Why Sustainable Fashion Is Important?

You might have heard about the Amazon fire — the one that destroyed the environmental area that was producing about 20% of the oxygen. Apart from that, there have been numerous environmental crises in the world, of which one is related to water.

Believe it or not, all this is directly or indirectly related to the fashion industry as well. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. The fashion industry is responsible for 8.1% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The clothes you are wearing now have consumed more than 1000 gallons of water. Now think about that! So technically, the mechanical industry is far away to be blamed.

You won’t believe it, but sustainable fashion is popular among millennials. Around 60% of them prefer buying sustainably.

What Does Sustainable Fashion Mean?

“Sustainable fashion is a movement and practice that fashionistas (along with people worldwide) should follow, to ensure the safety of the environment and do social justice. It is a change in the fashion products and fashion system for the betterment of the world.”

Here are some facts (or ways) which will explain how, and why you should adopt sustainable fashion.

1. Brands that accepted Sustainable Fashion before anyone else

The very first brands to believe in the concept of sustainable fashion were ESPRIT and Patagonia. In the year 1980, they understood how fast fashion polluted the environment, hence they decided to be sustainable fashion brands.

2. How much water is used for manufacturing a t-shirt?

Around 3000 gallons of water are needed to cultivate 1 kilogram of raw cotton. And due to water contamination, 98% of cotton is non-organic.

About 2700 liters of water is used in manufacturing t-shirts (along with its raw material) which is 2½ years of a man’s consumption.

How does non-organic cotton affect the fabric?

A fabric made of non-organic cotton is of low quality. It doesn’t last long resulting in the low quality of apparel.

So apparently, when you buy an outfit made with this non-organic cotton fabric, it will wear out soon.

3. Profit margin of the fashion industry

Profit Margins in the fashion industry are between 4% and 13%. Therefore to survive on the market they have to do mass production.

What is mass production and why is it needed?

• The production of apparel or a particular line in a large amount is mass production. Mass production reduces the cost of manufacturing.
• When you go for mass production, there is a one-time investment of the machine and a worker to handle it.
• It helps brands to survive in this tough competition of fast fashion

4. Mass production has a disadvantage too!

The remaining or unsold manufactured products become useless and either they are dumped or burned. And both of these lead to environmental degradation.

5. Sustainable Revolution

Smriti Irani — India’s textile minister came up with the concept of sustainable fashion ‘SU.RE (Sustainable Resolution)’ to cope with the situation in August 2019. And around 16 clothing brands joined the project.

We are happy to announce that we are going to follow the project SU.RE and contribute to our mother earth — Smriti Irani.

Apart from this, SU.RE is also a tribute to our great Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth year anniversary. ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world,’ has been reflected in this initiative.

6. Buy what is necessary

Use products that are eco-friendly and reflect sustainable fashion. And buy what is necessary!

7. Don’t waste your clothes

You will have many clothes that you don’t wear. Rather than throwing them out, give them to the needy.

8. G7 Summit of 2019

In the G7 summit of 2019, Emmanuel Macron (who hosted this year’s summit) discussed the Fashion Pact to reduce its environmental impact, and around 32 companies and more than 150 brands worldwide joined the pact. The goal is to gain ‘zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, restoring biodiversity, preserving the oceans (with less usage of water, and reducing the use of single-use plastic).

These were the facts that maybe no one told you. People often misunderstand sustainable fashion as some kind of ongoing fashion trend. It is the one that needs to be here with us forever. It’s us who can understand this thing and take a step towards the betterment of our mother earth.

Why is Sustainable Fashion Important?

Sustainable fashion is to choose quality over quantity. It is to choose coolness over cruelness. It is to go with the necessities over temporary. Sustainable fashion is to support slow fashion over fast fashion.

From the beginning, fast fashion has remained cruel to the environment. It’s high time we realized this before it gets too late.

Right now, we are the heirs of mother earth. It is our responsibility to take care of it (along with enjoying the benefits of it) and pass it on to the next generation to have its privileges.

I hope you understand this and make this movement successful. Many industry experts have been trying this to happen successfully since 1962. “Better late than never.”

Eco-Fashion and/vs. Sustainable Fashion

Eco-friendly fashion and sustainable fashion both are the most used terms in the fashion industry. People often use them interchangeably. However, you need to understand they both are different.

Yes! You heard that right. The concept of both terms is similar but the meaning is entirely different.

Eco-friendly fashion is about saving the environment and wearing recycled products. But sustainable fashion is about having or buying only what is necessary.

Eco-friendly fashion is for the sake of the environment while Sustainable fashion is for people, the planet, and the rest of the world.

Which are the Best Sustainable Fabrics?

1. Linen,
2. Organic Cotton,
3. Denim,
4. Recycled Nylon,
5. Peace Silk,
6. Hemp,
7. Rayon, Viscose, Modal, etc.

In short the ones that are naturally made and are recyclable. The fabrics that you should try to avoid are polyester, acrylic, nylon, and elastane. All this takes hundreds of years to degrade.

Sustainable Clothing Brands

Last but not least is the list of sustainable fashion brands. Read carefully and if possible save it, buy them to contribute to saving the mother earth.

1. Patagonia
2. Pact
3. Eileen Fisher
4. Sezane
5. Able
6. Boden
7. Tentree
8. Amour Vert
9. Thought Clothing
10. Upsana
11. Christy Dawn
12. Back Beat Co.
13. Encircled
14. Indigenous
15. People Tree

Summing it up:

To sum up, this circle displaying the forms of sustainable fashion by Green Strategy will help you in following sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion highly promotes DIY (using vintage apparel or fabrics), borrowing & lending, and donating for the maximum use of the cloth.