The recent news about Boohoo’s working conditions ignited a new spark within me about sustainable and ethical fashion. I always knew the fashion industry was a big player in our climate crisis, and as I see more and more influencers using their platforms for good, it made me consider what I’m doing online, and how I’m setting an example.
I by no means am a saint in this situation. I’ve shopped from fast fashion outlets, still do, and probably will in the future. But as somebody online, with a following, I think it’s important to open up on this conversation and do my best to educate myself and others. I’m learning as we go along here.
Despite being a bit of a shopaholic, especially for the brands considered worst in the worlds of sustainable fashion, I’m eager to educate myself and learn more about this crisis. And in turn, I hope I can help to educate others too.
But before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s look at what sustainable fashion is, and some of the key stats you need to know:
What is sustainable fashion?
Sustainable fashion refers to clothes that have been made in a way that is mindful of the environmental issues the fashion industry is involved with. Every bit of clothing you own goes from raw material, processing and manufacturing, to the shop floor. It’s then worn, and if you’re anything like me, probably disposed of or sold on after only a few wears. Today only 20% of clothing is recycled, and the fashion industry is the second biggest polluting industry in the world.
But what many don’t consider is the environmental impacts of the creation of all that clothing. You’ve got water consumption and contamination to consider, energy emissions in the production of fabrics, chemical usage used in raw materials like cotton, and waste creation (which we already know is huge).
To make fashion more sustainable, both brands and consumers need to consider a more circular system. A circular system would consider the ability for clothing to be fully recyclable after use.
What is fast fashion?
The conversation that interests me the most amongst all of this is fast fashion. Fast fashion is what it says on the tin – fashion that’s fast. It’s where clothes are made cheaply and quickly to meet demands for the latest trends.
As an example, Boohoo uploads over 100 pieces of new clothing every single day. That’s over 36,500 new styles a year, not forgetting that many of these styles will sell hundreds of pieces across many different sizes.
What we must consider when shopping fast fashion is how that dress could be made for £15. How much were materials? How were they sourced? And most importantly – what was the human cost for this? When you consider a £15 dress and take away the costs for materials, production and profits… how much does that leave to pay for labour?
What is ethical fashion?
Ethical fashion often considers the treatment of people in the production of clothing, such as working conditions, access to a living wage, human rights and health and safety.
We’re very fortunate in the fact that as consumers we have a certain expectation of treatment in our place of work, and in most cases, we receive that. It’s often not the same story for the many garment workers across the world. Look back to the 2013 Rana Plaza incident to see just one horrifying reality of this.
What can I do?
It’s clear here that the issue at hand is a beast. There are so many parts to this that no one person can do everything and it’s clearly not something that’s going to be changed overnight. But I do think we all have a role to play in this, and there’s something that each of us can do – no matter how large or small.
For me, personally, I’m going to try to be more considered in my shopping habits. From where I shop to how I shop; I’ll keep these learnings in mind. Right now, that means browsing second hand before going to the high street shops. It means really thinking about my purchases – will I get lots of wears out of this? Is it high quality? Could I buy similar from a more sustainable, ethical brand? These are all questions which will now form part of my shopping routines.
I’m also going to work to speak up about these issues, in hope to educate others. With education comes change. And change takes time. Even if speaking out starts a conversation, it’s progress.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Where are you in your sustainable fashion journey?
Lucy x
