Every commercial market on the face of the Earth is at the mercy of consumer demand. Brands sometimes have to tie themselves in knots to respond to a viral trend, while other shifts are a much slower burn.
For many years, customers have been not just calling for but seeking out products and services, including fashions, that have little or no impact on the planet.
These changes in demand are no longer solely driven by climate change and the size of a T-shirt’s carbon footprint. There’s a wider fashion movement that aims to be kind not only to the environment - but also to the people inhabiting it.
In this blog, we will examine the rise of ethically sourced clothing, define what it means and who this industry affects. We will also explain why this pathway was the only one we could take at AA We Are Eco.
The fast fashion industry
First things first: let’s look at the reasons why the ethically sourced clothing industry is expected to be worth £26 billion by the end of the decade.
Every year, 92 million tonnes of textiles end up in landfill, a figure expected to rise to a staggering 134 million by 2030 if no action is taken, according to Earth.org.
Meanwhile, an Oxfam report revealed that emissions from all the new clothes bought in the UK each month outstripped those of a plane flown around the world 900 times.
Naturally, figures like these have outraged eco-activists and - increasingly - consumers, who are loudly calling for the fashion industry to clean up its act.
While many fashion companies have embraced and marketed a new-found sense of environmental responsibility, it has led to other parts of their supply chain coming under scrutiny.
Sustainable fashion vs ethical fashion
Although on the face of it, sustainable fashion companies and ethical fashion companies appear the same, there are several distinctions between the two.
Let’s break them down.
Sustainability
The Oxford English Dictionary has several definitions for the word ‘sustainable’ but the meaning that interests us is:
“capable of being maintained or continued at a certain rate or level”.
Sustainability in business has also come to mean using products or methods that do not harm the environment.
Fashion companies looking to make sustainable choices also seek to limit their energy and water use, as well as their carbon footprint.
They try to use natural materials, including dyes and pigments, and either restrict or eliminate the amount of plastics used in their products and packaging.
Ethics
Vast numbers of fashion companies, as well as many other brands, have worked hard to demonstrate their sustainable production processes.
Although ethics are becoming increasingly important to consumers making clothing choices, not every fashion item on the market could be considered ethical.
Ethical standards in business are the moral principles, policies and values that shape and determine how individuals and firms carry out their activities.
Taking in the entire production process, it covers a wide range of often complex issues, including adhering to local, national and international laws, and respecting local and national cultures.
Operating ethically also means remembering that garment workers and the people producing clothing for any brand are human beings. They need sanitary, safe working conditions, and appropriate working hours as well as a fair wage.
Ethical fashion brands also guarantee the appropriate care and treatment of any animals in the value chain, do not employ child labour at any stage in their value chain.
Working ethically naturally encompasses diversity, equity and inclusion, with as many facets of society represented and treated fairly within the workforce and at all levels, as possible.
Combining sustainable and ethical practices
Ethical and sustainable clothing brands often incorporate their social and environmental responsibility in their marketing, particularly when it comes to global certifications and fair trade labelling.
Digital technology enables consumers to access lots of product information about a product, including ethical sourcing and if it was made from recycled materials.
The data can also go further, and offer details about the location or the brand’s impact on and support for the community where the garment was made.
This growing shift in transparency from fashion companies allows consumers to make fully informed choices when they are clothes shopping, enabling them to buy items that align with their own beliefs.
Identifying ethical and sustainable fashion
The global fashion industry is enormous and it can be almost impossible to determine which brands really are ethical and sustainable.
How can a consumer tell if ethical clothing brands really do pay a fair wage, have little or no environmental impact and provide safe working conditions?
How transparent is the brand?
One of the fastest ways to identify an ethical clothing brand is to look at its internet presence.
Does their website offer details about their ethical sourcing, as well as its sustainable practices and environmental impact?
If it provides clear, verified information about paying living wages, who it works with and how it operates, it’s a good indicator the brand follows ethical practices.
Are its products priced fairly?
Fast fashion is popular around the world because mass-produced clothes are cheap, but it’s bad for the planet and leads to vast amounts of waste.
Retailers behind it don’t need to factor in costs such as paying workers a fair living wage or sourcing sustainable materials, primarily because they don’t use them.
A low-cost item may be tempting - who doesn’t love a bargain - but it’s likely been made by someone who is underpaid and undervalued. In the very worst cases, it could even be the result of forced labour.
Slow fashion and ethical clothing brands like ou rs may be a little more expensive but they are worth it. That’s because ethical fashion considers everyone involved in the creation of the clothes and pays them fair wages.
Do you know who made the clothes?
The fashion industry, like many other businesses, is starting to understand the benefits of an ethical way of operating, and that consumers want to know more about the people making what they buy.
Fashion companies who work with artisans more often put a face to the skilled pair of hands behind an ethical or fair trade product, bringing them closer to the end buyer.
That spotlight is more likely to ensure ethical fashion brands treat their workers and any animals in the supply chain well, respect their rights and can be held accountable if they don’t.
Third-party ethical and sustainable certification
Fashion retailers and other brands around the world have quickly realised the value of trusted, third-party certifications to demonstrate their credentials in ethical fashion.
The internet is awash with cheaply made clothing from all manner of suppliers, manufactured without ethical sourcing or sustainable processes.
It’s worth remembering that, even in the world of ethical fashion, not all ‘green’ labels on clothes are equal.
The most notable ethical certifications to watch out for include the Global Organic Textile Standard, the Fair Wear Foundation, Fair Trade or B Corp.
Social projects and/or initiatives
Ethical brands generally wear their hearts on their sleeves, and ethical fashion is no different.
Not only will they provide information about an ethical fashion brand’s impact on the environment and certification about its sustainable practices, it will seek to share the love with workers and their communities.
If the company’s website or social media is awash with details about the local projects or social programmes it supports, it’s a very good indication that it not only talks the ethical talk, it walks the walk, too.
Where’s the social proof?
The ethical fashion industry works very hard to engage consumers but if you want to make more sustainable choices, it’s worth being aware of what other people are saying about a brand.
Social proof has become an excellent way for potential customers to get the measure of a fashion company’s practices and production, quickly cutting through a brand’s own marketing about its ethical practices.
If people are singing the praises of an ethical fashion firm’s environmental impact, its treatment of communities and workers or whether it uses animal products.
If they are aware of its commitment to using sustainable materials that are sourced ethically, and waste reduction efforts, then these positive comments can influence the conscious choices of other consumers.
Does the brand use organic materials?
When it comes to sustainability labels on clothes, ‘organic’ is one of the most important to a wannabe environmentally friendly and ethical fashion brand.
To be able to display this certification, fashion companies around the world must fulfil several important criteria about the natural fibres used in their clothes.
They include not using genetically modified crops, as well as pesticides, herbicides or man-made fertilisers that are harmful to workers and the environment, and minimising water use.
Our ethical and sustainable clothing range
At AA We Are Eco, we believe that ethical and environmental responsibility and great fashion are tailor-made for each other.
Our small but perfectly formed range of organic cotton clothing reflects our passions: working with small organisations and community projects in India to bring back long-held local traditions and artisan skills.
We wanted to know everything about where the raw materials came from, how the fabrics were made, what dyes were used and the people who did all the work.
Our brand partnership with Masala Threads enabled us to source our beautiful organic cotton fabric and find suppliers of natural.
We found sustainable materials for the trimmings and designed ethical fashion that minimises waste and the impact on the environment, now and in the future.
We put all our energy into the sustainable and ethical practices of the business, rather than focus solely on how much things cost.
The result is a sublime capsule collection of sustainable fashion crafted from beautiful organic cotton and coloured with chemical-free azo dyes.
Our babywear, womenswear and accessories look amazing, genuinely support the people behind its production, and are kind to the planet.
Questions or comments? Get in touch
If you have queries about our range of organic cotton clothes, or want to know more about our ethical and sustainable suppliers or practices, drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.
Contact us
Email us at help@aaweareeco.com, or use this contact form and we will get back to you straight away.