Embrace sustainability and buy Ethical Clothing
In recent years, more so now during the Covid pandemic, ethical clothing has become a buzzword and turned a few heads. Just as consumers today are taking a closer look at the food they consume and the chemicals they put into their bodies, they are also shifting their purchasing decisions to create a cleaner environment through the clothes they wear.
One of the biggest culprits in the fashion industry is “fast fashion,” or clothes made cheaply to meet demands for the hot new styles. However, fast fashion is putting our future planet at risk. We all love those quick-drying polyester tanks and tees because they are cheap, wrinkle-free, and readily available. We are blinded by the pretty clothes, the stylish displays, ads, and the rapidly changing collections. But hey! they hold on to bacteria and will stink so fast you'll be inclined to throw them away after just a few gym sessions. What you don't realize is that it can take up to 200 years for that garment to decompose.
As professional modern women, we need to take responsibility for our daily choices. Commit to buying less, limit our outfits per day, and invest in pieces that last longer. We don’t have to pollute, exploit, and overconsume to look stylish.
Simply put, ethical fashion is fashion made ethically. This can encompass a whole host of business and production practices aimed at treating your workers fairly and minimizing your impact on the environment. In short, when you buy ethical clothing, it means your clothing is eco-friendly and people-friendly. There are three ways the fashion industry is producing greenhouse gases: oil, transportation, and cows. Buying ethical clothing gives solutions to all three.
Uses Less Synthetic Materials
Synthetic materials, such as polyester, nylon, and spandex require oil. And oil production is one of our biggest greenhouse gas emitters. So instead, opt for natural, plant-based materials, for example, organic cotton, linen, and ahimsa silk. In sustainable fashion, the use of natural materials is a lot more common practice. Synthetic materials are used very rarely and most times are made of recycled materials.
As you might know, transportation also emits a huge amount of greenhouse gases. And the process of transporting huge collections all around the world is very damaging to the environment. It might be more cost-efficient to make clothes in third world countries, but does it worth it if we destroy our planet?Most Sustainable brands are shifting back to local production. Sourcing local materials, employing local craftsmen, and refusing to sell the clothes globally have a major positive impact on the environment. And as a bonus, local production creates jobs and boosts the local economy.
Uses Less Energy
Ethical fashion brands , such as ArtEastri, prefer creating smaller collections with hand-made items. In this case, craftsmanship and human labor replace a small amount of energy used by factories.
The slow fashion movement, and the notion of producing less, but better quality, and extending the life-cycle of our clothes could easily cut fashion’s energy use by half.
While ethical fashion may not solve all of our problems with unsafe chemicals, water shortages, energy consumption, or overflowing landfills, it allows you to reduce your impact on the environment and invest in safer, more sustainable practices.
No matter what you think the world’s biggest issues are, you are unlikely to think of fashion as either a problem or a solution. Yet when you buy ethical clothing, you can actually help address many of these issues in ways you may not expect. Clothing is something that everyone needs and uses, making it an extremely accessible avenue for the average person to affect change.