Tag: Ethical Fashion
What is ethical fashion?
Ethical fashion is a term used to describe clothing products that have been designed, manufactured and sold in an environment that is conscious of the many social and environmental issues the fashion industry affects.
What makes a brand ethical?
Ethical fashion represents a shift towards brands being conscious of how their choices impact the planet and those inhabiting it. Eco-friendly fashion brands tackle a wide range of issues, such as:
- Exploitation
- Working conditions
- Fairtrade
- Sustainable production
- The environment
- Animal welfare
These brands look to run their fashion business with these issues and actively seek ways to tackle them head-on. For example, one sustainable fashion brand might choose to use sustainable packaging for their items to address the issue of plastic pollution.
Why is eco-friendly fashion important?
The ultimate goal for ethical fashion brands is to have a system which works without leaving a harmful footprint. So why is eco-fashion important?
Ethical fashion saves natural resources
Only a small percentage of clothes sold by retailers and fashion brands is made up of recycled materials. Fashion brands use vast amounts of resources to produce their clothes, such as oil (to produce man-made fibres) and an endless list of chemicals (needed to dye fabric).
As a result, they also emit a hefty amount of greenhouse gases per year, contributing massively to global warming. Recycled materials used by ethical fashion brands, however, not only tackle the growing problem of waste management, but they also use less energy, chemicals and very
little water during manufacturing.
Ethical fashion protects animal welfare
Countless animals are bred and slaughtered each year for the fashion industry, so it’s no surprise that eco-friendly fashion brands have embraced the use of cruelty-free alternatives in their garments. Everything from faux leather created from pineapples, plant-based compostable trainers, vegan wool, to silk produced from yeast has been used instead of animal products.
Sustainable fashion supports better working conditions
Modern-day slavery and exploitation still exist, especially in fashion. Garment workers in the fashion industry are often subjected to long working hours, little pay (if at all) and unacceptable health & safety conditions.
Ethical fashion brands advocate for providing better working conditions, health care and fair wages to all their workers. They also look to create more economic opportunities for those in need and stopping poverty.
What fashion brands are ethical?
Ethical fashion brands are becoming increasingly more popular with consumers. Here are a few to consider if you’re looking to make the switch to a more sustainable choice in your wardrobe:
- Kodama Apparel
- Lucy & Yak
- Pangaia
- Boden
- Thought Clothing
- Lefrik
