With so much misconception about what sustainable fashion is, it's essential to have a detailed guide.
Over 10% of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from the fashion business, making it clear that it is damaging the environment.
It's time to make a shift, whether it's raising awareness about the need of eco-friendly design or really doing something about it.
It's a good thing that the fashion industry is changing for the better; there are more ethical companies and buyers requesting sustainable clothing labels, and even a dedicated ethical clothes search engine.
Change in the fashion business is rarely simple, therefore these are really remarkable accomplishments.
Deviating from the industry's projected economic outcomes is either rejected or postponed.
However, a gradual transition from fast-paced, disposable fashion toward more sustainable alternatives is the only possible approach.
What Is Sustainable Fashion?
Experts say this is the most widely acknowledged definition of sustainable clothing at the moment:
Sustainable fashion is an all-inclusive term describing products, processes, activities, and actors (policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity.
According to Wikipedia, sustainable fashion, you might know it as Eco-fashion or Re-fashion, is:
Changes to goods and the fashion industry are being pushed towards better ecological integrity and social justice as part of a larger movement and process.
More than simply fashion materials and products are at the heart of the sustainable fashion movement.
A research published in the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management found that:
Transparency, traceability of labour processes, and ecologically friendly raw materials, as well as safe working conditions and salaries, are all important aspects of local sourcing.
5 Reasons Why Sustainable Fashion Is Important:
1. Fashion That Is Eco-Friendly Produces Less Waste:
Every second, a trash truck of textile waste is dumped or burned somewhere around the world.
Fast fashion firms are to blame for this massive quantity of trash, since they release new trends every week and then swamp the market with low-cost, low-quality items.
Sustainable companies, on the other hand, concentrate on producing high-quality, long-lasting apparel.
In addition, sustainable fashion manufacturers seldom follow the fads of rapid fashion.
2. Eco-Friendly Fashion Makes Certain Fair Pay and Safe Working Environments:
The terrible working conditions that garment workers work under allow for the production of low-cost, fast-fashion clothing.
The majority of fast fashion businesses get their materials from nations where wages for garment workers are much below the poverty line.
Conditions such as extended working hours and continual pressure to produce create an atmosphere in which companies exploit workers.
Fast fashion companies have also been the subject of several child labour allegations.
As a result, sustainable clothing businesses place a greater emphasis on the well-being of their workers.
3. Reduces CO2 & Other Greenhouse Gases Emissions via Sustainable Fashion:
As a consequence of material generation, manufacturing and transportation as well as the breakdown of textile waste in landfills, fast fashion has a large carbon footprint.
As an example, the majority of fast-fashion clothing comes from petroleum-based products.
Therefore, the manufacture and disposal of these materials consume a large amount of energy.
Biodegradable materials from natural or recycled textiles are useful in a sustainable fashion.
In order to cultivate these materials, there is no need for pesticides or fertilisers.
4. Eco-Friendly Fashion Helps Conserve Water:
Currently, the fashion sector is one of the world's major water users. In addition to washing, the water is useful for the manufacturing, dyeing, and finishing operations.
It takes 2,720 litres of water to manufacture one cotton shirt, and 7,000 litres to make one pair of pants, to put that into context.
Clothes-making processes pollute freshwater with hazardous chemicals that reach streams in the process of manufacturing.
When it comes to clothes manufacture, most sustainable fashion firms adhere to "water on budget" standards that reduce water use.
Furthermore, organic fabrics created from linen, hemp, and organic cotton, which need little to no water during the manufacturing process, are prefereable in sustainable fashion.
5. Animals Safety:
All living organisms are essential to sustaining life on Earth, and each plays a critical role in this process.
As a result, any danger to the safety of wildlife and other creatures should worry us all.
Wildlife on Earth is in danger by the use of leather purses, shoes, fur coats, and other products produced from animal leather, feathers, or wool.
As a result, sustainable clothing manufacturers (cruelty-free and vegan) safeguard animals by employing alternatives to leather and fur in their goods, which prevents animals from getting hurt.
How To Achieve Sustainable Fashion:
Our primary involvement in sustainable fashion is to be mindful of the environmental effect of our clothing purchases.
The most common examples of sustainable fashion include ethical, slow, vegan, eco-friendly, fair trade, recycled, upcycled, and so on.
In addition, you learnt about the top ten most trustworthy and reputable businesses in sustainable fashion right now.
While you're out and about, keep an eye out for companies that are doing their part to reduce their environmental effect while also doing their part to improve the working conditions of their employees.
Just because a company sells vegan handbags or vegan leather coats doesn't indicate that it is environmentally good.
Repairing, recreating, upcycling, and recycling your clothes and accessories may extend their useful lives.
Make your clothes purchases from eco-friendly brands that care about the planet's biodiversity, environment, and natural resources.
At every level of the production and recycling processes, from companies that employ carbon dioxide-free, and renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and ocean.
Also Read: Luxury Fashion In The Metaverse: A New Realm
The Bottom Line:
When it comes to fashion, there are several environmental concerns: hazardous chemicals, waste, pollution, energy use, and water use.
Also, one needs to address numerous societal concerns, such as the number of hours worked, wage inequality, modern-day slavery, child labour, regular employment, and workplace health and safety.
Consider the morality of the firms you support and those that produce the apparel you wear.