How sustainable is sustainable?
Sustainability in the clothing industry is a complex topic where various factors play a role. “Sustainable” can encompass different aspects such as eco-friendly production methods, ethical labor practices, the use of sustainable materials, or minimizing waste. Check out the sustainable clothing from Neutral Organic here.
Sustainable can also refer to the lifespan of a garment. High-quality sustainable clothing lasts longer and maintains its quality better than cheaper, less sustainable alternatives. This means you don’t have to replace your clothes as often, which saves both your money and the environment in the long run. A good example of this is the workwear from the brand Blaklader.
But… what should you believe?
What’s certain is that not all so-called “sustainable” clothing actually meets strict sustainability standards. “Sustainable” is often used in marketing without there being any actual substantial improvements in production practices.
The sustainable initiatives of fast fashion brands are primarily aimed at selling more. It’s fine if the clothing is made in a fair and sustainable way, but with these brands, that’s not the case. Even the sustainable collections of fast fashion brands are often more of a way to get a piece of the pie in the sustainable fashion industry than to actually adjust the business model.
An example of this is H&M. They recently launched a clothing line where you can return the clothes after use, which then return entirely recycled into new clothing. In itself, it’s a nice idea. However, the scale of this project is so small that it would take 50,000 (!) years to recycle one week’s worth of clothing sales. (source: Project CeCe)
Fast Fashion stands in the way of sustainability.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to see if a brand is sustainable. After all, it’s not just sustainable brands that tell their story in detail; the biggest polluters also know how to tell beautiful (but vague) stories about their impact.
The fast fashion industry is still growing and uses its budgets not to become more sustainable, but to tell beautiful stories about sustainability without actually taking real action. For fair, sustainable brands, it’s therefore becoming harder to compete because they lack those large advertising budgets. As a result, the honest story fades into the background and greenwashing becomes the norm.
As a consumer, how do you know what sustainable clothing is?
To help you see the forest for the trees, here are a few tips to help you make a sustainable choice:
Cheap is actually always too good to be true.
Behind every garment produced is an entire chain. From the farmer who grows the cotton and the worker who assembles the garment to the transport to your home. Knowing this, it’s a simple calculation that a shirt cannot be delivered to your home for just a few euros.
Natural materials are better for the environment
The ideal doesn’t exist yet, but it’s certain that natural products such as organic cotton, linen, hemp, and Tencel are better than polyester, which is made from oil.
Fair working conditions
A good sustainable brand doesn’t just focus on the environment but also ensures that farmers and workers are paid decently.
Certificates
Perhaps the most important of all tips: check if the brand has certificates. And not self-designed certificates that hardly mean anything, but internationally recognized certificates such as the GOTS certificate, Fairtrade, SA 8000, or Oeko-Tex. Look here for the meaning of the certificates that all Neutral® clothing complies with.
Step by Step
I admit, it’s not easy to be sure about your sustainable choices, but I hope to have provided some tools to help you make a more sustainable choice. We aren’t going to improve the world all at once, but we’ll get there step by step, right?