Why can’t we be more responsible?

Shot amidst the man-made landscapes formed from the accumulation of discarded items on the Eastern Coast of Scotland, the images shot by Weir with illustrations by Fischer features the sense of awareness of McCartney’s ethos. The backdrops of a decaying car, a vast landfill and a household refuse collection centre question what we are leaving behind for future generations.
“The idea we had with this campaign is to portray who we want to be and how we carry ourselves; our attitude and collective path. Our man-made constructed environments are disconnected and unaware of other life and the planet, which is why there is waste,” McCartney says.
And indeed the figures are alarming. Earth has a waste and consumption problem due to “single use” and “disposable” items that are wreaking havoc on our environment. Most of these items are made of plastic and end up in landfills. We are now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single use. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the oceans every year.

The new campaign images bring together models from the designer’s winter runway show cast; Birgit Kos, Iana Godnia and Huan Zhou in McCartney’s signature designs featured amidst the harsh reality. Showcasing this season’s signature textures and shapes in tailoring, knitwear and embroidery paired with the latest velvet Falabella Box, Stella Popper bag, Sneak-Elyse and runway sneaker, the women provide a striking contrast and bring positivity to the message. 
“Stella’s fashion to me is about dignity, love and a beautiful attitude to all challenges,” says Fischer.” “We wanted to reflect that in the concept of this campaign.”
Since launching in 2001, the Stella McCartney brand has been deeply rooted in its commitments to being a responsible and modern company. As a vegetarian brand, the brand never uses leather, fur, skins or feather in any products for both ethical and environmental reasons, setting a standard for the use of alternative materials. Fifty-three per cent of the womenswear collections come from sustainable materials including sustainable viscose, regenerated cashmere, organic cotton and denim, recycled nylon, sustainable wood and cork, and eco alter nappa.
In addition to the print campaign, a mood film has been released that further illustrates the spirit of the collection and the environmental message that will is going live on www.StellaMcCartney.com, and the brand’s social media platforms today (July 26).

Additional facts on plastic waste

The world’s plastic production this year is 300 million tons, half which is used just once then thrown away.
By 2050 when the population explodes to almost 10 billion, it is expected that plastic production will triple.
63 billion gallons of oil are used every year to supply just the US with plastic water bottles.
More than 90 per cent of these plastic water bottles are used only once.
The US alone throws away 38 billion bottles every year.
That is 2 million tons of plastic going into US landfills (only from water bottles).
And this means that this year alone in the US, every man, woman and child will consume about 136 kilos of single-use plastic.
The problem with this that only a fraction of the plastic we produced is recycled the rest ends up in our environment and is coating our lands and our oceans like a disease according to Plastic Oceans.

Additional Facts on Waste and Recycling

In 2014, in the United States, about 258 million tons of MSW (municipal solid waste aka trash and garbage) were generated.
More than 89 million tons of MSW in the US were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 34.6 per cent recycling rate.
In addition, more than 33 million tons of MSW were combusted with energy recovery and 136 million tons were landfilled.
In 2014, 89.5 per cent of corrugated boxes were recycled.
About 61 per cent of yard trimmings were composted.
Organic materials such as paper and paperboard, yard trimmings and food were the largest component of MSW generated.
Paper and paperboard accounted for over 26 per cent, and yard trimmings and food accounted for another 28.2 per cent.
Plastics comprised about 13 percent of MSW; rubber, leather and textiles accounted for more than nine per cent; and metals made up nine per cent. 
Wood followed at six per cent, and glass over four per cent. 
Other miscellaneous wastes made up approximately three per cent of the MSW generated in 2014.
Recycling and composting of MSW results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction.
In 2014, the 89 million tons of MSW recycled and composted provided an annual reduction of over 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, comparable to the annual emissions from over 38 million passenger cars according to US Environmental Protection Agency.