Hong Kong-based Filipino domestic helpers as founders of the ukay-ukay industry that now thrives in the city. “One version relates how Filipinas working in Hong Kong chanced upon old clothes for disposal, bought these and later resold them in Baguio,” the study said. At present, Baguio is considered the ukay-ukay capital of the Philippines.
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