What is sustainable fashion and why is it so important
The world is becoming more eco-conscious, especially with apparel. Sustainable fashion has been slowly building over the past decade, and now it looks set to explode. This means a lot of changes in the industry, from packaging to consumer spending.
Is your business ready?
What does sustainable fashion mean?
Sustainable fashion is a way in which brands create clothing that not only reduces the impact on the environment but is also mindful of the people who work to produce the garments.
Put simply, it is fashion that is ethically made and environmentally friendly.
All this sounds simple, however, being sustainable means more overheads, which in turn reduces profit margins.
For the industry to become sustainable as a whole, consumers must be willing to pay more to help make the change, or at the very least, stop buying from brands that have no regard for the environment.
This change in the zeitgeist looks like it’s beginning to happen, as younger, more eco-conscious consumers become more influential in marketing demographics.
Examples of sustainable fashion
Apparel brands can break their sustainable practices down into four areas.
Ethical Fashion: This covers production, working conditions and Fair Trade practices. Ethical fashion is a moralistic stance a company takes to ensure no human beings or animals are hurt due to their manufacturing practices.
Circular Fashion: This is an off-shoot of the circular economy, and advocates that all materials and products in society are used and circulated among people for as long as possible, in an environmentally safe, effective and fair manner. This encompasses things like recycling, upcycling, and thrifting.
Slow Fashion: Slow fashion is the antithesis of Fast Fashion, taking a long-term view and considering the whole product lifecycle. This includes sharing or renting clothes as well as the quality of garments to help them last longer and thus reduce the need to buy new ones.
Conscious Fashion: This is more of a message to get across to consumers, explaining and encouraging them to buy eco-friendly products and get behind the green fashion movement.
Why sustainable fashion is important
The fashion industry is incredibly harmful to the planet. Second only to oil, the industry is one of the world’s largest polluters, responsible for 20% of global industrial water pollution.
It comes as a surprise to many that most clothes are actually made out of plastic, creating a microplastic disaster in the making.
Add to that the thousands of harmful chemicals used in the textile mills around the world, which are dangerous to both the environment and the people working with them, and the time has come for a global change in the industry.
That change must come in the form of sustainable fashion.
How we can help you become more sustainable
We strongly believe that a greener, more environmentally-friendly business practice is not only important for the planet, but also for a business’ future success.
As the fashion industry moves towards sustainability, there are a lot of big changes ahead for businesses, changes we can help with.
A commitment to sustainability shouldn’t just be buzzwords and vague slogans, which is why we are 100% committed to renewable, ethical, and eco-friendly practices.
With decades of experience in the industry, we work together with our clients, manufacturers and distributors to ensure a fair and sustainable practice for everyone.
Adapting to the new sustainable model can be challenging, but there is also a lot of potential room for growth.
We have experience, contacts and resources at every stage of the production chain, from the ethical treatment of workers to packaging materials.
If your company needs help with making environmental and sustainable changes, then contact us today and let’s have a chat about how we can help you prepare for the future.
