Sustainable Fashion, what is it?
Sustainable fashion is highly debated and becoming an ever-growing topic in the media, worldwide. Essentially sustainable fashion ‘is a movement and process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice’.
Though there are many forms of sustainable fashion, as seen in the figure below by Green Strategy’s Anna Brismar, where she identifies seven main forms of more sustainable fashion production and consumption.
- On-Demand & Custom Made- garment should first be manufactured on demand or custom-made
- Green & Clean- in high quality and timeless design
- High Quality & Timeless Design- in an environmentally friendly manner
- Fair & Ethical- consideration of various ethical aspects
- Repair, Redesign & Upcycle- be used long and well through good care, repair and perhaps redesign
- Rent, Lease & Swap- When the product is no longer desired, it should be handed into a secondhand shop, donated to charity or handed over to friends, relatives or perhaps a swap-shop, to prolong its active life
- Secondhand & Vintage- When the garment is completely worn out, it should be returned to a collection point for recycling of the textile material
As more and more businesses and companies are adapting their businesses Plan to improve their overall impact on the environment, through their supply chains, social conditions in factories and educating their audience, some decide to advocate secondhand/vintage or underline the benefits of swapping, renting or borrowing clothes as opposed to purchasing newly produced clothes, here enabling the recycling of materials that already exist and not adding more. Where others wish to focus on the start of the life cycle and ensure from start to finish there is a more environmentally conscious production.
All strategies aim to promote a more environmentally, socially and ethically conscious production and consumption, which ultimately is incredible important steps to making sustainable industry, for the future.
When we learn about “sustainable fashion”, we soon realize that there are many forms of (more) sustainable fashion. Some actors and individuals emphasize the importance of making clothes in a more environmentally friendly manner, while others advocate secondhand/vintage or underline the benefits of swapping, renting or borrowing clothes as opposed to purchasing newly produced clothes. All strategies promoting more environmentally, socially and ethically conscious production and consumption are important steps towards a more sustainable industry. Green Strategy’s Anna Brismar has identified seven main forms of more sustainable fashion production and consumption, as seen in the figure below.
We should aspire as much as possible when buying new clothes that they are manufactured in an environmentally and socially/ethically conscious manner, whether you prefer to renew your wardrobe often or more sporadically, “Green & Clean” and “Fair & Ethical” are important choices, even if it means it may have a slightly higher price tag.
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