Save The Day With Sustainable Fashion
If you are one of many people who found themselves wondering “What is sustainable fashion?”, you may want to stick around and keep reading.
Nothing to Wear?
If I asked you right now how many pieces of clothing you have in your closet, it would probably take you a minute to figure that number out.
And even with a full closet of clothes, how many times did you hear that little voice inside your head saying, “I have nothing to wear?"
Don’t worry, no judgment here, we’ve all been there.
In this blog, I want to help you understand the back end of the fashion industry, its environmental and social impact, and how simple changes in our consumer behavior can help save the planet.
Environmental Impact of the Fashion Industry
Did you know that most of your clothes, all those shirts, jeans, and skirts you own, aren’t really all that eco-friendly?
In fact, the fast fashion we all take a part in has a negative environmental and social impact.
Sustainable fashion brands are slowly but surely taking over the fashion industry. These brands are changing the fast and mass-produced world of fashion using organic materials and improving the supply chain with fair trade policies.
Ethical Fashion is Eco-Friendly
Sustainable fashion uses natural resources in a way that makes a low impact on our communities and the environment.
Ethical fashion, which goes hand in hand with sustainable fashion, is tied to the social impact and the workers’ rights.
Ethical Fashion Practices
Sustainable fashion ensures that the workers involved in producing your clothes are treated fairly and paid fair wages.
Since they are mindful of their clothing production, sustainable fashion brands support the local farmers in their process, helping in the development of local communities.
Quantity over Quality
Fast fashion production, in contrast to more sustainable slow fashion, creates easy-to-find and cheap products. However, the carbon footprint it leaves behind has a terrible environmental impact.
The quality of the wardrobe itself isn’t important. It is all about the volume of clothes and accessories that these companies can produce and sell.
The Price of Fashion
Most of the clothing we wear isn’t made from eco-friendly materials, and their production has a destructive impact on our planet.
From the toxic chemicals used to process the materials into a wearable fabric, the underpaid workforce, and the waste it creates, fast fashion is many things. Sustainability, though, isn’t one of them.
The cost of fast fashion has become so high, that more and more designers are now turning to sustainable practices and organic materials when producing our clothing.
Resources Used and Waste Created
The fast fashion industry has impacted ecosystems and increased pollution levels due to toxic chemicals used to make our clothing.
As the second-largest water-consuming industry in the world, fast fashion is also responsible for drought risk in some already dry areas.
Ridiculously enough, around 2700 liters of water is needed to make one, yes just one, cotton t-shirt!
At the same time, the fashion industry contributes over 80 million pounds of non-biodegradable waste per year.
Doing it differently with Sustainable Fashion
On the other hand, sustainable fashion or slow fashion has a much better story to tell.
Sustainable fashion brands use sustainable materials, some of which are listed below:
Organic cotton and recycled cotton
Organic hemp
Lyocell
EcoVero, etc
Organic Cotton vs Hemp
Even among the sustainable fibers, you can make better choices.
Organic Cotton may have a low impact on the environment compared to GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) Cotton, but organic Cotton farmers still use large amounts of water to grow the Cotton plants.
In contrast to organic Cotton, hemp (another plant that gives us sustainable fibers) requires less water and still gives a high yield.
Sustainable fashion brands are extremely conscious of the impact they have on the environment. So don’t be surprised when you see materials made from Mushroom leather or some other vegan fibers.
The Benefits of Going Slow
Sustainable fashion focuses on so many things while delivering you the best possible product. These brands question the supply chain and fight for fair trade policies.
If you want your wardrobe to be unique, sustainable slow fashion is the way to go.
Sustainable Fashion Brands
While may take some effort to find them, sustainable fashion brands offer higher quality materials that are eco-friendly and have a longer life span.
These brands are conscious of creating a low impact on the planet and the people, and we can make the world a better place by picking them up as our first choice.
Slow vs Fast Fashion
While fast fashion is built on trendy clothes, sustainable fashion is known to produce more timeless pieces.
Slow fashion focuses on ethically made durable clothes that consumers can wear for a long time, therefore creating pieces that might not be very trendy.
Fast fashion on the other hand will get you that Kim K. dress. But the longevity of their products is very short.
The Sustainable Fashion industry
Most of the clothes we buy in North America aren’t necessarily made here.
Women and men who tailor our clothing, the garment workers work in poor conditions, and people in these communities often have health problems due to the toxic chemicals used in those factories.
The world is becoming more conscious about sustainability today. This has led to more ethical fashion brands and designers working with the communities to build safer facilities and ensure better working conditions and fair wages for these workers.
What are Sustainable Materials?
Production of sustainable materials has a low impact on the environment and the people, while still providing you with high-quality fibers that our clothes are made of.
These materials are not just certified organic, they are also pollution-free and consume less natural resources.
Using organic materials is important because it leaves the garments and the soil free of toxic chemicals.
Just as you wouldn’t want to eat an apple with pesticide, you wouldn’t want to wear clothes with toxic chemicals, would you?
B Corp Certification
Aside from just using certified materials, fashion brands and other companies can receive a private certification by B Labs, better known as B Corp Certification.
Evaluating their social and environmental performance, B Corp is a global non-profit organization that requires companies to be transparent and to meet their sustainability standards.
To make sure the companies continue practicing social and environmental sustainability, B Corp requires the certification to be renewed every three years, while keeping their records public and transparent.
B Corp Certified Fashion Brands
California-based fashion brand Patagonia is B Corp certified as well as Fair Trade Certified. Their outdoor apparel is sustainably made using recycled materials, including a Worn Wear line offering customers secondhand clothing.
US brand ABLE, another B Corp certified brand of bags and accessories, employs women with difficult life stories while providing them with economic opportunities.
Clothing brand Canadian Tentree from Vancouver offers lifestyle and loungewear with fabrics like organic cotton and hemp. As a B Corp certified company, they are eco-friendly and give back by planting ten trees for every item purchased.
What can you do?
If you stayed with me this long, you are already on a great path.
Understanding the impact of the fashion industry on our planet and our people is the first step to change.
Now that you understand what sustainable fashion entails, it is time to make some changes in your shopping habits.
Don’t throw that Sweater away
Don’t just throw away your clothes because you don’t like them anymore. Try to recycle some pieces if you can.
The fashion industry is already responsible for a lot of waste, so save your wardrobe and repurpose it.
When you do shop, look for brands that are green, recycle and adopt sustainability policies.
Why Stop with just your Wardrobe?
Sustainable products can be found everywhere. Why stop with just clothing?
Veocel, a premium quality fiber company uses innovative technology that produces soft, sustainable, and gentle-on-skin Lycell fibers, making them perfect for beauty and baby wipes.
Architec, a leading food prep company uses recycled materials like bamboo fibers in their kitchenware products. Materials like bamboo have a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Shopping for Reconditioned Clothes
Shopping for second-hand sustainable clothing materials can be fun and interesting, but you would need time to go through the range of items available here.
Nowadays, we can find many thrift and vintage stores, even apps that sell so many pieces of clothing.
Second-hand shopping apps make the shopping process user-friendly, and you can choose from a range of colors, brands, and sometimes even materials.
Choose Clothes with Good Materials
Recycled clothing can be made from bad materials too, that is why you should always check what fabrics were used to produce the clothes.
It can be a challenge to find quality pieces, but you can rest assured those will last you longer, and save you money in the long run.
Some say your outfit is the skin you choose, so let’s be conscious of the outfits we wear. As a bonus, you will end up making this world a much better place to live in!
