Whether you believe in New Year’s resolutions or not, it is always a good idea to start a new year with a sense of intention, because it helps you stay committed to yourself and the movements that you care about.

So, in the spirit of looking back on the year past, and setting intentions for the year to come, we thought we’d share a few ideas to keep in the back of your head as you enter another year of your conscious style journey.

These resolutions are not about prescribing how your slow fashion journey should look. Rather, this list illustrates that slow fashion looks different for everyone, which is something we should celebrate.

1.    Do a closet audit

The start of a new year is the perfect time to deep dive into your closet, reorganize, and take stock of the clothing you already have by doing a closet audit. This can also help you rediscover pieces that may have been tucked away for a while. While you are reorganizing your closet, try to arrange it seasonally, so that when you come back the next season, it really feels like you are discovering something new. Doing a closet audit will also help you be more intentional in your purchases since you have a clearer idea of what you have and what you may still want to add to your wardrobe. You can use this very helpful guide, created by Alyssa Beltempo, to help you get started with your closet audit.

2.    Try a ‘no new clothes’ challenge

Challenge yourself to not buy anything new for a set amount of time. Some people do it for a year, but it could also be shorter. By removing yourself from the endless cycle of consumption that defines the fast fashion industry, you can take a step back and heal your relationship with fashion while redefining what “enough” means to you, getting creative with what you already have, and saving time and money!

3.    Shop your closet

You know how the saying goes: The most sustainable garments are the ones you already own. Challenge yourself to get creative and make new outfit combinations using clothing you already own. This also helps you gain a deeper understanding of your personal style. To get started, you can channel sustainable wardrobe stylist, Alyssa Beltempo’s, ethos of ‘more creativity, less consumption’ and check out her YouTube channel for inspiration on how you can incorporate this into your own life. You can even try using an app, like Whering or the Stylebook, to help you create new looks from your old wardrobe.

4.    Keep wearing (and loving) your old fast fashion pieces

Actively working through your eco-guilt by continuing to wear – and love! – the fast fashion pieces you bought in the past is an important step in your slow fashion journey. Everybody has old fast fashion pieces in their closet. Getting rid of them creates unnecessary waste and perpetuates the idea that slow fashion has to look a specific way. The best thing you can do is keep them, find ways to love them, wear them, mend them, and make them last as long as you possibly can.

5.    Become a proud outfit repeater

Despite what social media will have us believe, there is so much joy in outfit repeating! Normalizing outfit repeating is so important for changing the mentality that we always need to be wearing something new. So, repeat the outfits that make you feel good and wear them with pride. This doesn’t mean that you have to wear the same outfit every day, but maybe you can play around with different ways of styling your garments and accessories. If you want to find some inspiration, follow the hashtags #proudoutfitrepeater,  #rewearthat, and #reweardontcare.

6.    Normalize borrowing clothing from friends and family

If you are going to an event or have been eyeing that dress in your friend’s closet every time they wear it, why not ask if you can borrow it for a little bit? You can even offer to return the favor and ask them if there is anything in your wardrobe that they have been eyeing. You’re saving money, keeping impulse buys at bay, and it really does give you the same rush as trying on a brand-new garment.

7.    Swap before you shop

Clothing swaps are a form of circular fashion because they allow us to extend the lifespans of clothing that is already in circulation while satisfying our desire for novelty. Swapping allows you to switch up your wardrobe, without buying anything new, and it’s usually very cost-effective. If you are looking for a few tips for attending a clothing swap, or for how to host a swap of your own, check out this article. If you’d like to give online swapping a try, take a look at Swap Society (US), Nuw (UK), or The Fashion Pulpit (Singapore).

8.    Shop secondhand

If you are looking to add some new-to-you pieces to your wardrobe, consider shopping secondhand. Buying secondhand clothing, instead of new pieces, extends the lifespan of that garment and saves it from going to waste, which is an important aspect of circular fashion. Have a browse through your local secondhand markets, thrift stores, or consignment shops.  If you’d prefer to browse online, there are loads of online secondhand stores where you can shop – and sell – preloved fashion.

9.    Give rental a try

Special occasions often lead to impulse buys that are worn once or twice and then end up collecting dust in the back of the closet or going to waste. If you are looking for an outfit for a special occasion or event, and nothing in your wardrobe is inspiring you, you can give clothing rental a try. Generally, peer-to-peer rental platforms are more sustainable models. A few platforms to look into include ByRotation, Tulerie, and Wardrobe.

10. Learn to mend and repair

Whether you are into visible or invisible mending, learning to mend and repair are slow fashion skills that allow us to define ourselves as more than just consumers and help us wear our loved clothes for longer. If you want to learn to mend, there are some insightful channels on YouTube with tutorials that go right back to the basics, such as The Essentials Club and Repair What You Wear. Another useful resource is The Fixing Fashion Academy by Fixing Fashion, which is a free, open-source platform with tutorials on how to repair and upcycle clothes. Or, if you don’t have the time to learn, you can consider making use of a local, small mending or tailoring business that can repair your clothes for you.

11. Start a DIY project

This could be anything from beading a necklace or learning how to use natural dyes, to figuring out how to crochet or making a scrunchie. Working with your hands is not only a great way to practice mindfulness, but it also brings you closer to the process of making and fosters a greater sense of appreciation for the effort and energy that goes into making the clothes and accessories that we wear. When you pour love and care into making something of your own, it starts to undo the culture of disposability that we have all been encouraged to take on.

12. Learn how to take care of your clothing, sustainably

Caring for your clothes properly will make them last longer, which is such a win! Firstly, take the time to read the care labels on your clothing to make sure that you are properly taking care of them. But also, learn how to adjust your clothing care routine so that it is as sustainable as possible. This includes washing your clothes less, at lower temperatures, and trying to use eco-friendly detergents. If you are feeling a little bit lost about where to start, check out this Conscious Life & Style guide on how to take care of your clothes sustainably.

13. Unsubscribe from fast fashion newsletters and unfollow accounts

This one should only take a few minutes to act on, but it is such an important step on your journey of hopping off the hamster wheel of fast fashion and overconsumption. We are constantly being bombarded with adverts and marketing campaigns that are trying their very best to convince us to buy more and more, at every turn – even in our email inboxes and social media. So, take some time to reassess the accounts you follow and go through your email inbox, and click unsubscribe on all those newsletters and promotional content that does not align with your values.

14. Follow the ethos of ‘fewer better things’

If you are shopping less, by prioritizing practices like swapping, borrowing, mending, and getting creative with what you already have, it means that you can choose to save up and invest in conscious fashion brands that are leading by example and showing us what a more just future of fashion could look like. If you are looking for inspiration on brands to support and invest in, take a look at Conscious Fashion Collective’s directory of brands and Conscious Life & Style’s ultimate ethical brand list.

15. Invest in BIPOC-owned businesses

We should all be making a conscious effort to invest in, celebrate, and support BIPOC-owned businesses. Investing in BIPOC-owned businesses supports the dreams, joy, and livelihoods of these business owners and everyone involved in their supply chain, and is one simple way of extending your activism offline. Check out this Conscious Life & Style list of over 100 Black-owned, sustainable, and ethical fashion home, and beauty brands. You can also take a look at this Conscious Fashion Collective list of sustainable and ethical BIPOC-owned brands.

16. Become a fashion activist

Learning about ways to extend your slow fashion advocacy beyond just the clothes you wear is a powerful step, because it allows you to participate in collective action and larger reform in the fashion industry. Signing a petition, emailing a brand, posting on social media, or getting involved in a support advocacy group are a few great ways to extend your impact and become a fashion activist. If you want to learn more about how to start your journey as a fashion activist, check out this article.

17. Support or join a grassroots organization

Working towards a more just, sustainable, and inclusive fashion industry means that we need to support organizations who are doing amazing work, on the ground, to create systemic change. A few nonprofits advocating for a better fashion future include Remake, The OR Foundation, Fashion Revolution, and Fibershed. If you have the capacity, you can look into ways to support the work of these organizations in financial and non-financial ways.

18. Continue to educate yourself

Life is one continuous learning journey, and this applies to the slow fashion space too. The issues – and solutions – in the fashion industry are complex and nuanced, so there is always something to learn or something we can dive deeper into. Continuing to educate yourself will make you feel more committed to your slow fashion journey and allow you to share your learnings with others too. If you are unsure about where to start, check out this compilation of free educational resources to learn about sustainable fashion – it includes everything from courses and podcasts, to YouTube channels, and newsletters.

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The hope is that we will all continue to 2024 heal our relationship with fashion, work on creating more meaningful connections with our clothes, support organizations and brands that are using fashion as a force for good, and advocate for a fashion future that is premised on justice, inclusivity, and intersectional sustainability.

Wishing you a gentle new year that starts with ease and in conscious style!

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

The post 18 New Year’s Resolutions to Help You Welcome 2024 in Conscious Style appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

I remember the first clothing swap I ever attended as if it was yesterday. I couldn’t believe that I had found a way to add new-to-me clothes — which were all filled with stories — to my wardrobe without having to buy anything new. And, it was entirely free.

My first encounter at a clothing swap was an early reminder that slow fashion doesn’t have to be expensive or inaccessible, and there are so many different ways to be a part of this movement. Ever since then, I have firmly believed that clothing swaps are a vital part of the future of fashion.

What are Clothing Swaps?

In its simplest form, a clothing swap is a gathering of people who get together to exchange clothing that they no longer wear for something from someone else’s wardrobe.

Clothing swaps are a form of circular fashion because they allow us to extend the lifespans of clothing that is already in circulation.

They are a way of working with what we already have while satisfying our desire for novelty.

Why we should all try to swap before we shop

Swapping allows us to understand fashion as something much more than financial exchanges, which makes it a powerful substitute to our current capitalist fashion system.

Each season in life comes with different changes. Whether it be size fluctuations or an evolving sense of personal style, swaps allow you to add garments to your wardrobe that suit your current life season, while avoiding having to engage with the endless consumption cycles of the fashion industry.

It’s usually very cost affordable too – some swaps are free and others charge a small entry or maintenance fee. This makes swapping a financially inclusive way for people to participate in slow fashion.

Plus, if you are swapping more and shopping less, it allows you to save up and invest in a slow fashion brand that you truly believe in.

It is also a way to responsibly rehome clothing that you no longer wear. When we donate clothing, only a small percentage of it gets resold and the rest often becomes a part of the unjust global trade in secondhand clothes – making our waste the burden of those living in countries in the Global South. But when it comes to swaps, the clothing you no longer wear will more often than not find a new home with someone else.

Beyond the clothes, clothing swaps are beautiful spaces for community building, because you get to connect with like-minded people in the slow fashion community.

If you want to hear more about why clothing swaps are such an important part of the future of fashion, check out this episode of the Conscious Style Podcast with Nicole Robertson of Swap Society.

Tips for Attending a Clothing Swap

If you’ve ever been curious about attending a clothing swap, my advice is to just do it! Here are a few tips that I have found helpful when attending clothing swaps:

1. Make sure the garments you bring are in good condition.

If you wouldn’t feel comfortable gifting it to a friend, then you probably shouldn’t be bringing it to a swap shop. Be mindful about what you bring. Swap shops are not just a place to discard clothing items that are beyond wear. So, don’t bring items that are dirty or damaged.

2. Be patient.

People are continuously arriving and bringing new items, so you may have to wait a little while till you spot something you love. Take your time, spark a conversation with a fellow swapper, and allow yourself to relax into the feeling of community and slow fashion joy!

3. Make peace with letting go.

You may not walk away with as many items as you brought to the swap. Instead of feeling frustrated that you are walking away with less than you arrived with, allow yourself to feel excited that the clothing you no longer wear has found a new home and that you have a new piece or two to incorporate into your wardrobe – sounds like a win to me!

4. Be a thoughtful swapper

Make sure you ask yourself a few intentional questions, such as: When you are swapping, apply all the usual questions of a conscious consumer: Does this go with the other items in my wardrobe? Is it my size? How many wears do I think I’ll get out of it? 

What If I Can’t Find a Clothing Swap Near Me?

One of the downsides of in-person swap shops is that they are limited to the community that can access them. Luckily, technology is progressing and online clothing swaps are becoming increasingly popular. Here are a few online swapping platforms for you to check out:

• Nuw (United Kingdom)
• Swopped (United Kingdom)
• Swap Society (United States)
• The Fashion Pulpit (Singapore)

Another option, if there are no swaps near you, is to try organizing one of your own!

Tips for Organizing a Clothing Swap of Your Own

There are no rules when it comes to hosting clothing swaps – you can let your creative, slow fashion juices run free. But, if you need a little bit of guidance, here are a few tips:

1. Decide on what type of swap you want to host.

There are various kinds of clothing swaps you could host. Think about who you’d want to invite. Are you limiting it to friends and family? Is it going to be open to the public? Also, consider if you’d like there to be a specific theme to the swap – is it a swap for plus-sized people? Or perhaps seasonal clothing? The options are endless, but it’s a good idea to decide on the purpose behind the swap so that people that join in know what to expect.

2. Find a location.

Depending on the type of swap you are hosting, there are many different places you could consider. If it’s an intimate swap for family and friends, hosting it at your house would be a perfect option. If it’s going to be open to the public, look into public spaces, such as parks, community halls, religious spaces, or university campuses. If you are hosting it in a public space, it would be a good idea to check if you need permission to host an event. Another idea may be to partner with a local business – such as an artisan space or café – with a similar ethos. This could be a win-win because it brings them foot traffic and allows you to host it in a public space.

3. Decide on the rules of your swap.

This is all about the finer details. Think about how many items people are allowed to bring, and what kind of items they should be. You should also consider whether you are going to charge an entry fee. The more affordable it is to participate in, the more inclusive and accessible the space becomes. But, you could consider charging a small entry fee and donating it to a charitable organization. If you do choose to do this, get in contact with the organization beforehand and make sure you communicate this with the attendees too.

4. Find a place to advertise it.

Now it’s time to let the world know! This also depends on the type of swap you are hosting, but you could consider making a poster to be shared on social media, posting in your neighborhood WhatsApp group, dropping off flyers at local businesses, or getting in touch with a local “Buy Nothing” Facebook group. Whatever avenue you choose, make sure you announce the swap a few weeks in advance, so that people can save the date.

5. Organize your swapping system.

The swapping system is basically how you are going to manage the exchanging of clothes in a fair and organized way. One of the easiest ways to do this is to hand out buttons, in exchange for the clothing people bring, which is used as a kind of swapping currency – one button per item of clothing. Once they have browsed around and found something they like, they can “pay” with one of the buttons.

6. Set up your space.

At the very least, you will need rails or tables to display the clothing on and a place that people can try clothes on. It may also be useful to include a mirror so that people can see what they look like in the clothes. It’s also useful to have some volunteers as extra help to sort, hang up, and pack up.

7. Personalize the event.

This is optional, but there are various ways you can personalize your event. Think about setting up a mending station, so that people can also bring clothes that they want to mend. Or, consider printing educational posters, with facts about the fashion industry, to put up around the space.

8. Figure out a plan for leftover clothes.

Invariably, at the end of the swap, there will be clothes leftover and to avoid these going to waste, you should have a plan for what to do with them. You could consider keeping them for the next swap you host or getting in touch with a local organization or textile recycler that may have a use for the clothes.

If you want a more extensive guide on how to host a clothing swap, check out this guide by Fashion Revolution.

The Limits of Clothing Swaps

While clothing swaps do make slow fashion more financially and socially inclusive, they still have their limits.

Based on research conducted at a clothing swap event, The Ecologist found that not everybody who brought clothing to the swap went home with something new. This indicates that sizing, style, and taste do affect the experience you will have at a swap shop.

They also noticed that there were very few men who participated, meaning that they were unable to return home with something. In general, men tend to wear their clothes longer and are less trend-focused, so there is not much incentive for swapping.

Similarly, plus-sized people may find it more difficult to participate in clothing swaps, because the fashion industry caters to straight-sized people. So, when they find clothing that fits them, they tend to hang onto it for longer.

Personal style also plays a role. If you are open to experimenting, clothing swaps are great for trying out new styles. But, if you have a very specific style and only wear certain colors and silhouettes, it may be trickier to find something you love at a clothing swap that is open to the public.

While it is difficult to find an entirely inclusive solution, perhaps hosting clothing swaps that are focussed on specific groups that cater to underrepresented clothing types – such as menswear and plus-sized clothing – could be a way to create spaces that cater to people who typically struggle to find clothing at a more general swap shop.

Final Thoughts on Clothing Swaps

Swapping encourages us to shift the relationship that we have with our clothes and learn to lean into the beauty of preloved. All in all, removing yourself from the endless fast fashion cycle is an important step in slowing down your consumption habits and to prioritize longevity and care.

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

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The post The Joy of Clothing Swaps (and 8 Tips on How to Organize Your Own) appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

Carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gasses contributing to global warming and the worsening effects of the climate crisis. And the fashion industry has an outsized carbon footprint. So there is a good reason why carbon emissions have become the center of many sustainable fashion conversations.

What the fashion industry desperately needs is to develop effective, and scientifically verifiable, pathways to decarbonization. In other words, fashion needs to drastically reduce its carbon-intensive activities and find sustainable alternatives.

These lower-carbon sustainable alternatives aren’t figments of fashion’s imagination. They already exist in the form of practices such as regenerative farming, localized textile systems, fossil fuel-free fibers, and circular business models. 

But instead of hearing about more mainstream fashion brands working towards these holistic alternatives that decrease carbon emissions, we are hearing about more brands claiming to retrospectively pay to offset their carbon emissions.

In theory, carbon offsetting sounds like a quick win when it comes to decarbonizing the industry. But it’s not a long-term solution to healing fashion’s carbon and climate harms. Let’s dive deeper into fashion’s carbon neutrality claims..

Where Are the Majority of Fashion’s Carbon Emissions Released?

Around 70 percent of the fashion industry’s carbon emissions come from upstream activities such as materials production, preparation, and processing, according to a report by McKinsey & Company and Global Fashion Agenda. The remaining 30 percent are associated with downstream retail operations, use phase, and end-of-use activities.

This is echoed in a report by the Apparel Impact Institute report “Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero” which shares that the production of a garment can be split into emissions tiers:

• Raw material extraction (tier four),
• Raw material processing (tier three),
• Material production (tier two), 
• And finished product assembly (tier one). 

Tier two, where the fabric and trims used in the finished product are produced, is by far the most carbon-intensive tier, accounting for 53 percent of total apparel sector greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.

And as research by Carbonfact shows, the average carbon footprint of a t-shirt is 7 kg CO2 equivalent (kgCO2e)³. The lowest is recycled cotton made in Vietnam (5 kgCO2e), and the highest is cotton made in India (10 kgCO2e). 

Image credit: Carbonfact

Fifty percent of the carbon footprint comes from the energy required for the wet treatment phase — including activities such as dyeing, printing, finishing, and laundering. 

What all of this research points to is the decisions made about how to produce a garment — and what to produce it from — all have direct links to its carbon footprint.

Why Does Fashion’s Carbon Footprint Matter?

The fashion industry is heavily reliant on non-renewable fossil fuels — namely coal, oil, and gas. Fossil fuels are used for energy to power factories and retail stores, transportation, and to create fossil fuel-derived synthetic fibers — such as polyester and nylon.

When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the air — known as carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-intensive fashion processes strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to global warming and worsening the effects of the climate crisis.

While carbon dioxide occurs naturally — circulating between the atmosphere, soil, plants, animals, and oceans — humans are drastically changing the carbon cycle by adding more carbon dioxide and influencing how nature can remove and store it.

A carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of certain activities.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the fashion industry’s exact carbon footprint due to a lack of reputable data. According to The Apparel Impact Institute’s new report “Taking stock of progress against the roadmap to net-zero”, the sector emitted an estimated 897 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021 — which is roughly 1.8 percent of global GHG emissions. Previous estimates guessed between 2–8 percent.

The fact of the matter is: we need to decarbonize fashion to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being released into the atmosphere if we want to lessen the effects of the climate crisis. Carbon offsetting has been positioned as one possible pathway to achieving this goal.

What Is Carbon-Neutral, Net-Zero, and Carbon Offsetting?

A carbon-neutral or net-zero future is one where there is a balance of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, aligned with the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement, by eliminating emissions from human and industrial activity and by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

One proposed way of working towards this future is by carbon offsetting. Carbon offsetting is a financial transaction that involves businesses voluntarily investing in green projects as a way to balance out their excessive supply chain emissions. These projects can include agroforestry and reforestation, forest conservation, regenerative agriculture, and marine and coastal conservation.

Importantly, these projects are external to the business’s supply chain and are usually located in regions far removed from business operations.  

There are certifications that brands and businesses can obtain to account for accurate and responsible carbon offsetting, such as the Climate Neutral Certified Label which is a globally recognized standard for carbon accountability. 

In theory, carbon offsetting sounds like the ideal silver-bullet solution to addressing fashion’s carbon footprint. But the reality is more complicated.

Is Carbon Offsetting Enough To Counterbalance Fashion’s Carbon Footprint?

Carbon offsetting requires brands to calculate the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide they emit in their supply chain, using a carbon calculator or going through life cycle analysis companies such as Carbonfact.

Then they purchase the amount of “carbon credits” equivalent to the amount they want to offset. These carbon credits (typically sold in units of one metric tonne) are bought through investing in projects that commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon offsetting is voluntary and occurs after carbon dioxide has already been emitted. Being able to contribute to global warming through carbon emissions, while committing to reversing this after the fact, comes across as contradictory. 

It also assumes that carbon emissions —  and the harms caused by extreme emissions — can be reversed in the first place.

In some cases, it’s been critiqued as a “guilt-free” way for companies to continue carbon-intensive activities. “Carbon offsetting does not lead to direct emission reductions. It allows for a ‘business-as-usual’ approach without prioritizing internal decarbonization techniques,” says Charlotte Borst, Raw Material Innovation Associate at Fashion for Good.

According to Borst, carbon offsetting doesn’t contribute to a company’s progress on science-based targets. 

The Science Based Targets initiative aims to define and promote best practices in emissions reductions and net-zero targets in line with climate science. “The use of offsets is not counted as an emission reduction toward the progress of companies’ Science Based Targets, because emission reduction must come through direct action within their own operations or value chain,” she says.

Carbon offsetting also has additionality issues. “Many carbon offsetting activities are not additional. This means that they don’t contribute to achieving additional climate benefits, compared to if the project had not existed. For example, when carbon credits are issued for protecting forests which were never in danger,” explains Borst.

Carbon offsetting may be seen as a solution to one problem, but without careful research, implementation, and continuous monitoring, it can cause a host of other problems. Businesses run the risk of investing in projects that don’t deliver on promised climate benefits. For example, there have been many examples of tree planting initiatives that interfere with the natural biodiversity of the area, convert productive farming land into tree planting land, and infringe on the rights of indigenous people who manage and care for natural ecosystems.

“Projects are often, and primarily, based in developing countries, potentially affecting local communities. There are multiple examples of projects infringing human rights and disrupting the environment and livelihoods of vulnerable communities,” says Borst. 

She cites the example of the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Dam, in Panama, that — if completed — will displace Indigenous Ngäbe families and result in significant impacts on the local communities. The communities were not adequately consulted about the project and the dam also threatens to violate the human rights to property, housing, food, water, culture, and education.

These oversights that lead to carbon offsetting projects which don’t deliver positive environmental or social outcomes are also a symptom of carbon tunnel vision. Carbon tunnel vision refers to the practice of focusing solely, or primarily, on tackling carbon emissions while ignoring other important factors of fashion’s impact — including waste, overconsumption, pollution, biodiversity loss, and human rights abuses.

We need fashion solutions that address the interconnectedness and complexity of the current fashion system’s harms while acknowledging that this will require systems change that goes beyond siloed quick fixes.

Carbon offsetting is not targeting the root cause of the problem, because they leave the crux of what is causing the carbon emissions in the first place unscrutinized. 

This also means that carbon offsetting does little to slow down global warming. And is perhaps a distraction from the fact that we need to transition away from fossil fuels entirely. But there are a few positive perspectives on carbon offsetting.

The Silver Linings of Carbon Offsetting as a Transition Strategy

While carbon offsetting isn’t the silver bullet solution that the fashion industry is intent on finding, it does have a few silver linings when viewed as a transition step in a move towards carbon reduction.

“Despite all justified criticism and confusion surrounding it, offsetting can have a positive effect when combined with reducing internal emissions. Most carbon offset projects do have positive effects such as planting trees and creating jobs but they can’t be relied on as a first-choice measure to tackle greenhouse gas emissions,” says Borst.

Beginning the carbon offsetting process also requires businesses to measure and account for their carbon emissions across their entire operations and supply chains. This is a valuable process and an important step in understanding a business’s impact and possible reduction pathways.

“What can’t be measured, can’t be managed. When it comes to understanding the carbon footprint and carbon hotspots of a garment, Life Cycle Assessments are valuable because they measure the carbon dioxide emissions across the entire value chain,” says Dr. Bahareh Zamani of Carbonfact on the importance of using Life Cycle Assessments to inform carbon reduction strategies. 

The results of Life Cycle Assessments can help brands strategize about lower-carbon ways to develop products, material choices, how to choose suppliers, and how to help suppliers to transition to renewable energy.

While brands have control over many areas of their carbon reduction, not all decisions are within their control — especially when it comes to working with suppliers who supply multiple brands. “Collaboration is key. Sustainability issues can’t be solved in silos. Brands need to reach out to other brands to figure out how they can support suppliers,” says Dr Bahareh on the need for brands — who source from the same supplier — to work together to help suppliers improve their processes.

And while reduction strategies are essential, carbon offsets can be seen as an interim or transition solution while brands figure out how to effectively implement their reduction efforts and form collaborations with other brands. “As there are not enough easily implementable solutions available to 100 percent mitigate these supply chain emissions, and these solutions take time to become viable, offsetting can be a transition solution to make up for the portion of emissions that can’t be covered by internal mitigation strategies,” says Borst.

While carbon offsetting may be useful in the process of implementing overall reduction strategies, we need to be careful of being caught up in the greenwashing of these offset claims.

How Do We Know When a Company Is Greenwashing Carbon Offsetting?

In a report by Stand.Earth, released in November 2022, data showed that 2022 had been a year of increased emissions despite public commitments and promises by fashion companies to reduce carbon output from previous years. This sets off greenwashing alarm bells, because even though companies were making public commitments, this was not reflected in the true impact.

Accounting for the positive impacts of offsetting projects is not straightforward. The disparity between carbon offsetting claims and the lack of impact is because measuring the impact of the carbon sequestration projects is often tricky and reliable data is hard to come by. “Effective offsetting requires the measurement of the carbon saved. This is a complex, unpredictable process which forbids accurate measurement,” says Borst.

This means that the term “carbon-neutral” can be misleading to consumers. For example, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority found that consumers tend to believe that “carbon neutral” claims from companies mean an absolute reduction in carbon emissions. When they found that carbon neutral claims are reliant on offsetting, they felt “misled”. 

This is why, recently, the UK’s advertising watchdog has decided to ban all advertisements that claim products are carbon neutral using offsets, unless the businesses can prove that the carbon offsets have worked.

Image Credit: Stand Earth

Spotting greenwashing is not always easy, especially because the solutions we currently have are not perfect. As Borst points out, “Once you spot overly convincing numbers (100 percent plastic free, 100 percent vegan, zero carbon emissions) you should be critical. You can always ask a company for more information. If they don’t respond — elaborately and respectfully — you can take it as a signal of greenwashing. Honest companies tell you about what they are doing well and what they think needs improvement.”

Another key way to tell if a company is greenwashing is by looking at their core business. If their core business is not at all concerned with divesting from fossil fuels, and actively reducing emissions, then it’s most likely greenwashing. 

For example, The Guardian reported that major oil companies are some of the biggest buyers of carbon offsets to help meet their climate pledges while continuing to invest in fossil fuels.

And with fashion, according to Stand.Earth’s 2023 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard — which ranks 43 of the most influential fashion companies on their use of fossil fuels — only one fashion company reported on progress phasing out coal among their suppliers. No progress was made on phasing out fossil fuel-derived fabrics.

Carbon offsetting used in isolation gives off a false sense of progress, because it creates the illusion of cutting emissions, without actually doing the difficult work of cutting them.

As with many of the most important conversations in the fashion industry, some businesses are trying to make genuine efforts to make solution-oriented decisions, and others are looking to keep their reputations clean. But those with good intentions should be looking at reduction strategies that go beyond retrospective offsetting.

Holistic Pathways to Decarbonizing Fashion Through Reduction Strategies

Reduction needs to be the foundation of every brand’s carbon-neutral strategy.

An alternative approach to offsetting is carbon insetting. Carbon insetting brings carbon reduction projects in-house. 

“As opposed to offsetting, carbon insetting projects are developed to reduce carbon emissions within an organization’s value chain and sphere of influence. In doing so, brands can address those emission areas that are most important to them — those within the supply chain,” says Borst. She adds that, generally, insetting projects are collaboratively designed with the brand and the developer, with a long-term perspective spanning 5-10 years.

While there isn’t a required insetting certification, some carbon inset organizations, such as PUR Project, work with third parties to verify and audit their projects.

An example of a brand that is investing in carbon insetting is the Danish fashion brand, Ganni.  They did this by installing solar panels at their supplier facility in Portugal. Another example of carbon insetting would be sourcing regeneratively farmed fibers and investing in regenerative farming projects within a brand’s supply chain. This is because regenerative farming helps in rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity — resulting in both carbon drawdown and an improved water cycle. 

Apparel Impact Institute and Fashion for Good’s report, “Unlocking the Trillion Dollar Fashion Decarbonization Opportunity” suggests pathways to reduction include shifting to renewable energy, opting for low-impact materials, incorporating circular fashion business models (including swapping, renting, resale, and upcycling), maximizing energy efficiency, reducing production volumes, rethinking and reducing packaging, and sustainable transport options.

It will also take a shift in consumer behavior to reduce carbon emissions, because consumers have control of the use and end-of-use phase of a garment. This includes promoting circular business models that allow for rental, repair, swapping, reduced washing and drying, and increased textile recycling.

Carbon emissions are not the only environmental impact that fashion has. So tackling reduction strategies will have to happen in tandem with other approaches including scaling down production, working towards justice-led circular economies, and determining what a just transition would look like for fashion.

Tackling fashion’s carbon footprint is going to require cross-sector collaboration from brands and retailers, supply chain players, policymakers, investors, and consumers. True accountability will require brands to take responsibility for their impacts, instead of spending energy trying to find the easy way out.

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

The post Is Carbon Offsetting Fashion’s Excuse To Emit? appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

The materials our clothes are made of do affect the impact our clothes have, such as their water consumption and pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, and waste.

But, Even Sustainable Textiles Are Nuanced

Rather than going in search of a “perfectly” sustainable material or fiber, creating more conscious clothing is about learning about the pros and cons of each material and using this information to help make informed decisions — as designers, fashion professionals, sustainable fashion advocates, consumers, and conscious citizens.

For example, in general, natural fibers are preferred, because they aren’t made from fossil fuels and won’t release microplastics. But even natural fibers can have sustainability concerns, such as if they’re treated with toxic synthetic chemicals and dyes or produced by people working in unethical conditions. 

And as Sofi Thanhauser — author of Worn: A People’s History of Clothing — explains on this episode of the Conscious Style Podcast, the reasons why certain materials have risen to popularity in the fashion industry are also a reflection of various complex historical and political contexts.

This is all to say that each fabric will have its strengths and tradeoffs. Below is a list of some of the common materials and fibers that are found in our clothes, along with an overview of each one’s sustainability and design pros and cons, and related certifications.

If you are a designer or brand owner and would like to learn about where to sustainably source these materials, join our membership to access our guide to 70+ Places to Source Sustainable Materials.

NATURAL

Cotton

Chances are, if you look into your wardrobe now, you’ll find a garment made from cotton without any difficulty. It’s the most common natural fiber in our clothing. Cotton is 80% of the natural fiber market and is the second most commonly produced fiber after polyester, accounting for 24.2% of global fiber production as of 2020/2021.

Its versatility and durability mean that it’s used widely for many different garments from jeans to dresses, to underwear. Cotton is often blended with other fibers — such as polyester — for various applications. Different kinds of cotton include recycled cotton, organic cotton, color-grown cotton, and Supima cotton.

According to the Transformers Foundation’s 2021 report, Cotton: A Case Study in Misinformation, cotton is grown in many water-stressed regions and can contribute to water management challenges. But cotton is a drought-tolerant plant adapted to arid regions, which is why farmers in dry climates often choose to grow it because it can survive and produce a crop in harsher environments. While it has earned a reputation for being a water-intensive crop, it’s not a proportionally high consumer of irrigation water compared to many other crops, according to Transformers Foundation’s research.

While it’s a natural fiber, conventionally grown cotton is also known for its usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, biodiversity risks, and hazardous labor conditions.

The more sustainable alternative is organic cotton which is grown from non-genetically modified seeds, cultivated without using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that harm soil health and the health of farm workers, and typically processed without using toxic chemicals that harm natural ecosystems and the people in cotton supply chains. While it has been widely believed that organic cotton uses significantly less water than conventional cotton, there are arguments that cotton is a water-intensive fiber regardless.

The most sustainable cotton option today is regenerative cotton. This means the cotton is grown on a farm that uses regenerative cultivation practices. While alternatives to conventional cotton farming — including organic — aim to do less bad, regenerative cotton farming aims to have a net positive impact on the environment. 

Regenerative farming is based on holistic, indigenous, traditional ways of land management including minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining living roots in soil, crop rotation, and restoring degraded soil biodiversity. While it’s not yet as widely used as organic cotton, there are a few brands — such as Christy Dawn, in partnership with Oshadi,  — who are leading the way. And initiatives such as California Cotton & Climate Coalition and organizations such as Fibershed that are helping brands source from regenerative farmers. 

Paying attention to the ethics of cotton production is just as important as environmental sustainability. For example, cotton cultivated in the Xinjiang region of China is some of the most widely used cotton in the world — accounting for 85% of Chinese production and 20% of world supply. But, according to a BBC investigation in 2021, the cotton is predominantly picked by Xinjiang’s Uighur minority, who are forced into this labor in inhumane conditions. So regardless of what kind of cotton you are sourcing, traceability is essential for ensuring that the cotton was ethically and sustainably produced. 

Sustainability takeaway: Pure cotton fabrics are recyclable, durable, and versatile. The most sustainable cotton option is regenerative cotton, organic cotton, or recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is produced using either post-industrial or post-consumer waste. But, to ensure that the cotton you are using was sustainably and ethically cultivated, you should do research into how and where and how it was grown and processed.

Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, Better Cotton Initiative, Fairtrade, Global Recycled Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial Verification, Regenerative Organic Certified

Price range: $-$$

Hemp 

Hemp is a fast-growing, high-yielding, multi-use, hero fiber. Hemp is known as a “bast” fiber, which means it’s derived from the stem of a plant — in this case, a Cannabis sativa L. plant that contains 0.3% or less of THC.

It’s one of the most durable natural fabrics and is used to create anything from flowing summer dresses to workwear sets and even swimwear. It’s absorbent, which allows it to accept dyes readily and retain color better than other natural fabrics.

When compared to cotton, the hemp crop requires significantly less land and water to cultivate the same yield. Importantly, its deep root system can restore nutrients in the soil, keeping it fertile. It’s a carbon-negative material because hemp plants absorb carbon as they grow — far more than trees.  

Because of hemp’s natural resistance to many insects, it’s possible to easily cultivate hemp using organic methods that don’t heavily rely on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

In addition to being used for fabric, hemp oil and seeds are used for food and beauty products. Hemp can be used for paints, inks, paper, and composite boards. So no part of the plant has to go to waste.

Sustainability takeaway: Hemp is one of the most eco-friendly fibers on the market. Only organic hemp guarantees that no harmful chemicals were used, so look out for certifications and do your research to learn about the farm the hemp was grown on and how it was processed.

Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100

Price range: $$

Jute

Jute is another bast fiber derived from the jute plant. It grows best in warm, humid climates with significant rainfall and is mostly produced in India and Bangladesh. Jute plants require minimal fertilizers and pesticides and was found to sequester nearly 5 tons of CO2 per ton of raw jute fiber production. 

Jute fabric is quite coarse, which means it’s mostly used for fashion accessories. But it can be blended with cotton for a softer feel to create a wider variety of garments.

Although jute is primarily known for its fiber, each part of the plant can be used. The jute leaves are eaten as vegetables, while the remaining stick can be used as a building material. 

Sustainability takeaway: Jute is a plant-based biodegradable yet durable material that can be a sustainable choice when sourced responsibly. 

Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100

Price range: $

Animal Leather

Leather is a material made from the skin of animals including cows, sheep, crocodiles, snakes, ostriches, and crocodiles. It’s known for its longevity and is commonly used to create footwear and accessories. It’s particularly common in the luxury fashion world.

The most glaring ethical concern about the production of leather is animal cruelty. In addition, leather requires more water and land than almost any other material — not to mention the emissions associated with animal agriculture. It’s also a cause of deforestation and habitat destruction due to cattle ranching.

Some argue that because leather is a natural byproduct of the meat industry, it makes sense to reduce wastage and still find ways to use it. But this argument doesn’t account for the fact that leather processing is where a significant part of leather’s environmental footprint lies. Notably the tanning process involves extremely harmful chemicals, including heavy  metals, that end up in waterways and pose risks to workers’ respiratory, skin, and internal health. Some evidence suggests that all tanning processes — including vegetable tanning — can hinder the ability of animal skins to biodegrade.

Sustainability takeaway: Leather is a long-lasting material, but it comes with many sustainability and ethical concerns. Vegetable-tanned leather provides a less toxic alternative. Recycled leather is a more sustainable option, made from leather waste scraps, but may be combined with plastic.

Sustainability certifications: The Leather Working Group, OEKO-TEX STeP

Price range: $$$

Vegan Leather Alternatives

In response to the concerns around animal cruelty and the harms of the leather industry, leather alternatives are being developed. The most common vegan leather alternatives are plastic, specifically Polyurethane (you may see it labeled as PU) or Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which are made with fossil fuels.

Improvements to purely plastic leather include partly bio-based and plant-based leather alternatives, like VEGEA, made from repurposed grape waste from the wine industry, Desserto, made from cacti, AppleSkin, made from apple skins, cores, and seeds, and Piñatex, made from pineapple leaf fiber. American start-up Bolt Threads is developing Mylo, a lab-grown leather made from mycelium, the underground root structure of mushrooms.

Sustainability takeaway: Bio-based leather alternatives are not as widely available as vegan leather. It’s too early to assess the overall environmental impacts of these new leather alternatives, but what they do have in their favor is that they are not purely plastic-based — read: made from fossil fuels — like other vegan leather options. 

Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, PETA-Approved Vegan, Vegan Society Registered Verification Test

Price range: $$$

Linen

Linen is one of the oldest fibers known to humankind. Linen is reminiscent of light, flowing summer dresses and breathable beach wear. It’s yet another plant-based bast fiber, this one hailing from the flax plant. Flax is able to grow on the majority of soils and, in contrast to many other fibers such as conventional cotton, natural production of flax does not require pesticides, artificial irrigation or fertilizers.

Two different kinds of flax are grown: flax for fiber, which is used to make linen textiles, and flax for seed, which is used to feed people and livestock. To create linen fabrics from the flax plant, the long fibers from within the stem of the plant are extracted and spun into linen fibers, which are woven into fabric.

Linen fabric is known to be an effective temperature regulator — keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.

Sustainability takeaway: When it comes to sustainability, organic linen is your best bet. Linen is fully biodegradable when it’s left untreated. Its natural colors include ivory, ecru, tan, and gray. Once synthetic dyes and finishes are applied, biodegradability is no longer possible. 

Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Masters of Linen, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial Verification 

Price range: $$

Silk

Silk is synonymous with luxury. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers and is animal-derived. It’s harvested from silkworms who line their cocoons with silk threads, which are the saliva of the silkworm produced to insulate the work in its cocoon until they transform into silk moths. 

These threads are spun into the fabrics we know today. About 3000 cocoons are used to make one yard of silk.

In conventional silk-making techniques, known as sericulture, the silkworms are killed during the process of extracting the silk threads, raising a red flag in the ethical fashion community. There are less harmful ways of creating silk — known as “peace silk” — where the silkworms are not harmed, and the threads are taken from the cocoon once the silkworms have transformed into silk moths and are left behind.

Wild silk, on the other hand, is cultivated from silk moths that live in the wild, instead of silk moths that are kept captive for the pure purpose of silk production. Wild silk cocoons are harvested after the moth has left the cocoon and are found in open forests. There are varying types of wild silk depending on the type of moth, plants they eat, and regions in which they live. Some wild silks are naturally colored yellow, orange, or green.

There are also human-made silk alternatives for those who want to avoid animal-derived silk entirely. This includes Bold Threads’ lab-made Microsilk which imitates the silk fibers produced by spiders. Or Banana Sylk which is made from 100% pure banana plant stem.

Sustainability takeaway: Pure silk is naturally biodegradable. Opt for ethically farmed silk and organic silk whenever possible. Organic silk production is a more environmentally friendly, non-violent, and sustainable practice of silk cultivation. The silkworms are allowed to live out their full lives and die naturally, and no chemicals or treatments are required. Or look into peace silk, wild silk, or cruelty-free alternatives.

Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX STeP, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Global Organic Textile Standard

Price range: $$$

Wool

When we think of wool, the warmth of cozy knitwear probably comes to mind. Wool is a renewable, biodegradable, and lower-impact natural fiber. Wool is made from keratin — the same protein as human hair — and is grown on the backs of sheep or other animals such as goats, camels, alpacas, and llamas. There are many kinds of wool including mohair (from Angora goats) and merino (from Merino sheep).

In terms of making clothing, wool is naturally breathable, an effective insulator, reacts to changes in body temperature making it perfect for trans seasonal wear, and requires less frequent washing, because it’s naturally odor- and stain-resistant.

How the sheep are farmed determines both the quality and sustainability of the wool. This is why it’s ideal to opt for regeneratively farmed or organic wool, to ensure that the wool has been cultivated in a way that doesn’t harm the animals, or natural environment, and doesn’t expose workers and animals to harmful chemicals.

Animal cruelty is another consideration when looking for ethically produced wool. Mulesing is one of the cruel practices that were common in the wool industry. The Responsible Wool Standard certifies that the wool is mulesing-free.

Wool can also be recycled. This happens through a mechanical process that returns garments to the raw fiber state and turns the fiber into yarn again, to produce new products. Additionally, wool that isn’t used in the fashion industry can be used for insulation and carpeting.

Sustainability takeaway: Look for 100% wool (or wool with other natural fibers) and not a synthetic blend when possible. Also look for mulesing-free wool and for wool sourced from farms employing regenerative practices to enhance environmental health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and water quality.

Sustainability certifications: Responsible Wool Standard, Responsible Mohair Standard, Woolmark, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial Verification 

Price range: $$

SYNTHETIC

Nylon

Nylon was the world’s first fully synthetic fiber made from petroleum, introduced in the 1930s. Now Nylon is one of the most common synthetic fabrics and is found in everything from swimwear to activewear, due to its elastic recoverability (meaning nylon can stretch without losing shape). And due to its low liquid absorbency, nylon clothes dry faster than natural fabrics like cotton, and usually don’t need ironing. 

Nylon starts as a type of plastic derived from coal and crude oil that is then put through a chemical-, water- and energy-intensive process to create the strong, stretchy fibers that make it so useful as a fabric. 

Sustainability takeaway: Nylon is a plastic fabric and therefore not a sustainable option. It’s used because of the properties it can give garments that allow for more versatile and longer lasting wear. If nylon is unavoidable, opt for a lower-impact alternative such as ECONYL. More on this below.

Sustainability certifications: None

Price range: $-$$

ECONYL

ECONYL is a regenerated nylon product made from repurposed plastic waste. ECONYL is created by Italian firm Aquafil, using synthetic waste such as industrial plastic, waste fabric, and fishing nets from oceans, that are recycled into a regenerated nylon yarn. The closed-loop production process requires a lot less water — and is virgin fossil-fuel free — in comparison to regular nylon.

Currently, there are two types of ECONYL fibers: ECONYL Textile Fiber, which has a softer attribute making it fit for weaving garments. And ECONYL Carpet Fiber, which is replacing the traditional nylon used extensively in carpet manufacturing.

It’s a lightweight elastic fabric that possesses all the desirable characteristics of virgin nylon. And it can be recycled infinitely at end-of-life.

Sustainability takeaway: ECONYL is a viable and more sustainable option for designers who want to create garments or apparel that require the characteristics of nylon — such as swimwear or activewear. But even though ECONYL is a circular alternative, it’s still a synthetic fabric, which means it still releases plastic microfibers and contributes to microplastic pollution.

Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100

Price range: $$

Polyester

Polyester is infamous in the fashion industry for being the most common fiber in our clothing — it accounts for about half of all fibers produced in the world — but it’s also among the most harmful. To make polyester fibers, PET plastic pellets are melted and extruded through tiny holes called spinnerets to form long threads, which are then cooled to harden into a fiber.

Polyester is cheap to produce and purchase, easy to care for, sturdy, and lightweight. It retains its shape, dries easily, and tends not to wrinkle or crease.

But polyester’s allure comes to an abrupt halt when we consider the social and environmental effects of producing and discarding this fiber. The fiber is derived from fossil fuels, not to mention polyester contributes heavily to microplastic pollution and polyester clothing doesn’t biodegrade, dooming it to sit in landfills for hundreds of years.

Sustainability takeaway: If you can avoid using polyester, do so. It’s one of the least sustainable fibers and fabrics in fashion. There are recycled polyester options on the market — most often made from recycled plastic bottles. While the sustainability credentials of these can also be debated, they’re lower-impact options to look into if you can’t avoid using polyester.

Sustainability certifications: None

Price range: $

MAN-MADE CELLULOSIC

Rayon

The best way to understand rayon is to consider it an umbrella term for textiles that are made from chemically treated cellulose — the building block of most plants. Rayon is typically made of wood from eucalyptus, spruce, and pine trees, but can also be made from cotton or bamboo.

The general process for creating all kinds of rayon involves chemically dissolving the wood pulp, converting it into filaments, and then spinning it into fabrics. This is also why rayon is known as semi-synthetic, because it’s derived from plants, but requires synthetic chemicals to be turned into fibers and fabrics.

When rayon was first manufactured in the early 1900s, it was originally marketed as artificial silk due to its softness, nice drape, and luster. It quickly rose in popularity because its price point was significantly lower than silk and cotton. Designers gravitate toward rayon because it’s multi-purpose and easily combined with cotton, polyester, or silk.

The glaring issue with rayon is the chemical-intensive process required to dissolve the wood into pulp. These chemicals are not only environmentally damaging, but damaging to workers in the supply chain too. Carbon disulfide is one of the main chemicals used and it has been historically linked to widespread, severe, and lethal illnesses experienced by those employed in rayon production. 

Rayon also has strong links to deforestation. Much of the wood pulp used for rayon production is still sourced from ancient and endangered forests. According to the nonprofit Canopy, 300 million trees are felled each year to make textiles.

Sustainability takeaway: The wood pulp used to make rayon can be sustainably harvested, but often isn’t. The potential environmental and human health risks of the chemicals used to produce rayon should also be considered. 

Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100

Price range: $

Viscose 

Viscose is a type of rayon. Viscose goes through a slightly different manufacturing process than viscose rayon, which gives it a slightly different feel. Viscose is made specifically with liquid viscose, while rayon is not. It feels like rayon, but has a silkier look.

Sustainability takeaway: As with rayon, the sustainability concerns are related to deforestation and extreme chemical usage.

Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100

Price range: $

Modal

Modal is a type of rayon, and is made from the cellulosic pulp of beech trees. This semi-synthetic fabric has become a popular choice in the fashion industry, because it’s versatile, breathable, and absorbent. The wood fibers are pulped into liquid form and then forced through tiny holes, creating the thread. The resulting fibers are then spun into yarn, sometimes in blends with other fibers such as cotton or elastane. These yarns can then be woven or knitted into fabric.

As with any other type of rayon, sustainability concerns relating to deforestation and chemical intensity apply. Today one of the best-known producers of Modal is the Austrian company Lenzing AG, which now markets its version under the name TENCEL Modal (previously Lenzing Modal).

TENCEL Modal is protected by a global certification system. The trademarked TENCEL Modal is harvested from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification or Forest Stewardship Council sustainably-managed beech tree plantations in Austria and surrounding European countries.

Sustainability takeaway: While Modal raises similar sustainability concerns to other forms of rayon, Lenzing AG’s TENCEL Modal is the more sustainable option, because it’s traceable and sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®

Price range: $$

Lyocell

Lyocell is another type of rayon fabric. It’s produced by dissolving wood pulp with an NMMO (N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide) solvent, which is less toxic than traditional rayon solvents. While Modal is made from beech trees, Lyocell is made from Eucalyptus trees, oak, bamboo, or birch trees.

With Lyocell, the solvents used in production are almost entirely reusable from one batch to the next. This sets Lyocell apart from other forms of rayon.

Lyocell is also attributed to Lenzing AG. So Lyocell is better known as TENCEL Lyocell. TENCEL Lyocell is known for sourcing wood pulp sustainably. Unlike viscose and other types of rayon, TENCEL Lyocell is made using a closed loop process, which means that the chemicals used in the production process do not get released into the environment.

Lyocell is like cotton or linen and is often blended with those fabrics. Lyocell is also 50% more absorbent than cotton, which means it’s often used for activewear. It’s also often used as a more delicate fabric in garments like underwear, dresses, and dress shirts. 

Sustainability takeaway: It’s ideal to look into the sources of the Lyocell you choose to use. With TENCEL Lyocell fabric, the trees used are only sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified sustainably managed forests, which provides safeguards against deforestation risks.

Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®

Price range: $$

Bamboo

Bamboo is a natural fiber that can be processed as a natural bast fiber to create bamboo linen or go through a chemical process to create a cellulosic fiber that results in bamboo rayon or Lyocell. Bamboo material is made from the pulp of the bamboo plant. The stalks are crushed, and the cellulose is separated from the fiber. The cellulose is then turned into thread and woven into fabric.

Bamboo is a sustainable crop — if grown in the right conditions — because bamboo plants are fast-growing (they’re a grass, not a tree), renewable, and have positive impacts on the soil and air. When bamboo is harvested, it can be done without killing the plant itself, and can renew quickly.

But most products labeled as “bamboo” are rayon and involve intensive chemical emissions and energy in the processing of bamboo. These processes — in comparison to the lower-impact production of bamboo linen — cause sustainability of this fiber to take a dip.

Bamboo fabrics are soft and absorbent and are most often used to make basics and lifestyle wear. Bamboo linen is coarser than bamboo rayon, viscose, or Lyocell.

Editor’s note: Kohl’s and Walmart were fined $5.5 million by the FTC for making deceptive eco-friendly claims around bamboo rayon. Be aware of potential greenwashing around bamboo rayon!

Sustainability takeaway: Bamboo linen is more sustainable than bamboo rayon, because it can be produced mechanically — in a similar process to hemp or linen — and doesn’t require as many harmful chemicals as bamboo rayon. It’s also worth looking into whether the bamboo was sourced from certified and sustainably managed forests.

Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, USDA-Certified Organic

Cupro

Cupro is a regenerated cellulose fiber that is part of the rayon family of fabrics — it’s short for cuprammonium rayon. It’s more commonly known as “vegan silk” because of its soft, smooth, and drapey appearance. It’s quick-drying, ultra-soft, and lightweight. It’s considered to be a semi-synthetic fabric, because it’s a plant-based material, but requires chemical treatment to be turned into a functional fabric. Cupro can be derived from a natural byproduct — cotton linter — or from wood pulp.

Linter is cotton waste. It’s the tiny fibers of cotton seeds that are too small to be spun into cotton yarn. The linter or wood pulp is dissolved in cuprammonium hydroxide (a mix of copper and ammonium). The final solution is spun into fibers.

Sustainability takeaway: It reduces waste by using the linter that would otherwise be discarded. It’s a cruelty-free silk option as no silkworms are harmed in the process. But it does involve a chemical-heavy production process that includes toxic substances — including ammonia, sodium hydroxide, and sulfuric acid — which are polluting and harmful to workers. While cupro can be produced in a closed-loop system where all the water is recycled, cupro is still considered unsustainable because of pollution caused by the production. Alternatives include Lyocell or peace silk.

Sustainability certifications: None

Price range: $$

OTHER

Deadstock

Textile waste is one of the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry. Deadstock is a popular choice for sustainably-minded brands who want to find solutions to this waste crisis — especially those practicing upcycling. Deadstock is the fabric that is unsold or unused in the fashion industry and often goes to waste. It often refers to fabric that is left unsold by a fabric mill or leftover from a brand’s production run, damaged or flawed fabric, or fabric from canceled orders.

Because it requires no processing and designers have to work with what they can get, it has a lower manufacturing footprint and keeps valuable materials from landfills. 

The overall conversation about the sustainability of deadstock is a nuanced one, because deadstock’s abundance is a symptom of a fashion industry that continuously overproduces. There are concerns that some mills are intentionally overproducing since they know the excess will be purchased anyway. This raises the question: Is deadstock unavoidable waste? Or yet another symptom of a fast fashion system that doesn’t want to change its ways?

Deadstock fabrics come in as many patterns, colors, and types of fabric as you can imagine. What it’s used for depends on how much fabric is supplied and what kind of fabric it is.

Editor’s note: Tune in to our Conscious Style Podcast episode with Natasha Halesworth for more on the pros, cons, and nuances of deadstock.

Sustainability takeaway: While the pros and cons of the specific kind of deadstock fabric depend on the type of fabric, in general deadstock is a low-waste option because it gives new life to fabrics that would otherwise be discarded. While the systemic sustainability of deadstock does raise questions, finding immediate uses for fabrics that would be wasted can generally be seen as a positive effort. 

Editor’s note: The onus to reduce waste should be put on the large brands and mills overproducing in the first place, not on small designers sourcing deadstock as a way to source lower impact materials affordably in small quantities.

Sustainability certifications: Depends on the type of deadstock used.

Price range: $-$$

Denim (typically a cotton blend)

Denim is another common fabric in many of our lives and probably conjures up images of your favorite pair of jeans. Denim is a durable, long-lasting fabric made from tightly woven cotton fibers — often dyed using indigo to give it denim’s distinctive blue look — that form a diagonal pattern. This is known as “raw” denim. More recently, “stretch denim” has become popular for garments such as skinny jeans, which are made from a blend of cotton and elastane or spandex.

The indigo-dyed fibers naturally fade over time with wear and washes. But as the look of “worn in” denim has become aspirational, a range of different finishes have been developed for denim — from “distressed” denim to “acid wash” denim and “stonewashed” denim. Each of these finishes gives the final product a slightly distinct look and emulate what denim might end up looking like after years of wear. Processes such as enzyme washes, sandblasting, or bleaching soften the material and create the appearance of worn fabric.

While these processes may create a more aesthetic product, they come at the cost of the health of workers in denim supply chains. For example, sandblasting — as the name suggests — is the process of blasting the fabric with sand to give it a worn-in look. The dust caused by this process causes respiratory issues for workers. The finishing agents used to achieve a certain look or texture in one pair of pants contain hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, which poses health risks to workers.

From an environmental perspective, stone washing and acid washing require vast water usage and pollution due to toxic discharge. Some strides are being made such as recycling water and laser technology that can achieve the same look as worn in denim without harmful processes. At the Vietnam-based denim factory, Saitex, also known as the cleanest denim factory in the world, 98% of the water is reused with the other 2% lost due to evaporation.

Recycled denim is another sustainable option. Using industrial denim waste avoids the water-intensive process of growing cotton and keeps scraps out of landfills. But recycled denim still relies on virgin denim for continued production.

Sustainability takeaway: While denim is a highly durable fabric that can be used for many years, it’s also highly water-intensive to produce and — traditionally — relies on techniques that release toxic chemicals and place workers at risk. To decrease denim’s impact, hemp blends can be used alongside organic cotton and the use of water-saving techniques. For stretch denim, recycled polyester, man-made cellulosic fibers, and recycled elastane are more sustainable than virgin elastane and spandex.

Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, Better Cotton Initiative, Fairtrade, Global Recycled Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®

Price range: $-$$

Next-Gen Innovative Materials

In the past few years, we have seen a wave of next-gen innovative materials being introduced to the fashion industry. A few examples of these materials include Galy, Piñatex, Spinnova Fabric, Orange Fiber, Flocus, Samatoa Lotus Textile, Banana Sylk, Mango Materials, Mycoworks, and Mylo.

Each of these material innovations aims to address an existing issue in the fashion industry — whether it be finding a way to make “leather” without deriving it from animals, plant-based alternatives to polyester, lab-grown cotton that reduces the impact of cotton production, or ensuring that a circular economy is prioritized.

Since these are new — often high-tech — innovations, they are often too expensive for small and independent brands. Often, it’s more established brands that make use of these materials, because they have the financial ability to invest in these high-end materials. Enter Stella MaCartney’s mushroom leather bag or Ganni’s banana waste tracksuit.

Sustainability takeaway: Many of these materials are not yet widely used, or accessible, enough to make clear-cut sustainability claims about each. While the intentions behind each one are impressive, we are yet to see whether these niche fabrics have the ability to create lasting change in the fashion industry.

Sustainability certifications: Depends on the next-gen material used

Price range: $$$

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

The post How Sustainable Are Fashion’s Favorite Fibers, Fabrics, and Materials? Unpacking the Pros & Cons of Common Textiles appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

A slow fashion journey begins in your own wardrobe. It starts with the way you relate to your clothing — and whether you look at your closet with a scarcity mindset or one of abundance and endless creative possibilities.

We live in a world that is constantly trying to convince us to buy more, more, more. With this rapid influx of new garments, and a social media landscape that only fuels trend cycles, it’s often tricky to figure out what you actually like and separate that from what fashion marketing is telling you that you should like.

So, we need to find ways to resist trends and replace the fleeting rush of endorphins that you get when you buy something new with a more sustainable form of joy. This is where the importance of personal style comes in.

What is Personal Style?

Put simply, personal style is a person’s chosen way of expressing themselves using clothing and accessories as a medium.

Sometimes the terms “fashion” and “style” get used interchangeably. But, there is a subtle difference between the two. Fashion refers to the collective expression of trends and the dominant styles within a given culture at a certain time. 

Whereas,style relates to the individual and how they choose to interpret collective ideas of fashion in alignment with their personal expression.

While fashion speaks to the investment in an often-fleeting aesthetic, style speaks to a long-term investment in self and the joy that comes from wearing something that truly reflects who you are. So, a huge part of personal style is learning how to develop an authentic sense of self and let that echo in the clothing that you choose to wear.

The Benefits of Finding Your Personal Style

Understanding your personal style helps you become content with what you have, instead of buying into the idea that you are never enough – which is an idea that the fashion industry thrives on.

In many ways, slow fashion is a personal journey that calls on you to reconnect with your clothes.

First and foremost, developing a sense of personal style allows you to hop off the hamster wheel of endless trend cycles by defining what style means for you, instead of what the media says you should be wearing.

As soon as we dictate what we wear, we dismantle trends.

In turn, this helps you buy with more intention and more mindfully, because you have understood what items make you feel good and confident.

This can make you feel lighter, and freer, as you learn to express yourself on your own terms. And, being a more focused shopper is likely to save you time and money in the long run!

This also means you are creating less waste, because you are not buying unnecessarily, impulsively, and overconsuming for the sake of trends that come and go at a rapid pace.

Focusing on style instead of trends allows you to remind yourself of your creative potential.

Practicing and cultivating this kind of creativity is so important, because in the trend-focused, fast-paced fashion industry that we exist in this intuitive skill has been suppressed.

Embracing and celebrating personal style also encourages the idea that slow fashion doesn’t have to look a certain way or look the same for everyone.

This movement is not accompanied by a prescriptive aesthetic, but rather on the approach that you take to relating to, acquiring, and appreciating whatever clothes you choose to express yourself in.

How Do You Find Your Personal Style?

Developing your sense of personal style is a life-long process, but here are a few tips to help you get started with how to find your personal style:

Seek inspiration

The outfits that catch your eye on social media, or in real life, can say a lot about your style aspirations. So gathering inspiration is a vital part of figuring out your personal style.

Create a “saved” folder on Instagram for style inspiration or start a Pinterest board to pin outfits that appeal to you.

After a while, you will start to notice patterns in the images you are pinning – perhaps similar colors, outfit combinations, or silhouettes – which will help you to articulate your style.

Do a closet audit and reflect on your current wardrobe

Doing a closet audit will give you a clearer idea of what you have and what you may still want to add to your wardrobe.

This process will also help you reflect and notice patterns in your clothing – which clothes you wear the most, which have been tucked away for ages, and what styles are most common in your wardrobe.

You can even take it to the next level and do a “wardrobe ethnography” as fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell recommends.

Download a wardrobe digitization app and get creative

There are some free slow fashion apps out there – such as Whering and Save Your Wardrobe – that allow you to digitize your current wardrobe and create new outfit combinations with what you already own.

This will help you exist outside of trends and work with the creative potential of your current closet.

Work on building your wardrobe staples

Staples are not the same for everyone (maximalists can have staples too!) but they are at the core of any wardrobe.

A wardrobe staple is not necessarily the most simplified version of a garment, but rather an item that fits with your wardrobe, you’d wear often, and it would allow you to wear your other wardrobe items more too.

You don’t need to search for a prescriptive list of “wardrobe staples”, but rather reflect on your findings from your closet audit or wardrobe ethnography to figure out what pieces are most foundational for you.

Create a wishlist

You can also create a wishlist of pieces you are coveting. Wishlists help you make more thoughtful and considered investment purchases, instead of impulse purchases.

This is because each item is on your wishlist for a reason. You take the time to reflect on it, save up for it, and look out for it.

By the time you buy it, you have already been looking forward to it, and have plenty of styling ideas! You can use wishlists for thrifting or for investing in new items.

Shop secondhand

Thrifting allows you to notice what styles and types of clothing you naturally gravitate towards. Thrift stores don’t have mannequins, big posters, and catalogs, glaring at you as you walk around and showing you how to style the garments.

S, the items you are drawn to are more likely to reflect your personal style. Plus, thrifting is a much less wasteful way of shopping, because you are repurposing preloved clothes.

Check out thrift and consignment stores near you or check out this guide to online secondhand stores.

Borrow

Borrowing clothes from friends and family is a great way to experiment with styles that you have been eyeing out.

Then if you do love the piece and eventually buy something similar, you know for sure that you will wear it loads.

You can also try out a rental service to experiment with your style a bit!

Try to identify your style in three words

Ask yourself how you would describe your style. How would you want others to describe your style? How do you want your style to make you feel?

Summarize these questions into three keywords that you can always reference back to. Having these keywords allows you to buy with more intention because you can look at a new item and assess whether it fits into the style framework you have created for yourself.

It’s normal for these words to evolve as your style evolves, so don’t worry too much about perfecting your words right off the bat. Pick your three words, and try them out for a few weeks to see how they feel. You can always change them later!

If you are looking for more tips on how to find your personal style, listen to this Conscious Style Podcast episode with sustainable stylist, Alyssa Beltempo, and this Conscious Chatter podcast episode with Nadine Farag of One Who Dresses.

What if I Feel Like I Don’t Have One Personal Style?

The short answer is: this is 100% okay!

Finding your personal style is less about sticking rigidly to one, clearly-defined aesthetic. Although this is true for some people, personal style is more about learning what kinds of clothing make you feel most yourself.

It is about learning to dress for who you are, instead of who the fashion industry tells you you should be. And this looks different for everyone.

Some people define their personal style by a color palette, textures, or by silhouette. Others define it by a feeling or idea they are trying to embody – there is no rulebook.

Embracing personal style is a tool for getting to know yourself better, which allows you to wear what makes you feel good and exist outside of trend cycles.

What Happens if My Personal Style Changes Over Time?

Finding your personal style is a journey. It’s not something you can figure out in one day. As we move through different life stages and our lifestyles shift, so do our tastes, aspirations, and preferences. And, as you get to know yourself better, you will get to know your style better too.

There are ways that we can explore and redefine our personal styles, responsibly. These include shopping secondhand, attending a clothing swap, and borrowing from friends or family.

These are all ways of mixing up your wardrobe and trying out something new that doesn’t cause harm, or create unnecessary waste, and doesn’t rely on you buying something new.

When you feel a shift in style coming on, it is important to sit with yourself and consider your intentions. Do you want to invest in new (or new-to-you) wardrobe items because they align better with your current life stage and avenues of expression? 

Or is it just because that item is trending and you don’t want to miss out? Try not to buy into trends if they don’t enhance and work with the closet you already have.

While the constant evolution of self and style is entirely normal, we can still find ways to honor these natural changes while prioritizing sustainability and mindfully updating our style and aesthetic.

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We hope this guide was helpful as you navigate how to find your personal style!

Not only is finding your personal style a way of reconnecting with yourself, redefining abundance, and embracing creativity, it is also an important part of resisting trends and limiting unnecessary overconsumption – a true win-win!

So, we hope that this article inspires you to take a deeper look at the clothing you already own – and the clothing you aspire to own –  and get to know your personal style a little bit better.

Looking for more inspiration? Follow these 10 creators encouraging us to embrace personal style.

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

Pin this post to reference it later:

The post How To Find Your Personal Style — And Why It Matters appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

Turns out, washing and drying our garments can have a massive impact on energy and water use. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that that washing and drying clothing accounts for 120 million tons of CO2 annually.

Plus, washing and drying our clothes less means they’ll last longer.

And according to WRAP, extending the life of a garment by an extra 9 months reduces its carbon, water, and waste footprints by about 20-30% each.

Okay so maybe you’re convinced that you’re going to wash and dry your clothing less. ‘But what about smelly clothes?’ you might ask!

Well, my friend, there are lots of ways to get smells out (including musty odors and sweat) without sticking your garment in the washer. Most of these hacks use supplies that you probably already have at home, but I do put in a few recommendations here that are affiliates. If you purchase through one of these links, we earn a small commission which helps us continue creating resources like this one for our site!

Here are my favorite strategies for getting rid of odors so that you can extend the amount of time in between washes.

1. Hang Them Out

The easiest way to address faint smells is to hang your clothes outside of your closet right after you’ve worn them to air them out. I typically air out my clothes and shoes for a day before hanging them up back inside my closet. Often, faint smells will fade out within a day, though stronger smells may take a few days to air out.

Even better? Hang your clothes outside in fresh air, whether that’s in your backyard, on your balcony, or by an open window. The sunlight and a light breeze can help remove odors. Just be careful not to hang a colorful garment in direct sunlight too long to avoid color-fading.

2. Steam Your Garments

You knew a steamer could get rid of wrinkles and make your garment look fresh, but it turns out it can also make your clothing smell fresher, too!

The high heat from the steamed water kills odor-causing bacteria.

And, steamers are also known to help remove (relatively new) stains! The heat can reportedly loosen fibers, making it easier to remove stains. I haven’t tried this hack yet since I recently learned about it, some sources suggest to hold the steamer for around half a minute on the stained area to release the fibers and make the stain easier to remove

Certain delicates like suede cannot be steamed, though. And others may not be able to be steamed for such a long period of time. For garments with delicate embellishments, it’s highly recommended to turn them inside out before steaming so you’ll have to try other strategies for any stain removal.

Check out The Steamery for aesthetically *on point* steamers. The Steamery also has other clothing care products like lint brushes and fabric shavers to keep your clothes in great condition!

Want some extra scent boost to your steamed garments? You might want to try Clothes Doctor’s Steamer Water scented with blue lily and bergamot.

Don’t have a steamer? No problem. Hanging wrinkly garments in your bathroom during a hot shower is an often shared hack that can sometimes do the trick — though, admittedly, doesn’t work as well as a steamer.

3. Spray With Vodka

If the smell persists after a few days or it’s an extra-strong odor, spraying the garment with straight clear vodka works surprisingly well.

Before you knock it, hear me out! It’s a pretty simple strategy.

All you have to do is fill a spray bottle with plain unflavored vodka (you might want to label it so you don’t accidentally use this bottle for something else and get a bad surprise later!) and spray your garment.

This has been a not-so-secret hack the performance world has used to get smells out of costumes that can’t be washed or don’t have time to be washed between shows.

I’ve personally used it to remove some pretty strong odors out (or at least mostly out) of ballet costumes.

I’m talking dancing-for-two-hours-under-hot-lights-sweat-level smells everyone!

In my personal experience, this strategy is usually most effective when used in specific areas (like the underarms).

Though, as I mentioned, I’ve also used it to spray entire costumes that are too fragile to wash.

I will just turn my garment inside out, and spray the vodka directly in the underarm area. I’ll then hang dry it inside-out for a day or so.

4. Spray With White Vinegar

Don’t feel comfortable spraying vodka or don’t have any in your pantry? No worries!

You could also spray your garment using a bottle of half white vinegar and half water.

To ensure vinegar won’t impact the fabric, you can turn your garment inside out and spray a small inconspicuous spot to test it out. Once it’s good to go, spray your garment!

If you don’t want any faint vinegary smell, you could drop in a few drops of essential oil to the mix. (Again, test any mixture on the inside of your garment before spraying the outside. Can’t stress that point enough!)

Similar to the vodka approach, air out the garment inside-out for a day or so before putting it back into your closet or re-wearing it. You can also combine with hack #1 and air dry your sprayed garment outside in the fresh air to really make sure the vinegar smell is gone.

5. Natural Clothing or Fabric Freshener Sprays

Don’t feel comfortable spraying vodka or white vinegar or it’s not working for you? There are also clothing freshener sprays, like the ones from Clothes Doctor.

They have a clothing spritz (which they call a dry shampoo, but for your clothes) and a knitwear spritz, which can also act as a natural moth repellent.

All of Clothes Doctor’s sprays are packaged in an infinitely recyclable aluminum bottle!

***

Fabric fresheners are another effective way to remove odors from your clothes without washing them. But you might not want to be spraying potentially toxic air fresheners. (Personally most air fresheners give me a headache.)

Thankfully there are more natural solutions for odor removing sprays now, such as Fresh Wave. Fresh wave is free of parabens, phthalates, harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other toxic chemicals.

6. Spray or Spot With Lemon Juice

No vodka, white vinegar, or fabric freshener in the house?

Try mixing a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of water in a spray bottle and spray your garments!

Similar to the approaches above, if the smell is just coming from ONE area (like the underarms) of your garment, try to just dab or spray that part.

If the smell is coming mostly from the underarms, it’s best to spray the inside of the garment since that’s where the source of the smell is. And it will also further de-risk doing any damage to the garment.

If you are spraying the outside of the piece, make sure to test your mixture on the inside of your garment first to ensure it won’t cause any discoloration on the outside of your garment. (Do I sound like a broken record yet?)

7. Spray with Essential Oils

I would typically suggest combining essential oils in combination with one of the other tricks in here (like vodka or vinegar) for best results, but if it’s all you’ve got, it can still do the trick for a short period of time. It doesn’t really kill any odor-causing bacteria, but if you’re really in a pinch it can help! (Perfume of course can do the same thing.)

As with every other tip, experiment with a hidden spot of your garment or the inside part of your garment (if it’s a similar material) to make sure it would cause staining or discoloration!

8. Use Baking Soda

I often use baking soda to reduce smells and absorb sweat and in shoes. I used this hack a LOT when I was dancing and had sweaty ballet, tap, and jazz shoes.

So it makes sense that baking soda can also be used to remove odors and sweat from clothing.

Essentially you put the garment in a bag and put in some baking soda, giving it a good shake. Then you remove the garment from the bag and brush off the baking soda.

You’ll just have to be mindful of the fabric with this hack. Using baking soda on silk or leather, for example, may harm your clothing.

9. Freeze ’em up!

This method takes longer and doesn’t work quite as well as a steamer or some of the other approaches in my experience, but if you don’t have a steamer, try putting a garment, like your denim, in the freezer!

I like to put mine in a bag before putting them in the freezer (perhaps that’s why it doesn’t work as well for me, though.)

Just be sure to remove them in enough time before you plan to wear again — since they will be cold and stiff from their time in the freezing temperature.

10. One Final Option: The Dryer

If you’re trying to get smells out of your clothes without washing, but you have a drying machine, you can throw your clothes into the dryer for a short amount of time with a scented dryer sheet.

However if you’re trying to avoid the washer to save energy or preserve your clothes, this isn’t your best bet. Machine drying expedites the wear and tear of your garments and is an energy-intensive process. But it can be used if you’re just in a crunch and you need something convenient.

Nothing Working?

You can still wash your clothes while minimizing your costs and impact by:

1) Washing using the cold/cool setting on your washing machine OR hand-washing

2) Using natural and low waste laundry detergent

3) Skipping the machine dryer and air-drying or hang-drying instead

Hope these tips were useful and can help you save time, money, and your clothes — not to mention resources!

Check out this post for more sustainable clothing care tips.

You May Also Want to Check Out:

What is Sustainable Fashion and Why Does it Matter?

Fast Fashion, Microfiber Pollution, and What We Can Do About It

Are Your Clothes Toxic? Here’s How You Can Find Out

The post How to Get Smells Out of Your Clothes — Without Washing Them appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

Fashion legislation is a huge step in the right direction when it comes to accountability, which is something that Big Fashion sorely lacks.

Here are some of the fashion reforms and laws that are reshaping the fashion industry:

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry

This Accord began as The Bangladesh Accord, in 2013, which was an independent, legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions to work towards a safe and healthy garment and textile industry in Bangladesh. 

The Bangladesh Accord was created in 2013 after the devastating collapse of Rana Plaza. This was a fatal incident where a Bangladeshi factory, filled with garment workers, collapsed and resulted in the deaths of 1134 garment workers and thousands more injuries. The Bangladesh Accord holds brands accountable for their suppliers and ensures that suppliers provide fair and safe working conditions, and respond to labor concerns. 

The Bangladesh Accord was initially valid for five years. At the end of last year, it was renewed, expanded, and renamed the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. The renewed Accord will continue to protect garment workers in Bangladesh, but it will also be expanded to other garment-producing nations, where workers’ lives are currently at risk daily.

Most recently, the International Accord has been expanded to include Pakistan with the monumental Pakistan Accord being signed. This is the first regional successor of the International Accord. Pakistan is another major garment production hub, and the hope is that the Pakistan Accord will make Pakistan one of the safest garment production hubs in the world.

Sustainable Fashion Legislation in the United States:

The Fashioning Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change (FABRIC) Act

Wage theft is one of the biggest injustices in the fashion industry — and it’s all too common. US senator Kirsten Gillibrand hopes to end wage theft on a federal level with the introduction of the FABRIC Act.

The precedent-setting bill aims to eliminate piece-rate pay, set a fair hourly rate for garment workers, hold brands accountable for wages in their supply chain by charging penalties for wage violations, and encourage brands to reshore manufacturing.

Reshoring – ensuring that garments are produced in the US – is incentivized with tax credits. A $40 million domestic garment manufacturing grant program aimed at revitalizing the industry is also a provision made in the bill.

The duality of both incentivizing brands not to outsource production to garment production hubs in the Global South and penalizing wage violations in the US helps to ensure brands implement long-term, ethical business practices.

The FABRIC Act has been officially endorsed by nearly 200 companies and organizations so far, including Remake, ThredUp, and Mara Hoffman. As it stands, the bill is still being reviewed.

The SWEAT Bill

SWEAT stands for ‘Securing Wages Earned Against Theft’ and is a bill that holds companies liable for unpaid wages. The SWEAT Bill was passed by the New York State legislature in 2019 but was vetoed by Governor Cuomo on January 1st, 2020. 

So often, we hear of businesses getting away with not paying garment workers. Under existing law, if a worker is owed money by an employer, it is very difficult for the worker to access their money, because the employer can easily hide or move their funds. 

The SWEAT Bill aims to make it easier for workers to get back their wages. The SWEAT Bill will allow workers to freeze the employer’s assets, which ensures that workers will be able to get their money back. New York organizers and legislators are looking to pass the SWEAT bill this year. 

The Garment Worker Protection Act

Los Angeles is the biggest garment hub in the United States, servicing some of the world’s largest fast-fashion retailers. Historically, fashion brands have avoided taking responsibility for paying garment workers by hiring their factories as third-party contractors. 

Also known as Senate Bill 62, the Garment Worker Protection Act is a Californian anti-wage theft and brand accountability bill that makes the state the first in the country to require hourly wages for garment workers. The Act also prohibits piecework (a mechanism used to pay workers per garment and often results in a shockingly low hourly rate) and penalizes wage theft and other illegal pay practices that disadvantage garment workers.

This Act is life-changing for Los Angeles’ 45000 garment workers and their families because it allows them to reclaim a level of agency and makes their lives slightly less precarious.

The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act

This Act is currently under consideration in the New York State Assembly. If passed, the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would require all fashion companies that do business (i.e. sell their products) in New York and generate more than $100 million in revenues to map at least 50 percent of their supply chains and disclose environmental and social impacts in public reports.

 In terms of environmental impact, this includes elements such as greenhouse gas emissions, water footprint, chemical use, as well as reporting on the total volumes of materials they produce. 

When it comes to social impacts, brands will have to median wages for workers and what measures are in place to embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems. 

Beyond increasing supply chain transparency, brands will have to set clear targets for how to improve their social and environmental impact. Fines for non-compliance will be pooled in a community fund that will be used for environmental justice projects in New York.

The announcement of the Fashion Act was met with support, but also valid critique due to it being too broad in scope, a lack of clarity about what non-compliance fines would be used for, and not being sufficiently worker-led.

Since its introduction, a few amendments have been added to strengthen the Act. These amendments include clearer requirements for climate targets — and the necessary enforcement measures to ensure this. The amendments also give greater agency to garment workers, allowing them to pursue legal action against brands that are guilty of wage theft.

The Fashion Workers Act

New York’s fashion industry employs 180,000 people, accounting for 6 percent of the city’s workforce and generating $10.9 billion in total wages. Yet the people behind this creative workforce are not afforded basic labor protections, because they work through management companies in New York which escape licensing and regulation.

Initiated by The Model Alliance, the Fashion Workers Act aims to regulate management agencies and provide basic labor protections for models and creatives. For example, the bill requires management companies to pay models and creatives within 45 days of completing a job, provide models and creatives with copies of contracts and agreements, and discontinue the practice of imposing a commission fee greater than 20% of the model or creative’s compensation.

The bill still needs to be voted on by New York Legislators.

Sustainable Fashion Legislation in Europe:

The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

The European Union is implementing legislation to support the transition toward a circular economy with their proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation.

This regulation, proposed in March 2022, aims to improve EU products’ circularity, energy performance, and other environmental sustainability aspects. The legislation would include a range of requirements including rules on:

• product durability, reusability, upgradability, and reparability
• presence of substances that inhibit circularity
• energy and resource efficiency
• recycled content
• remanufacturing and recycling
• carbon and environmental footprints

The proposed legislation also intends to implement a “Digital Product Passport” for greater transparency. The Passport will provide information about the products’ environmental sustainability. This will help consumers and businesses make informed choices, facilitate repairs and recycling, and improve transparency about products’ life cycle impacts on the environment.

If it is adopted, the soonest the regulation is expected to be put in place is 2025.

The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

The fashion industry is composed of complex global value chains that often obscure impact and enable exploitative brands to avoid accountability. In February 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence to foster responsible corporate behavior throughout global value chains.

Companies will be required to identify and, where necessary, prevent, end, or mitigate adverse impacts of their activities on human rights and on the environment.

The due diligence rules will apply to EU companies and non-EU companies with a certain turnover threshold. They primarily aim to address the effects of big businesses, which have the greatest impact, so small and medium enterprises are not the main focus of this legislation.

Fines will be charged in cases of non-compliance. And victims will have the opportunity to take legal action for damages that could have been avoided with appropriate due diligence measures.

European Union’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

The European Commission’s “Proposal for a Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition and annex” amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (originally created in 2005) and the Consumer Rights Directive.

Through this proposal, European legislators are acting against greenwashing and positioning it as an unfair commercial practice.

This Directive enables law enforcement to eliminate a range of unfair business practices. Examples of unfair business practices include the spreading of misleading information or aggressive marketing techniques to influence consumer choices.

The anti-greenwashing regulation will require companies to collect their own clear, objective, and verifiable data to back up any environmental claims. Companies will only be able to claim a product is sustainable if they disclose the impact of the entire life of the product.

The European Union’s REACH Laws

Textile dyeing and treatment have a large role to play in this pollution of the world’s waterways — not to mention that these toxic chemicals and polluted waterways have serious consequences for human health.

60-70% of dyes used in the food and textiles industries are known as Azo dyes. Some Azo dyes are classified as carcinogens, which is why the European Union has decided to ban the use of all Azo dyes containing carcinogenic compounds.

The REACH regulation holds manufacturers and importers to account by requiring them to gather information on the chemicals used in the products they are creating. They are required to register this information in a central database at the European Chemicals Agency.

This Agency also performs in-depth research into the properties of chemical substances to identify harmful properties. The REACH Laws aim to ensure that the food we use to nourish our bodies, and the clothes that adorn our bodies, do not contain toxic chemicals.

Extended Producer Responsibility Policies

Since fashion brands are the ones creating the clothing that fuels fashion’s waste crisis, many people believe we should hold them responsible for this waste.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies in countries in the Global North are regulatory measures that hold fashion producers accountable for the waste they create when introducing new products into the world.

This is done by mandating an EPR fee from brands for each garment they create to a waste management organization. The fee is built into the cost of the garment that we’d purchase. 

In 2007, France was the first country to declare a legal framework for managing textile waste. According to The European Union’s Waste Framework Directive, by January 1, 2025, all members of the European Union will be required to set up an EPR system.

Currently, because of how low EPR fees are and the lack of scalable recycling technology, EPRs are funding the increased collection and sorting of clothing, but not their end-of-life management. This means that a lot of the clothing collected in EPR schemes ends up in the global secondhand trade.

For EPR schemes to be rooted in justice and truly tackle fashion’s waste crisis, money needs to go toward the people that are actively doing waste management work.

Australia’s Legislation: Modern Slavery Law

This Australian Law was passed in 2018 and established a Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement that states that companies with revenues above AUD $100 million are required to publish an annual Modern Slavery Statement, reporting on all potential modern slavery risks and practices in their operations and supply chains. 

All statements are made publicly available in a central government-run repository to foster public oversight, and the companies face penalties for non-compliance. The law aims to increase transparency around modern slavery and human trafficking in supply chains for consumers and investors and improve workplace anti-slavery practices by holding businesses accountable.

Action On Greenwashing:

While these aren’t specific pieces of legislation, these are steps towards governmental action on greenwashing.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority developed the Green Claims Code in 2021. The Code sets out six key points to check whether a business’ environmental claims are genuine. 

While the Green Claims Code is not considered legislation, it does provide tips to help businesses understand and comply with their existing obligations under consumer protection law, when making environmental claims. So the Green Claims Code helps businesses avoid breaking the law.

The tips are also designed to encourage consumers to ask themselves key simple questions to avoid greenwashing when shopping. And they help businesses to ensure that their green claims are truthful and verifiable.

According to the Green Claims Code, green claims must:

• Be truthful and accurate
• Be unambiguous
• Not omit or hide important information
• Only make fair and meaningful comparisons
• Consider the full life cycle of the product
• Be substantiated

Knowing that fashion is infamous for rampant greenwashing, the Competition and Markets Authority has been using the Green Claims Code to scrutinize fast fashion brands — such as ASOS, Boohoo — over the past year, intending to take legal action and encourage greater transparency and accountability in the industry.

The Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides

Greenwashing is becoming harder and harder to spot. The Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides are designed to help marketers, in the US, avoid making environmental claims that mislead consumers.

The Green Guides outline general principles for making environmental marketing claims and how consumers are likely to interpret these claims. They also share ways that marketers can substantiate and qualify claims to avoid deceiving shoppers.

While the guides don’t solely target fashion — rather focusing on all consumer goods — we know that fashion has a lot to answer for when it comes to greenwashing.

Some of the general principles that the guides apply to all environmental marketing claims include:

• Conditions and caveats should be clear, prominent, and understandable. 
• Claims should specify whether they refer to the product, the product’s packaging, or a portion of the product or packaging. 
• Claims should not overstate, directly or indirectly, an environmental attribute or benefit. 

If a brand does make a misleading claim, there are clear consequences such as advertising prohibitions and fines.

The Green Guides were first issued in 1992, but have not been reviewed since 2012. As part of a 10-year review, the Commission is currently in the process of initiating an update to the guides, including asking for feedback from the public.

***

A more just and equitable fashion industry will be the result of a collection of efforts. We need brands to be more responsible in the way they operate. We need consumers who challenge the norms of overconsumption and advocate for a better industry. And we need government-mandated industry-wide fashion reforms and legislation that hold big business accountable and guard against exploitative practices.

This is a movement that has space for everyone.

I hope that this article has left you feeling energized and inspired to figure out what avenue of change-making you can get involved in, within the slow fashion movement!  

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

The post Sustainable Fashion Reforms and Laws Set to Transform The Industry appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

Let’s be honest: our bodies change. Whether it be due to pregnancy, a physical health condition, mental health, life changes, or just growing up — everyone has a different experience with bodily changes. And with this, our clothing sizes often fluctuate too.

While the ultimate slow fashion mantra is to keep your clothes for as long as possible — a lifetime, if possible — this is not always realistic when we consider our ever-changing bodies. 

And there should be no guilt in that!

Luckily there are a few ways to mindfully update your wardrobe, even when your clothing sizes are fluctuating. Here are a few ideas:

Work With What You’ve Got

Having an understanding of what clothing makes you feel most comfortable and confident helps you to make conscious choices when updating your wardrobe and working with what you already own. Go through your wardrobe and consider silhouettes, shapes, colors, and design elements.

From here you can try:

• Altering or tailoring: If you’re going down sizes, you can try altering clothing you already have to fit. While often not as easy, it’s also possible to make clothing fit larger sizes by adding fabric, letting out seams, or adding elastic. You can support a local tailor or try altering yourself by looking up tutorials online.
• Swapping: Clothing swaps allow you to add garments to your wardrobe that suit your current life season while avoiding having to engage with the endless consumption cycles of the fashion industry. It’s usually affordable too — some swaps are free and others charge a small entry or maintenance fee. (Try searching on Eventbrite or checking out Conscious Fashion Collective’s events calendar to find swaps near you.)

Give Secondhand a Go

Thrifting, or buying secondhand, is often a more affordable — and sustainable — way to update your wardrobe and try out different styles. Seek out your local charity stores, and thrift stores, to see what gems you can find.

Or if you are looking for an online secondhand store, take a look at this guide. You can also check out this guide on places to find secondhand plus-size clothing online.

Keep Design Elements in Mind

There are a few design elements to look out for that are more accommodating of size fluctuations:

• Elastic waistbands often mean you can go up or down a size or two and still fit comfortably into the garment.
• Wrap dresses, skirts, or pants that close with ties provide extra grace when it comes to changing sizes, instead of zips and buttons.
• Smocked bodices provide some extra stretch.
• Garments designed with seam allowances make it easier to have the garments adjusted as needed.

For more tips, check out this YouTube video by sustainable fashion stylist, Alyssa Beltempo.

Invest in Sustainable Fashion for Changing Sizes

Editor’s note: We share vetted sustainable brands we love and that we think you’ll love too. Occasionally, these links may be affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission, which helps us continue running this site.

If you are looking to invest in a new garment, try to find brands that create sustainable fashion for fluctuating sizes. Here are a few sustainable fashion brands to look out for. 

Sotela believes that we should reach into our closets and have multiple pieces that will always fit and make us feel confident. Instead of the usual 1 inch grade between sizes, Sotela does 3 inches allowing the flexibility for your body to ebb and flow. 

Lilabare is a Kenyan slow fashion brand that has created clothing that is adjustable by one size up or down.

Universal Standard has created sizing that reflects the true bell curve of the average person in the United States. And their FIT LIBERTY collection gives you the freedom to change sizes without fear, anxiety, or added expense. If you invest in a garment from their FIT LIBERTY collection, and your size changes within a year of purchase, they will exchange your pieces for your new size — for free.

Mary Benson and LP Mode, have both cleverly created clothing with extra seam allowances to ensure they can be altered if a customer changes size.

unspun is a bespoke jeans brand that creates sustainable denim — tailor-made for your body. They have no sizes. Instead, every pair of jeans is made custom-fit to your unique body.

You can also check out this guide on size-inclusive sustainable fashion brands.

Remember: Maximalism Can Be Sustainable Too

While slow fashion often conjures up images of capsule wardrobes and minimalist closets, maximalism can be sustainable too. It’s all about your mindset.

Especially for people with fluctuating sizes, having one or two pairs of jeans for all occasions may not be realistic. If having several pairs of jeans in different sizes is what works for you in terms of your changing body, or you need to store clothing away and save them for later — go for it! It’s not wasteful overconsumption, it’s realistic slow fashion.

Responsibly Rehome Clothing That No Longer Fits You

Mindfully updating your closet also means figuring out how to responsibly rehome the clothing that no longer fits you. Because holding onto garments with the hope of fitting into them in the future may not be the best for your mental health.

Here are a few ways to responsibly rehome your clothes:

• Try to give clothes away directly through Buy Nothing groups, clothing swaps, or passing on to family and friends who may get more wear out of the garments you no longer fit
• Listen to this Conscious Style Podcast episode on sustainable ideas for figuring out what to do with unwanted clothes.
• This Conscious Life & Style article shares how and where to recycle your old clothes responsibly.

Lastly, Let Go of Eco-Guilt

Eco-guilt is the feeling of guilt, shame, remorse, or regret that you experience when you feel you haven’t made the most ethical or sustainable choice possible.

Whether it be financial access, health conditions, location, lack of sizing, or fluctuating clothing sizes — there are many reasons why someone may not be able to make the “100% perfect” choice when it comes to sustainable fashion.

While we advocate for buying with intention and wearing clothing for as long as possible, we also need to embrace the fact that our bodies change and this is a normal part of a realistic slow fashion journey. We are all worthy of having a wardrobe that fits us, and that we feel comfortable and confident in.

More Conscious Questions:

How Can I Talk About Slow Fashion With My Friends?

Will Paying Garment Workers Living Wages Raise Clothing Prices?

Can Brand Resale Programs Really Make Fast Fashion Circular?

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

Save this post to reference later:

The post Tips To Navigate A Slow Fashion Journey While Changing Sizes appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

The widely cited Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s A New Textiles Economy reported that fashion produced over 100 billion garments in 2015. But considering that was before the explosion of ultra fast fashion, and the industry has grown by 5-6% each year since, this is likely a vast underestimation.

While it may be difficult to wrap our heads around such massive numbers, it might be easier to visualize fashion overproduction when you see photos of Accra, Ghana’s Kantamanto Market or the Atacama Desert’s illegal clothing dump (which has since burned down, leaving a trail of toxic air pollution).

Fashion’s overproduction problems — and resulting waste issues — are often kept under wraps. But when Anna Sacks (also known as The Trash Walker) posted a viral TikTok and Instagram Reel showing intentionally slashed handbags, the comments were flooded with retail workers from a range of fashion brands sharing stories of how they were told to cut up perfectly good merchandise too.

Amanda McCarty of Clotheshorse, also detailed the model of intentional overproduction that the fast fashion brands she worked for used in episode 40 of the Conscious Style Podcast.

But really, what is all of this production for? 

From billions of dollars in inventory build-ups at fast fashion brands to luxury fashion houses destroying hundreds of millions worth of stock in an effort to retain images of exclusivity to survey after survey showing that the majority of people are dissatisfied with the clothes in their closets, it’s clear overproduction isn’t really helping anyone in the long-term.

Transparency note: this content was made in collaboration with unspun. As always, we only partner with brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability that we love, and that we think you’ll love too.

Addressing Fashion Overproduction Starts With Slowing Down

A certain ultra fast-fashion brand likes to claim that they are addressing the problem of clothing overproduction and fashion waste by first ordering small quantities of many styles and then seeing what sells before producing more. But that misses the point. 

Pre-consumer waste is just one element of the equation. If your clothes are made quickly with inconsistent fits from cheap, itchy, and flimsy fabrics, they have a pretty short shelf life. Not to mention the trend cycle that fast fashion has accelerated, which makes even perfectly good clothes “obsolete” within weeks.

The fashion industry thrives on newness, speed, and the unwritten philosophy of “more, but worse”. 

While resale, rental, and recycled materials can be part of the solution, these approaches are not a circular panacea to the industry’s waste crisis or massive ecological footprint. In fact, these circular approaches have thus far shown to not stem production of excess new clothing.

What if, instead, fashion brands had no inventory and only purposefully manufactured what already had a loving home? 

What if brands produced only quality go-to pieces, instead of leaving us with trendy impulse buys that are still hanging in our closets (tags still fully intact)?

What if our clothes were made to fit us, rather than feeling like we need to get our bodies to fit our clothes?

unpsun is offering us a blueprint for this vision for fashion with their made-to-order, zero inventory business model.

Made-To-Order, But Make it Modern

When clothes are made to order just for us, they’re often intentionally crafted pieces designed to fit, built to last, and easy to love. 

The slow fashion and sustainability benefits of made-to-order are manifold: 

• This approach means brands carry very little inventory (or none, in the case of unspun), which means less pre-consumer waste.

• Given the longer waiting time, pieces are intentionally purchased. This can lead to less post-consumer waste.

• When garments are made-to-measure (as they are in the case of unspun), they are made to fit the customer. This means less shopping for the next best thing and more loving what we have — because what mass-produced find at the mall compares to having a pair of jeans perfect just for you? 

While we’re probably not going back to the days where we made our own clothes or relied on a rotation of two outfits made by local ateliers, there are ways to embrace made-to-measure fashion that match the convenience we expect in our modern world. 

From same-day shipments to groceries dropped off on our doorsteps, we’ve gotten quite used to being able to shop for anything with a few taps of our fingers. 

When it comes to fashion, though, this has also led to an influx of returns. In 2021, 1 in 8 garments, or 12.2% of apparel, was returned. Other estimates put ecommerce return rates between 15 and 30%. (And who knows how much of it was resold versus discarded.) 

But unpsun may have cracked the code for giving us best of both worlds by enabling individuals to get denim custom fit to their unique body without leaving the comfort of their home.

Zero Inventory, No Sizes, and a 100% Fit Guarantee

unspun is a denim brand with zero inventory and no sizes that makes jeans for actual bodies. Yup, you read that right — say goodbye to vanity sizing, outdated sizing charts, and proportions that don’t work for many (or most?) body types.

Rather than making incremental fixes to a flawed fashion production model, unspun is reimagining what the entire manufacturing process looks like. 

Acknowledging and respecting the amount of resources that goes into garment production, unspun doesn’t produce a pair of denim before they’ve been ordered. 

This article details more about the made-to-measure process, but essentially how it works is you can pick out the fit (there are several masculine and feminine options) and details of your denim, take a 3D body scan with their app, and unspun will deliver you jeans made just for you. And, in the off-chance that the made-to-measure jeans don’t fit perfectly, unspun will take them back and make it right.

Some tech-centered circularity fixes in the fashion industry are used as a way just to justify overproduction — or are more science-fiction than viable reality. 

But this virtual made-to-measure approach — available right here, right now — is the kind of technological advance that could actually reduce overproduction. 

Beyond producing fewer items, the virtual made-to-order model also checks the box for the better part of that “fewer, better” equation too. Better fit. Better quality. Better experience. 

And that’s a future for fashion we can get behind.

Want to create your own pair of custom-made jeans? 

The post Fashion Has An Overproduction Problem — This Alternative Model Could Help Address It appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

To rapidly overproduce these ultra-cheap clothes, fast fashion relies on paying garment workers poverty wages. No major clothing brand pays its garment makers in Asia, Africa, Central America, or Eastern Europe enough to break out of cycles of poverty.

That is why when it comes to sustainable fashion we are constantly advocating for brands to pay living wages that allow garment workers to break out of cycles of poverty.

Yet despite its countless social and environmental harms, we have to acknowledge that fast fashion is one of the most financially accessible options for some people. And advocacy for living wages is often met with a concern about whether paying garment workers more will increase the cost of clothing and affect accessibility.

But paying living wages doesn’t necessarily mean prices have to rise. And if they do rise, it will only be by a small amount since labor makes up such a small percentage of the final price of a garment.

It all depends on the calculations a brand makes and how the profits get distributed. Let’s unpack.

First, it’s useful to understand the cost breakdown of an average t-shirt. “Usually, the price a brand pays to the factory is 25% of the retail price. If you are buying a t-shirt for $20, you can assume that $5 was paid for that shirt. From that $5, between 5–12% is reserved for labor costs. That means that roughly 25­–60 cents from your $20 shirt will go to factory workers,” says Anne Bienias, Living Wage Coordinator at the Clean Clothes Campaign, on an episode of the Conscious Style Podcast.

And the additional amount needed to pay garment workers a living wage is probably a lot less than you would expect. “Looking at the gap between minimum wages and living wage estimates for garment production countries, we see that on average the minimum wage would need to triple to get to a living wage. That means that for a $20 t-shirt, instead of 25–60 cents going to labor, it should be 75 cents–$1.80,” adds Bienias in a follow-up conversation.

This means that it would cost brands as little as $0.50 more per $20 t-shirt more to ensure that the garment workers that made it had liveable wages. In broader terms, the difference to ensure living wages for the makers of our clothes would make up just 2.5% of the final product cost.

One of the key reasons paying living wages doesn’t make as big of a difference on price as you might think is because of the massive profit margins on clothing that line the pockets of fashion billionaires. The Forbes 2021 Billionaires List is full of fashion industry kingpins who have made their fortune by exploiting garment workers — and everyone else along the supply chain.

So let’s set the record straight:

The money paid to garment workers is not what determines the majority of the retail cost of a garment.

And technically the retail price of a garment wouldn’t even need to rise at all after paying living wages — if the brand were willing to budge on their hefty profit margins.

How they finance living wages is up to the brand. For example, they could make smarter decisions in their advertisement budget or look at other choices they make in their business model. For example, ethical footwear brand VEJA has a cost of production 5-7x higher than their competitors, but by eliminating advertising from their budget they can still sell their shoes at a similar retail price. 

Also, it’s important to note that:

Just because a garment is expensive or from a luxury brand, doesn’t guarantee that the brand is paying ethical wages. 

According to Fashion Checker, a campaign by the Clean Clothes Campaign, hallmark luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton Malletier SA (LVMH), Hermes, and Chanel do not pay living wages. And according to Fashion Revolution’s 2022 Fashion Transparency Index, some of renowned luxury brands — including Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, and Tom Ford — scored 0-5% for transparency.

The high prices of luxury are often used as a way to create a unique brand name associated with luxury. A $400 Gucci t-shirt is not that different from a $10 H&M one. “In theory, if luxury clothes’ prices decreased, then actual demand would also decrease because the clothing would lose its appeal to status-conscious consumers,” explains The Economics Review.

So long story short: paying higher wages does not have to influence the price you pay as a customer. Although brands may prefer it if you think it will so that they can delay addressing the need to address their exploitive business model.

More Commonly Asked Conscious Questions:

Can Fast Fashion Brands Ever Be Sustainable?

How Can I Talk About Slow Fashion With My Friends?

Are Brand Resale Programs Really Going to Make Fast Fashion Circular?

About the Author

Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.

Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.

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