Sustainable fashion is about more than just fabric, it‘s about changing the way people think about clothing. It’s about reducing the harm and waste that comes from traditional manufacturing and building a more sustainable industry for the future. Also, it’s about production conditions.

Whether you’re buying a new outfit or looking to redecorate your wardrobe, it can be tricky to identify truly sustainable brands. This guide helps you choose sustainable fashion based on key criteria, such as materials, equality, craftsmanship, and design, so you can decide what is right for you and your wardrobe needs.

1. Definition

In general, sustainable fashion means a textile industry that is mindful of the environmental and social impacts of its operations.

The term was coined in the 1990s, when it became clear that the fast-growing global market for clothing could not be sustained by conventional production methods.

Sustainable fashion can be described as an approach to designing, manufacturing, promoting and consuming clothes that ensures fair working conditions for all involved in the supply chain, minimizes environmental impacts and considers ethics and transparency at every stage of production.

There are many definitions of sustainable fashion but they all have one thing in common: they refer to a system that uses resources responsibly while considering people’s needs and wants.

The core values of sustainable fashion include:

Respect for People: Fair working conditions throughout the supply chain; respecting human rights; providing opportunities for workers to develop their skills; ensuring employees are paid fairly; avoiding child labor; ensuring safe working conditions; treating employees with dignity and respect.

Respect for Planet: Minimizing environmental impacts through efficient use of resources (energy and water); reducing waste through recycling or reusing materials; using natural dyes instead of chemical dyes; using organic cotton and other eco-friendly materials instead of leather or synthetic polyester fabrics made from petroleum.

2. Transparency

How do you know whether your new garment is sustainable?

One of the best strategies is to start with checking their internet presence. Truly sustainable brands usually have sustainability reports on their websites and are honest about where they fall short and how they‘re working to improve. This means that admitting imperfection in some areas is actually a good sign, as long as the core virtues of sustainability are maintained.

Another way to check whether  a manufacturer is sustainable is by asking them where and by whom their clothes are made. If they’re vague in their answer or don’t know, that’s a red flag. If they do know, make sure they can tell you how they verify the conditions of their suppliers. You‘ll want to make sure they‘re not just paying lip service to sustainability – they should be able to provide examples of audits and talk about what makes their factories sustainable.

Also, definitions are important. Some brands define their sustainable sourcing policies as „ethical“ or „eco-friendly“, but offer few specifics about what that means. Other brands list detailed information about their supply chain including materials used, manufacturing processes and factory locations. It is important to ask, is the brand transparent about factory conditions? Some brands disclose little about their factories beyond ther location, other publish photos of workers at factories, so that consumers can see how they are treated on the job.

3. Labeling

Full transparency can be achieved in many ways: through product labelling or through digital platforms that allow consumers to trace their garments from origin to store. Some manufacturers even use QR codes on labels.

Product labelling should include details such as who made the garment, where it was made and what it is made from. Some brands take this further by including information about how much water was used in production, how much energy was consumed and what chemicals were used during production. These details help consumers make more informed decisions when choosing which products they buy.

4. Materials

Look for clothes made of materials such as cotton, linen or hemp. These fabrics are more durable than synthetic ones like polyester, which means they can last longer without breaking down. (Especially polyester is a very unecological synthetic fiber because it has an extremely unfavorable carbon footprint and it can take about two centuries to decompose.) Natural fibers also tend to breathe better than synthetic ones, which makes them better for hot weather.

But natural cotton is counter-intuitively not the best choice, because it leads to high soil-degradation, uses a lot of water and is often contaminated with pesticides and toxic chemicals. Instead look for clothes made from organic cotton or bamboo fabric. Organic cotton is grown without using synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, which can leach into nearby water sources and harm the environment. Pineapple leather is also a good choice.

A lot of sustainable fashion brands are using recycled materials in their designs. This can be anything from plastic bottles to plastic bags that have been turned into thread for clothing production. Look for garments made from materials like Tencel (a rayon made from regenerated cellulose), Modal or bamboo rayon — all three of these fabrics are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional materials.

5. Certifications

A manufacturer‘s certification is a third-party certification of the overall sustainability of their products or of certain aspects of sustainability. Truly sustainable brands can back up their sustainability with accreditation and certification by an official body. Some manufacturers have only one certification, while others have multiple ones. If you’re looking at a brand that has multiple certifications, it‘s important to know what they mean and how they differ from each other.

The most common and most renowned certifications include FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), OEKO-TEX, Fair Trade and REACH, for example. Many brands of organic cotton clothing feature the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) label, which requires that all materials used in a product are certified as organic.

6. Packaging and delivery

Truly sustainable brands offset their delivery emissions or use electric vans. Companies have been trying to reduce their carbon footprint for years now, but many still ignore the transportation aspect of their business model – either because they don’t think it matters or because they don’t know how to do it properly.

Also, sustainable brands use biodegradable alternatives to plastic packaging. Many brands use plastic wrapping in order to protect their products from damage during shipping or storage. However, these plastics can take up to 1,000 years to break down in landfills. Eco-friendly brands will use recyclable materials instead of plastics whenever possible so that their products don’t end up in landfills for generations.

Another important aspect is to check where their factories and warehouses are based. Buying locally is more sustainable than having your clothes shipped around half the globe.

7. Pricing

Last but not least, sustainable brands tend to have higher prices and lower margins. They are often criticized for this, but it’s important to realize that sustainability doesn‘t come cheap. Remember, fair trade means that the people who make the clothes are treated fairly and equally and paid well, and the absence of synthetic pesticides leads to lower yields. You can find sustainable brands in many price ranges, but most of them will be in the middle or higher end of the spectrum. Also, it is a bad sign when a brand offers constant sales. Look for more permanent pricing insted.