These days, more and more people are becoming aware of their impact on society and on the environment. They build communities where people can express themselves freely, and at the same time, they are doing what they can to bring Mother Nature back to glory.
In the fight to convince everyone to make efforts for sustainability, no move is too small. So, in this article, we’ll look at a particular effort that needs more attention and advocacy: sustainable fashion.
Now, you might be wondering, “What is sustainable fashion, and why should I care?”
Whether you believe that your fashion choices affect the planet or not, they do. That’s right—your decision of which shirt to buy, which brand to patronize, and which trend to follow makes a big impact on our planet.
The Negative Impacts of Traditional and Fast Fashion
First, let’s talk about fast fashion. When it comes to sustainability, there are many types of fashion, but arguably the most damaging yet also the most popular is fast fashion. This is characterized by rapid production, low cost, trend imitation, and disposable culture. In other words, it’s the concept of trendy clothes made quickly and for a very low cost.
While that sounds appealing to many consumers at first glance, it’s actually deceptively harmful, and not just to big-name fashion designers who get their designs imitated.
What’s worse is how fast fashion labels get their products to be so cheap. Many companies entail practices like low labor wages, cost-cutting, and the usage of low-quality materials. It also creates products that are sub-par in quality and easily replaced with every new trend, leading consumers to throw them away after a single or a few uses.
The Definition of Sustainable Fashion
To combat the rising trend of fast fashion, sustainable fashion practices exist. Sustainable fashion looks into how clothing brands manufacture their apparel and upholds those who employ sustainable practices and humane working conditions.
This encompasses the clothing production process, distribution, the stakeholders who invest in clothing companies, and employment integrity. It is all aimed towards minimizing carbon footprint and reducing human waste, as well as protecting the rights of workers and laborers.
Environmental Benefits of Sustainable Fashion
The rest of this article discusses how sustainable fashion benefits the planet. Let’s start with its positive effects on the planet.
Carbon Footprint Reduction
Ten percent of the world’s carbon emissions come from the fashion industry and 20% of the global wastewater is from the dyes of fabrics and other treatments. This prompts fashion brands to reduce their carbon footprint with biodegradable, natural, or recyclable materials.
Wildlife Conservation
Unfortunately, many animals have been hunted and killed for the sake of using their fur or other body parts for traditional and even fast fashion. Fortunately, sustainable fashion produces clothing without involving any animals in its process. Instead, innovative methods are used such as ocean trash being converted to polyester, vegan leather, using leaves of various plants to create textiles.
Water Conservation
Sustainable fashion also advocates for less water used in the process of manufacturing apparel and fewer artificial microfibers dumped in the ocean. Sustainable fashion reminds people and companies to care for the earth since it is the source of all our needs.
Social Benefits of Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable fashion also has positive effects on human communities by counteracting the business malpractices of many fast fashion brands.
Ethical Working Conditions
The issue of workers’ exploitation and child labor in sweatshops and factories all over the world has been the subject of countless debates. There have been various movements to bring down companies that stimulate this kind of business principle.
Companies that engage in sustainable fashion abide by labor laws and ensure that liveable wages are provided to employees along with non-hazardous working conditions.
Local Business Patronage
There are local communities that produce clothing as a way of preserving their heritage and as a source of income. Community businesses like this operate in small-batch productions wherein these limited pieces are all high-quality and environmentally friendly. This type of production results in less waste because of the small manufacturing size and limited order quantities that are accepted, and it supports the communities’ livelihood as well.
Economic Benefits of Sustainable Fashion
Finally, let’s take a look at how sustainable fashion affects economies all over the world.
Financial practicality
Producing clothes with the principles of sustainable fashion means that the apparel lasts longer, and people can wear it in a variety of settings. This will help people save money and curb their impulse-buying tendencies.
Also, sustainable fashion’s goal is that every time people purchase clothes, they will be encouraged to assess if their purchase is helpful to the environment and society. For the most part, it will encourage financial responsibility from a lot of consumers.
Recognition of local brands
While some of the big fashion corporations have pivoted toward sustainable fashion, many are only just starting the process. This gives local businesses the opportunity to make a breakthrough in the heavily-saturated fashion industry. This will help boost local clothing companies and give more employment opportunities to citizens in that region or city.
How to Become a Sustainable Fashion Consumer or Supplier
So, how do you become someone who advocates for sustainable fashion?
- Do your research. If you took the time to read this article, that’s a good start. But there is more to this kind of fashion that we can’t state in just one article—there is more to this advocacy than just buying brands that proclaim to be vegan, cruelty-free, and environmentally friendly.
- Review your wardrobe. What are styles that you favor the most? What accessories can you do without? At some point, supporting sustainable fashion means minimalizing your expenses for fashion items.
- Opt for apparel that never goes out of style so that you don’t have to dispose of your clothes often. A good example? Plain shirts! They’re versatile and good for any season, and as long as you get shirts made of high-quality material, you can rest assured they’ll be wearable for a long, long time!
Key Takeaway
This article answered the question of “what is sustainable fashion” and now it poses a challenge for you to try advocating for sustainable fashion practices in your everyday life. Ultimately, doing so won’t just be for the well-being of our planet and communities but it will also offer economic benefits and financial responsibility.
In addition to offering the finest plain shirts in the Philippines, Lifeline advocates sustainable fashion in both our products and our practices. We commit to the high quality of our shirts as well as the fair and equal treatment of our workers, and we do our best to lessen our impact on the environment wherever we can.
Our shirts are crafted using a durable blend of combed cotton and polyester and are known for their unmatched softness, absorbency, and durability. We offer them individually or in bulk. For orders, don’t hesitate to give us a call!
