How The Fashion Industry Can Become More Sustainable

As you may know already, the world is facing a lot of changes due to global warming. Many industries, such as the automobile industry, are making rapid changes in the hope to become more sustainable. Some industries are extremely successful at the moment with making those changes although some are struggling.

One particular industry that is struggling to become more eco-friendly is the fashion industry. Major high-street fashion brands have got into the habit of mass-producing clothes to maximize their profits. However, whilst doing this, they did not understand the consequences that would unfold in later years. 

Due to the digital age that we live in, we all fell into the trap of shopping online and getting the next delivery. This led to the average consumer buying clothes an extra 60% more compared to previous years. Additionally, many online fashion stores had to produce clothing at a quicker pace to fulfill the demand of the consumers.

It isn’t just the consumer that is getting blamed for the quick growth of fast fashion. The industry is also getting heavily blamed because even though we noticed the issues of global warming, they have continued to supply the demand and waste thousands of materials each year. Luckily for us, some fashion brands have decided to change their ways. Although some claim to be more eco-friendly but are actually greenwashing.

In this article, we break down greenwashing as well as discuss what fashion brands are doing to ensure they are becoming more eco-friendly. 

Sustainable Materials

One of the first steps that fashion brands should take is using sustainable materials. The materials that are currently used by fast-fashion brands are not designed to last long enough. Additionally, they are not biodegradable so once a consumer doesn’t want to wear a garment anymore, they won’t be able to recycle the product. Furthermore, these materials are highly damaging to the outside world which is another reason why they should stop being used.

What sustainable materials can be used? Well, it isn’t necessarily about using different materials that are more sustainable. It is all about a better standard of farming for cotton. Under the Better Cotton Initiative, they aim to provide a better standard of cotton farming, helping reduce the amount of water that is used as well as eliminate harmful pesticides that damage cotton.

Recycling Materials

Recycling materials is something else that fashion industries are beginning to do. However, as mentioned before, the current materials that a lot of brands are using are not recyclable. One brand that has accepted the idea of recycling materials is Adidas.

They partnered with Parley, a recycling group, to help prevent plastic from entering the ocean and use that plastic to design high-quality sportswear. It is something that many other fashion brands are doing but they are not doing it quickly enough. 

High-Quality and Durable Materials 

We all know that if you use high-quality materials, they are going to last longer. One fashion brand that has had a lot of praise for this is Levi Jeans with their denim clothing. When you buy denim jeans from Levi, you will notice that they last for years. Yes, they are worth a lot more compared to other brands but they are arguably one of the best brands when it comes to buying jeans.

Many fashion retailers are avoiding those cheap materials instead of using much more durable materials. The thought process behind it is that they hope their consumers are willing to pay more for high-quality garments that will last longer than those cheaper brands.

With the expense of the more durable materials, fashion brands are going to need to make changes elsewhere as it can be costly. Once they understand the logistics of it all, they are on track to becoming more sustainable. 

An Ethical Supply Chain

It is common knowledge that there aren’t that many ethical fashion brands. Many brands will source their materials from ethical farms as well as areas that lack safety for workers. Furthermore, these farmers will usually be working on less than minimum wage and work 12-hour days or even longer. That is why these fast fashion brands are so affordable and can be produced on a mass scale.

Not only are the materials that they use cheap, but they are also paying the farmers little to nothing. If the fashion industry wishes to become more eco-friendly then they have to improve their ethical standards as well. 

To Conclude

There are many ways that a fashion brand can become more sustainable as proven in this article. One thing that the top fashion brands need to understand is the fact that they will have to increase the price of their garments if they wish to be sustainable.

Simply because they will be paying the workers a lot more and using better quality materials. Many brands within the womens fashion & clothing industry are making these changes and we hope to see many more.