In a world of greenwashing and fast fashion brands making “sustainable” claims, how can you know if a brand is truly sustainable? If you’ve ever fallen victim to a greenwashing play such as an “eco-conscious” collection or claiming to be “plastic-free”, you understand how hard it can be to trust a brand again. Here is how I vet brands to see if they’re truly sustainable.
What makes a fashion brand sustainable?
1. Third-party certifications
Third-party certifications are one of the first things I look for when determining if a brand is or isn’t sustainable. This includes things like:
- GOTS certified organic cotton
- Fair Trade Certified
- Certified B Corporation
- Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)
- Global Recycle Standard
Now, not every sustainable brand will have a certification. Especially newer or smaller brands because it can take some time to become certified. But this is always a surefire way to tell that a brand means what they say.
2. Supply chain information
Sustainable and ethical fashion is all about transparency. And when your brand is as ethical and sustainable as you say it is, then you have nothing to hide. A lot of sustainable brands will share in-depth on their supply chains and garment factories. They’ll take you from the farm where the cotton seed was planted to your front door.
A lot of fast fashion brands like to have a “corporate responsibility” page or something similar where they’ll tell you that their brand is sustainable, that they pay their workers fairly and that they try to reduce waste where they can. but that’s not real transparency.
3. Water usage/carbon measurements
While even a sustainable brand will have to use water and carbon emissions when creating and shipping their clothing, a truly sustainable brand will break it down for you essentially letting you know how much water and energy went into making your clothes. Oftentimes times they’ll explain how they’ve reduced this number which is always exciting to see.
4. Natural and/or recycled fibres
I’ve never heard of a sustainable brand that uses virgin materials like polyester or spandex. Because it doesn’t work. Sustainable brands pride themselves on creating quality clothing using natural fibres like organic cotton, hemp and Tencel. It’s also really great to see sustainable brands use recycled materials like plastic water bottles and abandoned fish nets in their clothing. They’re actively recycling plastic and turning it into clothes!
Don’t be fooled though, a lot of fast fashion brands are catching on and will try to use organic or recycled materials if they can. But they’ll be sure to boast about it.
There you have it! 4 easy ways to tell if a fashion brand is sustainable!
Please don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily slow living and ethical fashion posts.
Leave a Reply