A COUPLE of years ago, a group of environmental engineering students studied the presence of microplastics in some of the waterways of the Philippines, which is unfortunately considered one of the worst ocean plastic polluters. Our "sachet economy" has been blamed for the notoriety but the researchers found that the microplastics in some of our rivers could have also come from clothing. The synthetic fibers used by fast fashion brands find their way to our water systems as microplastics when people wash their clothes and their laundry water empties to the nearest canal.
It's the price we pay for staying on trend but the tide may be turning in favor of the planet. Results from Deloitte's Global 2023 Gen Z and Millennial survey found that six out of 10 of these young consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products and services. They also want businesses to do more to enable consumers to make sustainable purchasing decisions by, for example, greening their supply chains or using more sustainable packaging. On top of this, the changing regulatory environment is prompting organizations to ramp up their climate action initiatives.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)