Sustainable Fashion implies many ideas and scope of actions but to keep it simple it basically means making a piece of clothing (or accessory) with a minimum (or no) negative impact on the environment and on the people who make it.
The concept is very large because there are so many steps that needs to be taken into account from the materials type, origins, making process, finishes… to the garment’s design features, sampling/ surplus/ textile flaws’ wastes, cutting wastes, making process, packaging, transportation modes, selling channels… up to its ‘use life’ with washes and longevity, to its recyclability/biodegradability.
Not mentioning sustainability within the company itself in its offices for example.
> see ‘questions to ask when looking for sustainable fashion’
> see ‘what are the sustainable fibres/ fabrics options’
> see ‘how to take care of your clothes to keep them longer
All those steps from raw materials to the end product imply use of water, energy, chemicals, manpower in variable level, which impact the air we breathe, the fresh waters/ seas, lands, ecosystems, communities, social fairness etc…
Hence the concept of “circularity” (circular fashion) and “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C) promoting the use of things that already exists for making new ones without having to go ‘linear’ (create and throw) anymore. Like for example using recycled fibres/fabrics to create clothes, that will be later recycled again.
> here is a clear explanation of Circularity by EllenMCArthur foundation
As explained in our quick overview on sustainable fibres, recycling technology is not quite there yet to allow complete circularity for fibres as it is limited by the type of materials it can recycle (I.e.different technologies for different materials, difficulties with blended fibres) and the strength of the produced fibres (need to be blended with new fibres to keep a good quality). But many companies are working on it and we are excited to see what’s coming next!
More readings:
> “The Myth of Sustainable Fashion” (Harvard Business Review)
> 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)
> More about the textiles wastes challenges on the Fabscrap video