Feature Photo by Samantha Kandinsky from Pexels
Fashion by definition means continuous change, which essentially means it’s unsustainable. In fact, very few products fulfil the concept of sustainability in its entirety as this would require the production of clothing that can be absorbed back into the environment when it has reached the end of its life.
what is sustainable fashion?
The definition of sustainability is “the conservation of life through ecological balance – human, animal, vegetable and planetary”. In fashion, it means sourcing and production that do not pollute through the process of manufacture and do not deplete non-renewable resources, whether those are planetary or human.
Clothes today are made from a wide range of different materials. Traditional materials such as cotton, linen and leather are still sourced from plants and animals, but it is estimated that 65% of all fibres used in the fashion industry are made from a synthetic material – mainly polyester, but also nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, and elastane, all of which are made of materials and chemicals derived from fossil fuel-based crude oil.
True sustainability would mean turning back the clock on over a century of clothing consumption and production trends, most of which have been fuelled by accelerated industrialization and the rise of consumer economies worldwide.
Fashion’s overall environmental impact is going up year after year (with the notable exception of 2020 because of the decline in clothing purchases during the pandemic).
Fashion has become one of the most resource-intensive (both natural and human) industries on earth, and its complex, global supply chain has far-reaching effects that are almost impossible to quantify. It produces stupefying amounts of waste on both sides of the producer/consumer divide and has a huge problem with pollution, human rights abuses and unsafe working conditions.
Today consumers expect sustainability to extend to social systems—ensuring brands take into account the numerous workers that work behind the scenes to make the clothing industry possible. From the farmers that grow the fabrics to the garment workers stitching clothing together; it’s about fashion that both creates good and avoids harm, whether to people, the planet, or animals.
what is ethical fashion?
Ethical fashion is an umbrella term used to describe ethical fashion design, production, retail, and purchasing, and is sometimes used interchangeably with sustainable fashion – it covers a range of issues such as:
- working conditions,
- exploitation,
- fair trade,
- sustainable production,
- the environment, and
- animal welfare.
Sustainability also speaks of longevity—environmental, social, and economic systems and industries designed in a way that means they are in balance and can be maintained well into the future. Sustainable fashion is about fostering a fashion industry that takes a long-term approach to the design, manufacturing, and a “slow” approach to consumption of clothes and accessories; this is often referred to as Slow Fashion and it’s in stark contrast to fast fashion and is about contemplating each phase of the clothing supply chain, meaning that the designer or brand considers the materials and their impact, the production, and the consumer use stage to minimise the negative effects on the world around them.
How can we be more sustainable?
There are solutions and alternatives to mitigate the problems within the fashion industry. The first step lies in building awareness and willingness to change. We can all play a part in driving fashion to be more sustainable and ethical by choosing to wear clothes from labels that embrace transparent, creative and innovative production methods; and by re-wearing, upcyling, recycling, swapping and buying pre-loved.
We have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy. Together we can have real impact with the one powerful weapon we all have in common… the ability to choose.
be a Fashion Revolutionary
Fashion Revolution are a global movement of people who make the fashion industry work and envisage a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit.
Fashion Revolution was founded in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, Fashion Revolution has become the world’s largest fashion activism movement, mobilising citizens, industry and policymakers through research, education and advocacy work.
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. More than 1,100 people died and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history.
TAKE ACTION
There are many ways you can be a Fashion Revolutionary. Use your voice and your power to make positive change. Fashion Revolution week happens every year on or around 24th April.
They have put together a simple guide for hosting Fashion Revolution Week events and take traditionally in-person events formats into the digital realm, to help bring people together where personal gatherings remain restricted.
Plastic Fashion – rPET is it a solution?
Today more than 50% of our clothing is made from plastic and unfortunately, many of the synthetic fabrics we wear today such as polyester, nylon, and Lycra are contributing the problem of microplastics. The athleisure trend is one of the main reasons behind the popularity of polyester, as it’s what gives our clothing stretch, and an increasing number of consumers are look for stretchier, more resistant garments.
Today, many fashion brands are using recycled polyester, or rPET as its known, which is made by melting down existing plastic and re-spinning it into new polyester fiber.
- rPET generally uses reclaimed plastic waste which gives a second life to a material that’s not biodegradable
- keeps it from ending up in landfill or polluting the ocean and harming sea life.
- using rPET also lessens our dependence on petroleum as a source of raw materials.
- rPEt is almost the same as virgin polyester in terms of quality
- rPET’s production requires 59 % less energy compared to virgin polyester, according to a 2017 study by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.
- rPET generates 79% less carbon emissions than producing its virgin counterpart.
In matters of sustainability, nothing is ever straightforward and there are often multiple layers of complexity. Only a year ago, the non-profit organization Textile Exchange successfully challenged over 50 textile, apparel and retail companies (including giants like Adidas, H&M, Gap and Ikea) to increase their use of recycled polyester by 25% by 2020. Textile Exchange’s Climate+ strategy aims to positively impact climate through accelerating the use of preferred fibres across the global textile industry with a goal of 45% reduced CO2 emissions from textile fibre and material production by 2030.
Ten years ago, recycled polyester was seen as an exciting solution for recycling plastic bottles, but a backlash is underway from many extreme greens who no longer see recycled polyester as a long-term solution; some experts say the material isn’t even that sustainable. The main reason for this is that synthetic textiles, particularly ECONYL®, which isregenerated nylon often made from fishing waste such as fishing nets, and rPET made fromrecycled PET bottles shed microscopic fibres. Natural fibres such as wool, linen, and cotton also shed fibres when washed, and a 2014 study, found them present in the marine environment, but unlike microfibres from polyester and other synthetics, these fibres are biodegradable and were not found to pose a threat to the ecosystem, fish and marine life.
The latest research undertaken in 2020 estimates that globally:
“176,500 metric tons of synthetic microfibres – chiefly polyester and nylon – are released every year.”
These fibres detach from our clothes during washing; up to 700,000 fibres can come off our synthetic clothes in a typical wash and end up in the wastewater. The wastewater then goes to sewage treatment facilities, however research funded by Patagonia estimates that 40% of microfibres are not filtered out at wastewater treatment plants; as the fibres are so small, many pass through filtration processes and make their way into our rivers and seas. If the fashion industry continues as it is, between the years 2015 and 2050, 22 million tonnes of microfibres will enter our oceans.
What can be done about microfibres?
Purchasing clothing made of natural fibres is the best course of action in the fight against microfibre pollution, but this isn’t entirely possible or even realistic, even when buying sustainable swimwear, activewear, yoga wear and gym wear, as these all contain from some form of synthetic fibre.
When choosing clothing, the best solution is to buy organic natural fibres, fibres which are made from by-products such as recycled or upcycled cotton made from post-industrial and post-consumer cotton waste, alternative plant fibres such as nettle, kapok, milkweed, pina, raffia, sunn, aloe, and abaca or fabrics made from renewable resources such as Lyocell – Trade name Tencel™. It is made from pulp from eucalyptus trees in a closed-loop system, is fully biodegradable – taking only six weeks in an aerated compost heap and does not require irrigation or pesticides.
There are several methods that can be applied to reduce microfibre shedding during manufacture, but the easiest thing to do to minimise microfibres releasing from your clothing is to simply wash your clothes less. Consider if each item really needs to be washed or can it be worn once or twice more before you do?
the cora ball
You can also use a Cora Ball, a guppy bag or a self-installed washing machine filter to capture microfibres from your clothing. Although these can’t solve the problem entirely and they also place a financial burden upon the consumers, rather than pressurising brands to commit to change, we can still capture the maximum amount of microfibres possible this way and divert as many microplastics as we can from entering our waterways.
The Cora Ball is suitable for all types of washing machines, including top loaders and washer dryers and is gentle on your clothes.
How do you know which labels are good?
Part of making sustainability true and authentic and honest is having as much transparency as possible. The fashion industry often involves a very complex supply chain, with brands and manufacturers separated by vast distances. The vast majority of the environmental impact of the industry happens during manufacturing and the production of raw materials and so it’s really important to choose brands that can trace their complete supply chain, otherwise they could be making claims about a part of their business they know very little about.
third party certification
Sustainable brands are also earning consumer trust by using third-party certifications, of which there are many for different areas, for example GOTS, the Global Organic Textiles standard which unifies standards between countries and stages of production and verifies the organic status of 70% of textiles, bluesign® for the manufacturing phase, Fairwear Foundation, based in Europe is a certification that focuses on practical changes for garment workers using European production, the Oeko-Tex Standard tells you the textiles your wearing doesn’t contain toxic chemicals, or Textile Exchange’s Global Recycled Standard to verify the use of recycled material.
One certification that goes beyond certifying just the product or service is B Corp certification, which measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance and evaluates how a company’s operations and business model impacts on their workers, community, environment, and customers.
The B Corp community works towards reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, and a healthier environment.
B Corp certification provides the highest standards from the supply chain and input materials to charitable giving and employee benefits and is supported by transparency and accountability requirements.
Other brands are measuring their own products’ impacts, from the carbon emitted to the water used, and publishing that data for consumers to see.
There are several companies that provide ethical ratings for fashion brands, however the Good One is considered the world’s leading source for fashion brand ratings. They use expert analysis to give each brand an easy-to-understand score and everything they do contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: “Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns”.
Check their directory and also their sustainability ratings and discovery platform for fashion and “wear the change you want to see”; you can help lead the way towards a more sustainable and fair fashion industry.
how to avoid Greenwashing
The fashion industry is mostly run by big businesses oriented toward making high volumes of cheap products and the pressure to produce cheaply can prevent companies from making the wholesale changes necessary to be greener.
They say that green is the new black
There’s a temptation by bigger brands to make environmentally friendly collections or a handful of products and market those as a “green” transformation, making sustainability, nothing more than a catchphrase, or a gimmick for them, as opposed to showing real concern for the environment and ethics.
Some brands on the other hand are all too aware that consumers are looking for green products and have used this as an opportunity to cash in on people’s concern for the environment. The huge rise in environmental-consciousness over the last decade has come at a cost, namely the increase in greenwashing.
what is greenwashing?
Greenwashing refers to the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company’s products are more environmentally sound through adverts, campaigns, products, or using marketing spin. Greenwashing is considered unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly or beneficial. The term is a play on the word “whitewashing”, which means using misleading information to gloss over bad behaviour.
In fact, greenwashing itself is nothing new. The phrase was coined back in 1986 by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, who, while on a trip to Fiji, was struck by the hypocrisy of a huge resort touting its environmental credentials.
So how can we ensure that we don’t fall prey to greenwashing?
When making purchases at a low price point, you always need to first interrogate the brand. Two questions that should run through your mind before purchasing are:
- How much is the company I am buying from paying the woman who made this piece of clothing?
- What values am I contributing to by making this purchase?
Furthermore, you can look at the language a brand is using on their website to see if there are any red flags while learning more about their practices:
- Is the brand using language that is hard to understand?
- Does it evade using detailed language around the topic of sustainability?
- Is the brand using language in a way that markets itself as being environmentally and socially concerned without offering detailed stats and information to back this up?
Secondly, brands use generic language to greenwash. Let’s unpick some of the most common claims:
‘Biodegradable’ or ‘Compostable’
Biodegradable and compostable are terms that are often used interchangeably and describe separate processes which both aim to curb consumer waste. The primary difference between compostable and biodegradable is that compostable products require a specific setting in order to break down, whereas biodegradable products break down naturally.
When something is biodegradable, it means that it can be broken down naturally by microorganisms such as bacteria, or fungi, or some other biological process. If you look at the word itself, the meaning is right there. “Bio” meaning “life,” “degrade” meaning to break down, and “able” of course meaning that it can happen. A lot of products will break down naturally (therefore are technically biodegradable), however some may take many years to do so. For a product to be labelled as biodegradable, it must be able to turn into organic matter. The term itself is quite vague though, as it does not define the length of time needed for products to decompose.
Composting is the process of recycling organic waste so that it can eventually be reused. Compostable products are made from natural materials and decompose fully into “compost” without producing toxic residue as they break down. To be classified as compostable, products must meet specific requirements defined in The European Standard EN 13432.
Biodegradable and compostable goods both have the potential to be an environmentally friendly solution to our world’s waste problem—but only when processed correctly.
Often compostable goods require specific, commercial facilities for a successful breakdown—and these are hard to come by. Composting is usually a controlled process that usually happens in an industrial composting facility – compostable products are not suitable for home composting unless the product has been certified as Home Compostable. It is, therefore, important to check the label to make sure the product is properly disposed of. Compostable products do not always biodegrade naturally in a landfill and will take much longer to break down, especially an “air locked” landfill where there will be no oxygen.
'ethical'
Terms like ‘ethical’ have no legal meaning and can be used as a vague self-description which means different things to different people. Check if they are referring to their entire business model, or just one or two aspects of it? If so, which ones, and do they provide clear policy statements on these or evidence of their actions?
‘Environmentally Friendly’
What does this mean? Compared to what? Everything we consume has some kind of impact. There is also no such thing as a 100% eco or environmentally friendly piece of clothing, because the manufacturing of all clothing uses water and energy. Anyone selling something with that claim should be able to explain how it’s better for the environment than the alternative.
‘Natural’
Unfortunately, ‘natural’ does not always actually mean natural. For example just because cotton grows on plants, does not necessarily make it good for the environment. but growing cotton requires the use of acutely toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. According to Environmental Justice Foundation, the cultivation of conventional cotton uses 22.5% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of the world’s pesticides. Growing cotton accounts for only 3% of all cultivated land, but eight times more chemicals are used on cotton than on an average food crop.
Natural can therefore mean almost nothing. Have you ever noticed how the word ‘natural’ is almost always used to sell products that have been through many stages of processing? Calling something ‘natural’ is often a red flag that it is anything but.
‘No nasty chemicals’
This is more likely to be a term used in the beauty industry but it still applies to the fashion industry as textile fibres go through many stages before becoming a finished garment; they are cleaned, carded, spun and coated with starches and chemicals, woven or knitted, cleaned up from their coating, bleached, immersed into caustic soda, dyed or printed and then chemically treated for easy care and other properties such as: shrink resistance, crease resistance, odour resistance, water-repellent, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-static, permanent-press or flame and soil retardants. A myriad of chemicals of various toxicity and hazards from silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, softeners, brighteners, heavy metals, solvents, nanoparticles, ammonia and formaldehyde, amongst others, are used during these processes.
It’s fair to ask therefore: specifically which chemicals have been avoided, and why? The product will have gone through some of these processes, so how is it better for health/the environment than the alternative? It takes a lot of expertise to assess the impact of different substances on human health and the environment, so is whoever is making this claim qualified to do so?
If we want to avoid falling into the trap of greenwashing it’s imperative that we as individuals take the steps to educate ourselves on greenwashing and ask brands if their products are in fact all that “green.”
