Fashion companies claim to be sustainable, but the claims are often ill-founded. For example, an owner of luxury brands staged carbon-neutral shows and claims its cotton is 80% more sustainable, but no corroborating data supports those statements.
Buying secondhand is another great option as it gives clothing new life and reduces waste. When purchasing secondhand, look for straight stitching and bound seams, which help fabric last longer.
It’s Too Expensive
There are plenty of completely valid reasons why someone might be hesitant to buy from sustainable fashion brands. You may be concerned that you’ll pay more than you would for the same item on the high street. You might think that all sustainable clothing looks the same or is for ’hippies’ (we know that’s not the case). Or, you might be worried about whether your new clothes will last as long as your old ones. Ultimately, it would be best if you were willing to pay more for better-made clothes that will last longer.
Unfortunately, this myth of sustainable fashion has been perpetuated by the fashion industry, which profits from our culture of over-consumption.
In conjunction with the media’s constant hype around new styles, these rapid-fire releases have led us to expect that all clothing is cheap and disposable. Many companies that produce this fast fashion are not sustainable, and their practices harm people and the environment.
Ethical and sustainable brands can offer much higher-quality products that are sometimes less expensive than their high-street rivals. Some ethical brands have cut costs by using transparent supply chains and taking advantage of economies of scale.
In addition to buying from sustainably-focused brands, you can also shop secondhand to save money and avoid waste. Online exchange platforms, clothing swaps (often organized at a community level), and charity shops are all great ways to shop responsibly.
It’s Too Difficult
Many people assume that sustainable fashion is a complex, expensive endeavor. They’re right that the fashion industry is complex and requires a lot of work to get it to a more sustainable place, but they’re often missing that sustainability isn’t just about what you buy but how you use your purchases.
The fashion industry is a huge consumer of natural resources and emits a lot of greenhouse gases. It also contributes to the economic disparity between those who can afford to buy and wear new clothes and those who can’t. This problem can be addressed through strong legislation like California’s Garment Worker Protection Act and by brands who take steps to ensure their suppliers are paying their workers fairly and not exploiting them.
Buying from sustainable fashion brands does make a difference in lessening the draconian effects our fashion choices have on the environment. But that doesn’t mean we should fill our closets with ethical clothes. Doing so can backfire because it’s a form of over-consumption that contributes to the overuse of our planet’s finite resources.
Moreover, there is no agreed-upon definition of sustainability in the fashion industry, which allows brands to manipulate customers with claims they don’t back up (also known as greenwashing). For example, a brand may slap a “sustainable” label on its collection while still using toxic materials or operating in factories that violate human rights.
This is why it’s important to check out a brand before spending your hard-earned money.
It’s Too Complicated
The problem with sustainability is that it’s a nebulous concept. The dictionary defines it as “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” That’s about as concrete as a bar conversation with your Tinder date. That makes it easy for brands to use the word without really meaning it.
It’s also incredibly difficult for shoppers to assess a garment’s environmental impact. The process requires a deep understanding of a complex set of criteria: everything from GHG emissions and water footprints to what will happen to it when you’re done with it, whether it will be recycled, upcycled, or downcycled, how its materials were sourced and who was responsible for their production. Unless you’re an expert, making an environmentally sound purchasing decision is impossible.
But that doesn’t mean we should give up on sustainability entirely. Fortunately, some strategies can help us move in the right direction, even if we’re not experts. One of the most effective is to shop secondhand. Whether through online exchange platforms, clothing swaps, or charity shops, you can find high-quality clothing for a fraction of the price of new fashion.
Finally, we should support companies that are committed to transparency and accountability. This is particularly important in fashion, where a lack of regulation allows brands to claim their products are sustainable when they’re not. It’s time to end the practice of greenwashing and start demanding better from our fashion industry.
And if you’re not yet ready to shop secondhand, other ways exist to get involved in the sustainable fashion movement. You can participate by buying less, caring for your clothes well, and mending or repairing them. You can also recycle your clothing by donating it to a shelter or organization that needs it.
