The word “sustainability” has become more popular than ever, especially among environmental activists and enthusiasts. It’s undeniable that people are becoming more conscious about environmental issues caused by various industries, including the fashion industry. Even so, there are still a few misconceptions about this topic and the real urgency behind it. But worry not, we will dive deeper into this subject together.
First of all, the term sustainable fashion refers to any garments or accessories sold that are produced in an ecologically and socially responsible manner. Contrary to popular beliefs, the concerns of sustainable fashion does not only revolve around ecological issues, but also social issues. There are several jargons similar to sustainable fashion, such as eco-friendly fashion and green fashion, but they put more focus on leaving minimal impacts on the environment. Whereas sustainable fashion holistically combines both aspects of eco-consciousness with ethical fashion.
The term sustainable fashion inclined as more people realized the dire impacts of fashion industries on a global scale. One of the main reasons is how heavily dependent fashion industries are towards unrenewable resources, like coal and fossil fuels. These resources are needed to keep factories running and are also used to produce polyester as the fabric’s raw materials. Aside from that, the carbon emissions from these factories have contributed significant amounts of both air and water pollution. Last but not least, fashion industries require a high amount of human labor to be able to produce a high quantity of garments in a relatively short time. Thus, labor safety and rights tend to be overlooked.
Though all of these impacts might not be directly felt on consumers’ end, they still leave significant amounts of damage towards the environment and laborers. By considering sustainable fashion, we are also minimizing the harm caused by fashion industries. There are many ways to be involved in sustainable fashion, like breaking the habits of consumerism, seeking true information behind brands, staying alert for news about this matter, learning from activists with the same visions, joining communities that truly cares about the environment and even thrifting your outfits.
To be sustainably stylish is to care for the global environment.