What is sustainable fashion?

 

Sustainable fashion

Sustainable fashion is a movement and process that encourages the transformation of fashion products and fashion systems toward greater environmental integrity and social justice. It is more of a concern than just addressing fashion textiles or products. It totally addresses how the garment is produced, who manufactures it, and how long a product lasts before it reaches the landfill. This sustainable movement fights the large carbon footprint that the fashion industry has created by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the environmental impact of fashion can combat air pollution, water pollution, and overall climate change, which could prevent millions of premature deaths in the next century.

Sustainable fashion history

The origins of the sustainable fashion movement go back to the modern environmental movement and in particular the 1962 book Silent Spring by American biologist Rachel Carson. Carson's book exposes the serious and widespread pollution associated with the use of agrochemicals, a theme that is still important in the debate surrounding the environmental and social impact of fashion. Subsequent decades have seen a more systematic investigation into the effects of human activity on the environment, including the impact of industrial activity and new ideas for mitigating these effects, particularly sustainable development, a term coined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report.

In 2010, Jennifer Farley Gordon and Colleen Hill curated the exhibition Eco-Fashion: Going Green at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) in New York. It inspired them to write a record of sustainable fashion, a survey of the fashion industry, and various aspects of sustainability over the last 300 years. What they show is that, instead of being caring and green, the fashion industry has a long history of exploitation: workers, animals, materials, and the environment.

Sustainable fashion objectives

Followers of the sustainable fashion movement believe that the fashion industry has a clear opportunity to work, profit and grow differently and at the same time create new value and deep resources for society and the world economy. They believe that garment companies should be on the agenda of managing environmental, social, and ethical improvements. The goal of sustainable fashion is to create a prosperous ecosystem and community through its activities. These may include increasing local production and product prices; Prolonging the life cycle of materials; indefinite increase in the price of clothing; reducing the amount of waste; reducing environmental damage caused by production and use. Another goal is to educate people to practice eco-friendly behavior through the occasional green consumer promotion, which allows the company to gain more support and a wider following.

Sustainable fashion facts

Now that you know the basics of sustainable fashion and fast fashion, check out the following sustainable fashion facts.

i. By 2030, which is less than 10 years from now, fashion waste could increase to 148 million tons.

ii. The younger generation is becoming more cautious about their fashion choices, which may mean those who can lead the change for sustainable fashion.

iii. Just for a cotton T-shirt - and let's face it, most people probably have a drawer in the T-shirt - it can take about 3,000 liters of water to produce enough cotton to make it. That water can be saved by using recycled cotton and it reduces waste.

iv. Patagonia, Pact, ABLE, Tradlands, and United By Blue are some of the sustainable fashion brands you can find in the United States. These are available throughout the United States and have sustainable brands in many other countries.

v. To reduce the impact of 300 million pairs of shoes per year, companies make shoes from recycled materials such as plastic and rubber tires.

vi. The fashion industry is one of the major sources of pollution, generating about 10% of the world's carbon emissions.

vii. Fast fashion is a global problem, so it will take change leaders in every country to fight against the fast fashion industry.

viii. In the United States alone, more than 25 million pounds worth of clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators each year.

ix. The best way to be more durable is to choose quality pieces that will last longer than the cheap ones that you know will go out of style.

x. Almost every textile is recyclable, but most of it is not recyclable.

xi. In the world of sustainable fashion, traditional forms of making clothes are more popular. Instead of relying on factories and machines, many durable garment items are handmade with techniques such as spinning, weaving, and using natural colors.

xii. Organic cotton, natural fibers, organic linen, and Tencel are some of the most durable fabrics, so look for them when you add them to your outfit.

Why is sustainable fashion important?

You may be surprised to know that the fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Indeed, it is second only to oil in terms of industrial pollution, accounting for 20% of industrial water pollution worldwide. On top of that, textile mills use 20,000 chemicals to make fabrics, many of which are carcinogenic. Most of these garments are made of plastic, which is causing havoc in our ocean with microfiber. For those who make these garments, sustainable fashion means a better work environment, fair pay, and less illegal sweating. The only way to break this cycle of death, destruction, and pollution is to achieve sustainability.

Sustainable fashion brands

Sustainable fashion brands that sell themselves as sustainable are listed below;

i. Eastern European prisoners are designing sustainable prison fashions in Latvia and Estonia under the heavy eco-label, part of a trend called prison couture.

ii. Other sustainable fashion brands include Elena Garcia, Nancy Dee, By Stamo, Outsider Fashion, Beyond Skin, Oliberté, Hetty Rose, DaRousso, KSkye the Label, and Eva Cassis.

iii. The brand Boll & Branch makes all their bedding from organic cotton and is certified by Fair Trade USA.

vi. Hemp Trading Company is a policy-driven underground clothing label made of eco-friendly, politically conscious street clothing made from hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, and other durable fabrics.

v. Patagonia, a major casual clothing retailer, has been selling fleece clothing made from post-consumer plastic soda bottles since 1993.

vi. Everlane, a brand that offers customers a complete breakdown of how much each product would cost, exactly how much markup Everlane would need from raw materials and shipping costs.

vii. Pact, a brand that manufactures Fair Trade Factory Certified garments made of organic cotton.

viii. People Tree is a brand that actively supports farmers, producers, and artisans through 14 producer groups in 6 countries. They are part of the WFTO community and represent Fair Trade.

ix. Wrangler, a historic denim brand, has launched a sustainable denim collection called Indigood that uses foam instead of water to dye denim, using 100 percent less water and 60 percent less energy.

x. Big Frenchies is a French-inspired brand that makes durable clothing made in the United States with GOTS-certified organic cotton.