Sustainability in Fashion is a very vast topic… but there are many things to explore and get familiar with in order to make better choices in our day-to-day life. Here are some examples of questions among many others:
1. What is written on the label?
- is the fabric a blend of fibres, or mono-fibre (100% same fibre)?
- what are those fibres? Is their making process impacting the environment? Are they easily biodegradable and recyclable?
- what is the washing advices? Are there any instructions on how to keep the garment in good shape for longer?
- is it locally made? Or is it made in a country known for their respect of workers rights? Is it located far away from the company’s shops?
- how do the labels, tags and Packagings look like? Could it be reduced? Are they from Eco-friendly sources?
> for more information, look at our post about “sustainable fibres/ fabrics options”
> how to keep your clothes longer
2. How does the garment looks ?
- are there other fabrics used in the garment, or any other materials than the fabric (I.e "trims": buttons, zippers, embellishments, etc…) ? Is there any information on the label about what they are made of and where they come from? Is their making process impacting the environment? Are they easy to take apart and recycle? Are they easily biodegradable?
- is the garment printed? dyed? Is there any information on the label about the toxicity of the products used?
- does the garment have waterproof, stain resistance, wrinkle resistance properties? Is there any information on the label about the toxicity of the products used?
- is the design very seasonal (quickly out of fashion)? Or is it timeless?
- is the garment made of good quality textiles and looks durable?
> more information on our post “what is sustainable fashion”
> “how do we dye our clothes”
3. What are the brand’s sustainable commitments ? (= quick look at their website)
- are they making sustainable collections ? Is it only few collections that are sustainable, or all their collections?
- are they transparent about all the materials they use (type, origins and making process) and the suppliers/ manufacturer they employ (workers rights, fair wages, factories locations)?
- are they transparent about what happens to the fabrics leftovers once the garment is cut and sawn? Are they transparent about what happens to the fabric’s end of roll or fabric samples that couldn’t be used?
- do they have a “take back” program (ex. recycle bins in shop)? And are they transparent about what happens to the garment once dropped back?
- do they have real sustainable actions on a regular basis? Or do they throw some figures and announce goals to be achieved in a very far futur?
> More topics about sustainability here
More readings:
> To get a bit deeper into each subjects and discover more, here are some great contents to read on the Reddress platform
> More about Sustainability in Fashion (CFDA’s Sustainability Resources)
> More about Circular fashion (Circular Design Guide)
> More about recycling and Pre-consumer (I.e.Post-industrial) vs. Post-consumer wastes (Condenast glossary of Sustainable Fashion)
> here is a quick overview of a piece of clothing’s life cycle and the sustainable actions that can be taken at each stage of its creation.