ABSTRACT
Many of the issues at the heart of the fashion and textile sector’s unsustain-
ability are linked to the scale of production and consumption and its use of
resources. Large-scale production, global trade and internationally available
goods impact hard on resource flows and producer communities, and deliver
goods to consumers that rarely reflect local materials, skills and fashion
preferences. Meanwhile high volume production and consumption mean
that we buy and discard more than ever. This chapter explores sustainability
opportunities linked to a new view of scale and resource use in fashion and
textiles: designing local and designing light. Designing local is concerned
with developing a sector with a greater sensitivity to place and scale; a sector
SustainableFashionandTextiles
devised to sustain communities and support jobs while protecting the quality
of the environment. Designing light is focused on promoting resourcefulness
in production and consumption. This gives rise not only to lightweight mater-
ials and structures but also to lighter, less material-intensive ways of organiz-
ing consumption, like shared products and services.
