We all love to shop sustainably, right?
When your new jeans and crop top are both stylish and eco-friendly, you can wear them with pride whenever you leave the house. You can clear your conscience and look on-trend, too.
Before buying from fashionable brands, many of us are starting to make sure that they offer:
Good working conditions
Ethically-sourced products
Sustainable materials
Eco-friendly packaging
Low carbon emissions
So, how can you make sure that your favourite fashion house is making the world a better place?
Let’s look at why eco-friendly fashion is so important – and how you can separate the green from the gross!
Eco-friendly fashion is taking the spotlight
Brace yourself. This next statistic isn’t pretty...
Fashion production takes up 10% of the world’s carbon
Many of the fashion names we all love still use plastic packaging. Missguided, Pretty Little Thing, Shein, New Look… the list goes on.
Shoppers are unhappy that big brands aren’t changing their ways.
On the other hand, companies like Stradivarius, Body Shop (and EvenLina) use cardboard-based packaging which is recycled, reusable, biodegradable and better for the environment!
Think cotton all is environmentally-friendly? Think again.
4% of all world pesticides and 10% of insecticides are used in cotton-growing. More and more companies are ditching standard cotton for organic cotton and other materials. This helps protect the natural world we all love because it means that:
More freshwater is available across the world
Eco-systems and drinking water stay clean
There is less use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers
So, you can clear your conscience by ditching this material unless its organic, sustainable cotton!
Ever heard of greenwashing?
Neither had we, until recently. Greenwashing is when a brand misleads its buyers about how eco-friendly they are. Many fashion brands are claiming to protect the environment, without actually changing their actions.
But why are they doing this? Simple:
More of us are demanding eco-friendly clothes
It makes them look good
It’s cheaper than actually being eco-friendly
To separate the fakers from the 'for-reals', here’s what we can do:
Judge companies by their actions, not their words.
Do they package your clothes in eco-friendly materials?
Are the product and packaging labelled with the appropriate eco-friendly association logos?
Do the clothes stink of chemicals when you open the packaging?
There’s no time to waste. We all deserve better. It's time to shop sustainably. Switch to the labels that protect our planet, and look stunning too.