UNSDG x ZAVI

UNSDG

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation

ZAVI's clothing range is produced with fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and lyocell that use significantly less water as compared to conventional textiles and man-made textiles that are used by the rest of the industry.
We also treat our fabrics with non-toxic dyes that have a reduced chemical impact on water.
Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Severe droughts have drained rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers across vast parts of India in recent years, pushing the nation’s leaky, polluted water systems to the brink. More than 600 million Indians face "acute water shortages," according to a 2018 report by NITI Aayog, a prominent government think tank.

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

At ZAVI, we use eco-friendly fibres like hemp, organic cotton, lyocell, bamboo and vegan silk - most of which are biodegradable and carbon-negative.
We have a strong recycling policy within our office; whether its e-waste, paper or bottles.
We try to recycle our production waste as well. At the moment we are working on up-cycling waste textiles into accessories.
We are constantly trying to raise awareness around fashion sustainability through our products as well as brand marketing.
Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all.Its implementation helps to achieve overall development plans, reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty. At the current time, material consumption of natural resources is increasing, particularly within Eastern Asia. In India, the textile sector is the second largest industry and employer, making up about 14 percent of the world's production and also a major contributor to water and air pollution.

Goal 14: Life below water

The dyes used to treat our fabrics are non-toxic and AZO-free that help reduce the chemical impact on water.
We also refrain from using any kind of synthetic fibres in our clothing that could potentially release tonnes of micro-plastics through washes that could enter the aquatic environment.
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Throughout history, oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. However, at the current time, there is a continuous deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution and ocean acidification is having an adversarial effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity. 90% of plastic polluting the world’s oceans comes from just 10 rivers - 2 of which are from India. The Indus and the Ganges, carry the second and sixth highest amounts of plastic debris to the ocean.

Goal 15: Life on land

At ZAVI, we are aware of the adverse effects that paper consumption has on our forests. In order to act consciously towards this issue we use recyclable materials — right from our product shipping boxes, to packaging envelopes.
We are also in the process of procuring oxy-biodegradable and compostable poly bags to ship our garments.
Forests cover 30.7 percent of the Earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and shelter, they are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. By protecting forests, we will also be able to strengthen natural resource management and increase land productivity. At the current time, thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares. India is home to 18% of the world's population with only 2.4% of the world’s land area. Over 600 million people risk the impact of climate change in India and if land degradation is not addressed, the problem could get more acute.