With the rise of fast fashion, textile waste and pollution from the fashion industry is also on the up and up. Now more than ever, paying attention to the brands you shop from and their sustainability practices is crucial. Bringing us to the topic of eco-friendly fashion. What is eco friendly fashion, how do I find it and how does it help save the planet? Let’s dive right in.
What is Eco Friendly Fashion?
Eco-fashion is any brand or fashion line that strives to minimize the impact on the environment. Examples of how that can happen is by brands using fabric made from recycled materials, organic cotton and other natural fibers, waterless dyes and eco printing. The official definition of eco-fashion is a focus on clothing that takes into account not only the environment, but the health of the consumers who will be wearing the clothes and the working conditions of the people involved with making the clothes.
How Do I Know if a Brand is Ethical?
Ethical fashion brands or lines make an effort to use sustainable practices and only offer the most humane conditions to their workers. One easy way to check on a brands ethical practices is by simply browsing their website. Companies that care about their employees and the impact on the planet will want to showcase that. Checking for facts or a page that outlines their practices will help you quickly identify a brands ethical practices.
What is the Fashion Industries Impact?
Currently, the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of global wastewater, and uses more energy than the aviation and shipping sectors combined.
According to the State of the Planet publication, “Average consumers buy 60 percent more than they did in 2000, and keep it half as long. And in 2017, it was estimated that 41 percent of young women felt the need to wear something different whenever they left the house. In response, there are companies that send consumers a box of new clothes every month”.
Global fashion also consumes 93 billion metric tons of clean water each year, about half of what Americans drink annually.
What Brands are Eco Friendly?
Remake has compiled a list of proven ethical brands that put forth an effort to be more eco conscious. Avoiding fast fashion brands and being mindful in where you shop can help to lower your individual carbon footprint and practice sustainability in every day life. Another list of great sustainable fashion brands can be found on here.
Have you made the switch to sustainable fashion brands with eco friendly practices yet? There is no better time to start than the present. We want to hear about the changes you’ve made in your daily life to lead a more eco conscious life. Leave us a comment below and let us know!
XO,
Tori
