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Tim Schütz: The Ref Scale: A Consumer’s Guide to Measuring Environmental “Savings” in Fashion

I think the image is a great example of how an attempt to contain toxicity. As the commentary highlights, this happens primarily through quantification. Together, the subtle placement of the "savings" in the upper left and the idealized photo setting stress the externality and invisibility of toxic fashion. 

Tim Schütz: The Ref Scale: A Consumer’s Guide to Measuring Environmental “Savings” in Fashion

I think the image is compelling to think more about what kind of subjects are addressed in the attempt to "offset" the effects of toxic fashion. Reading it as neoliberal along the lines of Wendy Brown (2015) is tempting. The potential consumer subject is both responsibilized (consume ethically!) and confronted with the eco-financial dimension of one's consumption (watch your toxic savings!).

Tim Schütz: The Ref Scale: A Consumer’s Guide to Measuring Environmental “Savings” in Fashion

Conceptually, the image is striking for its focus on the possibility of abstract environmental savings data to influence consumer behavior. The confrontation of consumers with the distant or hard-to-detect consequences of their purchases seems to be a common strategy in attempts to achieve sustainable practices. In this image, these 'externalities' are further rendered in a financially desirable light as "savings."