{"id":9321,"title":"WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE FASHION?","description":"With GREENWASHING rife in the fashion industry, it's time to talk about what sustainability is and how we define it.","content":"

What is SUSTAINABILITY?<\/h2>

Having seen a small brand (who shall remain nameless) claim that their clothes were 100% sustainable, it got me thinking about how ambiguously this word is used.<\/p>

The brand in question had a certified ethical status, which is great. However, there was absolutely no evidence of sustainability. They simply stated \u2018100% sustainable\u2019 with nothing to back it up.<\/p>

What is worrying is that I had discovered the brand through a powerful influencer. She had obviously trusted the source and was shouting about their sustainability; and the 16,000+ followers she had, would have all been GREENWASHED<\/a> in one single Instagram post.<\/p>

In my opinion Influencers have a duty of care to do their homework before making such claims in front of thousands of people. Brands and retailers like these, are damaging the cause as they confuse and create mistrust in consumers.<\/p>

The Definition:<\/h3>

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, SUSTAINABILITY<\/a> is: the\u00a0quality\u00a0of\u00a0causing\u00a0little or no\u00a0damage\u00a0to the\u00a0environment\u00a0and\u00a0therefore\u00a0able\u00a0to\u00a0continue\u00a0for a\u00a0long time.<\/p>

With this in mind, I\u2019d like to point out that it is not possible at this time to be 100% sustainable. Any brand that claims that it is, either does not understand sustainability or is GREENWASHING you.<\/p>

So how do we define Sustainable Fashion?<\/h3>

By definition alone, the whole garment and manufacturing process would need to cause little or no damage to the environment. Therefore, the sustainability of each element of a product should be taken into account and outweigh the negative impact on the environment.<\/p>

For example: A t-shirt made from organic cotton sounds fantastic, but can NOT be classed as sustainable if:<\/p>