SUSTAINAB

LE
FASHION
NAME: SHAKSHI DHAM
COURSE : B.A APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
ENROLLMENT NO. : A50706920055
 TOPICS THAT WILL BE
COVERED :
What is sustainable fashion ?
Why is sustainable fashion
important?
Examples of sustainable fashion
Materials which is used to make
clothes
Sustainable fashion brands
 What is sustainable fashion?
◦ Sustainable fashion (also known as eco-fashion)
◦ Sustainable fashion is an all-inclusive term describing products, processes, activities, and actors
(policymakers, brands, consumers) aiming to achieve a carbon-neutral fashion industry, built on
equality, social justice, animal welfare, and ecological integrity.
◦ Sustainable fashion concerns more than addressing fashion textiles or products.
◦ It addresses the entire process in which clothing is produced, consumed and disposed of; who,
what, how, when, where and the expected useful life of the product before entering landfill. The
sustainable movement looks to combat the large carbon footprint that fast fashion has created by
reducing the environmental impact of fashion such as air pollution, water pollution and overall 
climate change.
 Why Is Sustainable Fashion Important?
Sustainable Fashion Creates Less Waste
◦ Globally, there’s one garbage truck of textile
waste dumped at a landfill or burnt every second.
◦ This enormous amount of waste is created by fast
fashion companies that launch weekly fashion
trends and fulfill them with poor quality cheap price
products.
◦ In comparison, sustainable brands focus on clothing
quality products from long-lasting materials.
◦ Moreover, sustainable fashion brands rarely follow
fast fashion trends.
Sustainable Fashion Ensures Fair Wages &
Proper Working Conditions

◦ Cheap fast fashion garments are made possible by

harsh working conditions for garment workers.
◦ Most fast fashion brands produce garments in
developing countries where workers are paid under
the living wage.
◦ Poor safety and health conditions, long working hours,
and the constant pressure to produce all create an
environment of worker exploitation.
◦ Frequent child labor accusations have also been
brought against fast fashion brands.
◦ In comparison, sustainable clothing brands priorities
fair wages and safe working conditions for all
employees.
Sustainable Fashion Reduces CO2 &
Other Greenhouse Gases Emission

◦ Fast fashion has a huge carbon footprint resulting from

material creation, manufacturing, transportation, and
even textile waste decomposing in landfills.
◦ For example, most fast fashion clothes are made from
petroleum-based materials.
◦ Think acrylic, nylon, and polyester; as such, production
and disposal require a significant amount of energy.
◦ On the other hand, sustainable fashion utilizes
biodegradable materials from natural or recycled
fabrics.
◦ These materials require little to no chemical treatment,
less energy, less water, and no pesticides or fertilizers to
grow.
Sustainable Fashion Saves Water

◦ The fashion industry is one of the largest water consumers in

the world right now.
◦ The water is consumed not only for washing garments but
also during manufacturing, in dyeing, and finishing
processes.
◦ On top of consuming water, clothing production impacts the
environment by polluting freshwater with toxic chemicals
that find their way into waterways.
◦ In comparison, most sustainable fashion brands have “water
on budget” policies that limit water usage during clothing
production.
◦ Moreover, sustainable fashion prioritizes organic
textiles made from linen, hemp, and organic cotton, that
require little to no water during the production phase.
Sustainable Fashion Saves
Animal Lives

◦ Animals are a vital part of our ecosystem, each playing

a key role in ensuring that Earth is habitable.
◦ As such, any threat to wildlife and other animals’ safety
should be a concern to us all.
◦ Leather bags, shoes, fur coats, and other goods made
from animal leather, feathers, and wool, affect animal
populations and, thus, the survival of humanity on this
planet.
◦ In comparison, sustainable clothing brands (cruelty-
free and vegan) protect animals by using leather and
fur alternatives in their products, saving animals from
exploitation and death while preserving the ecosystem’s
balance.
 Sustainable Fashion Examples
 Sustainable fashion is an all-encapsulating term that can
be hard to pin down at times.
 Each example is an intrinsic part of the overall sustainable
fashion aim.

1.Ethical and Fair-trade Fashion.

2.Eco-friendly or ‘Green’ Fashion.
3.Vegan and Cruelty-free Fashion.
4.Slow Fashion – as in slow manufacturing.
5.Upcycled Fashion.
6.Thrifting, Swapping, Sharing, Renting Fashion.
7.Circular Fashion – reuse of discarded and recycled
materials.
8.Conscious Fashion – consumers’ role
 ETHICAL AND FAIR-TRADE FASHION
◦ Ethical and Fair-trade activities (in the realm of fashion) are related to
the welfare of people working in the industry.
◦ That is child labor, gender rights, safe working conditions, fair-trade
manufacturing, and all other social justice aspects.
◦ Both Ethical Fashion and Fair-trade Fashion can be further detailed
based on the activities conducted.
◦ Ethical Fashion companies, activists, and brands deal with people and
their welfare, be that mental or physical.
◦ On the other hand, Fair-trade organizations and brands ensure the
creation and maintenance of supply chains where farmers,
manufacturers, get a fair share of the cut in exchange for their products.
◦ Together, both terms cover the socio-economic aspects of the fashion
industry.
◦ As such, all actors involved in these actions are seeking ways to improve
working conditions, wages, and fair trade practices.
 ECO-FRIENDLY AND GREEN FASHION
◦ Both terms are used in relation to environmental problems caused by the
fashion industry.
◦ Think waste creation, water and soil pollution, and reckless use of resources,
that are accelerating the global climate crisis.
◦ To date, over 90% of the clothing brands continue to use plastics and other
non-biodegradable fibers that cause environmental damage at scale.
◦ For example, every year, over 70 million barrels of oil are used to make
polyester fibers that eventually end up in oceans, killing animals or people
by entering the food chain.
◦ As a solution, green-fashion companies advocate the replacement of plastics
with eco-friendly, biodegradable, and natural fibers that feed the
environment.
◦ To date, results are positive as the number of companies using eco-friendly
and green materials such as organic cotton, hemp, mushroom leather, kelp
leather, etc. are on the rise.
 VEGAN AND CRUELTY-FREE FASHION
◦ Vegan and Cruelty-free Fashion terms describe products
manufactured without the use of materials of animal origin or
obtained without cruel means.
◦ Similarly, all activities undertaken by vegan and cruelty-free fashion
campaigners aim to bring to consumer attention industrial animal
farming and animal exploitation for fashion.
◦ The argument states that most PETA-approved ‘Vegan Fashion
Brands’ use PVC and plastic-based alternatives to animal leather,
which saves animals from sacrifice but kills them by polluting their
environment.
◦ More recently, proponents of the vegan fashion movement, insist that
for a vegan clothing brand to qualify as a ‘sustainable fashion brand’
it must pay attention to its environmental impact as well.
◦ Most cruelty-free and vegan clothing brands achieve it by using
leather alternatives made from plants, fruits, mushrooms, or even in
the lab.
 SLOW FASHION
◦ Slow Fashion is a recent term adopted to describe a way of
manufacturing fashion, somehow at the opposite pole of ‘fast-fashion.’
◦ Compared to industrial en-mass manufacturing, slow fashion is produced
by expert artisans hence the use of ‘artisanal fashion’ to describe the
same thing.
◦ However, it is not just the use of finite materials and wasteful
manufacturing practices that depletes the planet’s resources and creates
pollution.
◦ Fashion consumption and garment maintenance play equally important
roles in achieving sustainable fashion – more about that below, on the
‘Conscious Fashion’ section.
 UPCYCLED FASHION
◦ Upcycled Fashion is a term used to describe the act of reusing and repurposing
textiles, materials, and garments to re-create fashion.
◦ As old fabrics carry their own stories of usage, wear, and life, Upcycled Fashion is
more than a new way of reviving old fabrics and turning them into new clothes.
◦ The inclusion of upcycled materials in the making of new garments adds uniqueness to
the final product.
 The benefits of using upcycled materials are tremendous:
• Upcycled Fashion helps with waste reduction.
• Reuses materials that have no purpose and would otherwise end up in the landfill.
• Reduces carbon and toxic gas emissions resulting from manufacturing and transport.
• On the other hand, upcycling has environmental issues that can’t be ignored:
• Upcycling requires more energy and chemicals than what otherwise would have been
used in the case of novel materials.
 THRIFTING, SWAPPING, SHARING, RENTING FASHION

◦ Secondhand clothing, swapping, sharing, clothes, thrifting,

and renting fashion are great examples of sustainable fashion.
◦ Available in thrift stores and second-hand shops, thrifting is a
tremendous way to avoid the negative impact of fashion
manufacturing.
◦ The garments already exist and therefore there is no need to
manufacture them again.
◦ Moreover, there is no use of toxic chemicals, the release of
greenhouse gases, or the use of a pesticide for a new
collection.
◦ However, there is a less discussed downside to renting,
thrifting, swapping, sharing all similar forms of second-hand
and vintage fashion shopping.
 CIRCULAR FASHION
◦ Circular Fashion is another great example of
sustainable fashion.
◦ The term describes ‘closed-loop’ systems, or
manufacturing approaches aiming to recover
discarded materials and waste, and reintegrate
them into production.
◦ There are many types of circular fashion
innovations.
◦ But the most common form of ‘closed-loop’ system
in the fashion industry right now is the recycling
of polyester and other plastic-based materials and
putting them back into fashion production.
 CONSCIOUS FASHION
◦ Conscious Fashion is the most popular example of sustainable fashion, seen as
consumers’ way to fight the problems caused by Fast Fashion.
◦ Above all, the environmental impact of fashion depends greatly on consumers’
choices and for long they’re using their outfits.
◦ Since the emergence of fast fashion, garments are used half as much when
compared to 15 years ago.
◦ This is caused in equal measure by the lower product quality and the insatiable
desire to buy and showcase the latest trends.
◦ Therefore, Conscious Fashion proponents aim to educate consumers on the
value of choosing slow over fast, or on how to care for their garments.
◦ For example, the act of washing and drying a pair of jeans is 2/3 of the total
energy consumed during the garment’s life.
◦ The takeaway here is that washing garments, regardless of how sustainable
they are, requires electricity, water, and detergent.
 Materials used
◦ In fashion, the consideration of sustainability of materials is critical. The renewability and source of a fibre, the
process of how a raw fibre is turned into a textile, the impact of preparation and dyeing of the fibres, energy
use in production and preparation, the working conditions of the people producing the materials, and the
material's total carbon footprint, transportation between production plants, chemicals used to keep shipments
fresh in containers, shipping to retail and consumer, how the material will be cared for and washed, the
processes of repairs and updates, and what happens to it at the end of life. In sustainability, there is no such
thing as a single-frame approach.
◦ Overall, diversity in the overall fibre mix is needed; in 2013 cotton and polyester accounted for almost 85% of
all fibres, and thus their impacts were, and continue to be, disproportionately magnified. Also, many fibres in
the finished garments are mixed to acquire desired drape, flexibility or stretch, thus affecting both care and the
possibility to recycle the material in the end.
CELLULOSE FIBRES
◦ Natural fibres are fibres which are found in nature
 and are not petroleum-based. Natural fibres can be
categorized into two main groups, cellulose or plant
fibres and protein or animal fibre. Uses of these
fibres can be anything from buttons to eyewear such
as sunglasses.[181]
◦ Other than cotton, the most common plant-based
fibre, cellulose fibres include: jute, flax, hemp, ramie
, abaca, bamboo (used for viscose), soy, corn, banana
, pineapple, beechwood (used for rayon). Alternative
fibres such as bamboo (in yarn) and hemp (of a
variety that produces only a tiny amount of the
psychoactive component found in cannabis) are
coming into greater use in so-called eco-fashions.
BT COTTON
◦ To reduce the use of pesticides and other harmful
chemicals, companies have produced genetically
modified (GMO) cotton plants that are resistant to
pest infestations. Among the GMO are cotton crops
inserted with the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) gene. 
◦ Bt cotton crops do not require insecticide
applications. Insects that consume cotton containing
Bt will stop feeding after a few hours, and die,
leaving the cotton plants unharmed.
◦ As a result of the use of Bt cotton, the cost of
pesticide applications decreased between $25 and
$65 per acre. Bt cotton crops yield 5% more cotton
on average compared to traditional cotton crops. Bt
crops also lower the price of cotton by 0.8 cents per
pound
COTTON
◦ Cotton, also known as vegetable wool, is a major
source of apparel fibre. Celebrated for its excellent
absorbency, durability, and intrinsic softness,
cotton accounts for over 50% of all clothing
produced worldwide. Cotton is one of the most
chemical-intensive crops in the world .
Conventionally grown cotton uses approximately
25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10%
of the world's pesticides.
◦  However, growing and processing this particular
fibre crop is largely unsustainable. For every pound
of cotton harvested, a farmer uses up 1/3 lb of
chemical, synthetic fertilizer. The processing of
cotton into usable fibres also adds to the burden on
the environment. Manufacturers prefer cotton to be
white so that cotton can easily be synthetically dyed
to any shade of colour.
SOY
◦ Soy fabrics are derived from the hulls of
soybeans—a manufacturing by-product. Soy
fabrics can be blended (i.e. 30%) or made
entirely out of soy fibres. Soy clothing is
largely biodegradable, so it has a minimal
impact on environment and landfills. Although
not as durable as cotton or hemp fabrics, soy
clothing has a soft, elastic feel. Soy clothing is
known as the vegetable cashmere for its light
and silky sensation. Soy fabrics are moisture
absorbent, anti-bacterial, and UV resistant.
However, soy fabrics fell out of public
knowledge during World War II,
when rayon, nylon, and cotton sales rose
sharply.
NATURALLY COLOURED
COTTON
◦ Organic cotton is grown without the use of
◦ Cotton is naturally grown in a variety of colours.
Typically, cotton colour can come as mauve, red,
yellow, and orange hues. The use of naturally
coloured cotton has long been historically
suppressed, mainly due to the industrial revolution.
Back then, it was much cheaper to have uniformly
white cotton as a raw source for mass-producing
cloth and fabric items. Currently, modern markets
have revived a trend in using naturally coloured
cotton for its noted relevance in reducing harmful
environmental impacts. One such example of
markets opening to these cotton types would
be Sally Fox and her Foxfiber business—naturally
coloured cotton that Fox has bred and marketed.
ORGANIC COTTON
any genetic modification to the crops,
without the use of any fertilizers, pesticides,
and other synthetic agro-chemicals harmful
to the land. All cotton marketed as organic
in the United States is required to fulfil
strict federal regulations regarding how the
cotton is grown. This is done with a
combination of innovation, science, and
tradition in order to encourage a good
quality of life and environment for all
involved. Organic cotton uses 88% less
water and 62% less energy than
conventional cotton.
BAMBOO
◦ Bamboo fabrics are made from heavily pulped
bamboo grass. Making clothing and textile from
bamboo is considered sustainable due to the lack of
need for pesticides and agrochemicals. Naturally
disease and pest resistant, bamboo is also fast
growing.
◦ Compared to trees, certain varieties of bamboo can
grow 1–4 inches long per day, and can even branch
and expand outward because of its underground
rhizomes. Like cotton fibres, bamboo fibres are
naturally yellowish in colour and are bleached white
with chemicals during processing.
◦ HEMP
◦ Hemp, like bamboo, is considered a sustainable
crop. It requires little water to grow, and it is
resistant to most pests and diseases. The hemp
plant's broad leaves shade out weeds and other plant
competitors, and its deep taproot system allows it to
draw moisture deep in the soil.
◦ Hemp seeds, for example, are processed into oil or
food. Hemp fibres are durable and are considered
strong enough for construction uses. Compared to
cotton fibre, hemp fibre is approximately 8 times the
tensile strength and 4 times the durability.
◦ Hemp fibres are traditionally coarse and have been
historically used for ropes rather than for clothing.
However, modern technology and breeding practices
have made hemp fibre more pliable, softer, and finer.
 SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS
 PATAGONIA : USA
 EILEEN FISHER : USA
 STELLA MCCARTNEY : UK
 MARA HOFFMAN : USA
 PACT CLOTHING : USA
 NANUSHKA : HUNGARY
 REFORMATION : USA
 LEVI’S : USA
 THOUGHT CLOTHING : UK
 PETITE STUDIO : USA
THANK-YOU