Sustainable fashion is a philosophy that seeks to replace the current production model with one that is ethical and based on sustainability. It focuses on creating quality garments that are made to last and are timeless, designed to be worn frequently through minimalist styles that move away from trends.
What is the current production model?
The current model is known as fast fashion, a fast-paced and ever-changing fashion model that focuses on low prices, mass production, and a high turnover of collections. Its production model uses designs, colors, and materials aimed at creating fashion that makes everything that came before it look “old.” This perception forces us to always feel that we “have to stay in fashion” and that we need to constantly update our wardrobes because our clothes are out of style.
What are the consequences of fast fashion?
The fashion industry is responsible for between 4% and 10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. This model is unsustainable both environmentally and socially. On the one hand, it does not matter what or how many resources are used, or whether they contain toxic products that end up in the water, the soil, and the people who work.
The generation of waste is enormous, not only during the production process but also afterward. One thing they don’t tell you is that many companies, faced with unsold excess clothing, choose to burn it so that it is not sold at a lower price than during the sale seasons.
On the other hand, low retail prices are possible because that money is being saved through other means, sacrificing environmental and human costs. Low prices are achieved because the textile industry is a model based on the exploitation of poverty.
Don’t buy so much, buy better
Sustainable fashion promotes the awareness of “Don’t buy so much, buy better.” Clothing defines us as individuals, which is why, before buying a garment, we should ask ourselves three questions:
- What do we want to buy and why?
- What do we truly need?
- Will we wear this garment at least 30 times?
By answering these questions, you will buy less—that is, only what you need.
How to buy better?
By investing in sustainable brands or second-hand clothing.
As sustainable fashion brands, we are concerned about the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, the resources required during production, overproduction, and the people who work throughout the entire production chain. For this reason, sustainable fashion brands offer products with low CO2 emissions and production chains where resources and logistics have been optimized. We focus on limited stock to avoid excess, we care about the raw materials used and how the waste generated during production is managed; and finally, we ensure that workers receive fair wages and work in fair conditions.
For example, choosing organic cotton instead of conventional cotton:
- It uses 91% less groundwater.
- Soil and water acidification is reduced by 70%.
- It has 46% less impact on global warming.
Through sustainable fashion brands, you will find quality, durable products that are made with environmental awareness and promote fair trade.
How to recognize sustainable clothing?
Look for garments with sustainable certifications such as GOTS, OEKO-TEX, PETA-Approved Vegan, Organic Blended, Global Recycled Standard, among others.
Also look for garments that have been made with a living wage and fair working conditions. The fastest way to identify them is through Fair Wear certification when they have been made outside Europe, or by buying garments produced in Europe, due to the strict labor regulations that apply. If a garment is not made in Europe and does not have Fair Wear certification, trust transparent brands that make wage information and working conditions public.
Choose brands that create an additional positive impact on the environment, such as reforesting endangered areas, collecting plastic from the sea, collaborating with NGOs to improve the environment and people's quality of life, etc.
What is the next step in sustainable fashion?
The fashion industry is currently one of the most polluting, and sustainable fashion is minimizing the impact that getting dressed every morning has on the planet. But it is possible to go further and turn the fashion industry into a source of planetary regeneration.
Through innovative technologies like the one we have developed at Greener®, it is possible for clothing to reduce CO2 emissions simply by wearing it, whether day or night. This creates Carbon Negative garments capable of offsetting the emissions produced during their manufacture and even removing even more CO2 and other greenhouse gases.