Shop Consciously: Sustainable Fashion Options for the Sales Season
Boxing Day remains a popular shopping holiday in the UK, with many retailers offering discounts and sales to lure in holiday shoppers. For most consumers, the post-Christmas shopping season that extends late into January kicks off the Sales season, and we are excited about the potential of bagging some bargains. Planning to secure great deals is excellent during a recession, but we must be mindful of overconsumption and sustainability as we take advantage of these deals.?
With the holiday season already a time of excess, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of finding a good deal and end up buying more than we need. Jumping on these deals and discounts can lead to clutter and waste, contributing to the more significant problem of consumerism and its impact on the environment. By considering our purchases carefully and prioritising sustainability, we can still enjoy the benefits of deals while also being responsible consumers.
The credit card company Barclaycard predicts that the average person is set to spend ￡229 in post-Christmas sales, which is ￡18 less than last year. That notwithstanding, consumers will potentially buy more from fast fashion brands than slow fashion brands or exacerbate the climate crisis already bearing its brunt on us. Resisting the lure of the deals, revisiting what's in your wardrobe and mending what needs fixing or just upcycling what you already own may be the most sustainable thing you can do if you are concerned about fashion's impact on the climate.?
If you need to make purchases during a sale, you can still make conscious and informed decisions by following some guidelines. Here are some suggestions to help you make responsible choices when shopping during a sale:??
Buy clothes that are Fair Trade certified to support ethical businesses.
To ensure that your clothing is produced in a way that is both environmentally and socially responsible, you can look for the "Fair Trade Certified" label. Fair Trade label signifies that the clothing has been made with consideration for the health and safety of the workers who produced it, as well as for the environmental impact of the manufacturing process. When shopping for clothing, either online or in person, you can use this label as a guide to help you choose ethically made clothing.
Look for the BCI logo on all cotton goods.
The?Better Cotton Initiative, or the BCI, ensures that any textile company that uses cotton is striving toward becoming more sustainable or is transparent about its sustainability. The BCI logo certifies companies worldwide, so you can always check for it in stores or online when buying cotton clothing.
Ensure leather products have the LWG label on them.?
The?Leather Working Group, or LWG, certifies leather tanneries and traders are using environmentally conscious production methods. They rate the companies, giving them bronze, silver, or gold, based on the standards that they update every year.
Look out for fabrics made out of recycled material.?
Making fabrics out of new materials takes a lot of time and energy so it could be more genuinely sustainable. Fabrics that use?recycled materials, like polyester made out of fishing nets or plastic bottles, are a better way to use materials we already have while still making new items out of them. Check out the materials on the brand's website to find out what they're using and see if they're recycled material.
Use caution when buying leather substitutes.?
"Vegan leather," or leather made of plastic, doesn't harm any animals, so it's a friendly alternative for people who disagree with leather ethically. However, the chemical process of turning plastic into a leather substitute is very damaging to the environment, and it uses fossil fuels in production as well. If you want to wear leather sustainably, consider buying it secondhand instead. Here is a resource to help guide you from?Good on you.
Create a capsule wardrobe.?
There's an excellent resource on how to create a capsule wardrobe?here. For instance, if you're a man, your wardrobe might include the following:
Focus primarily on neutral colours with accents here and there and some bold colours. That way, you can easily mix and match your pieces, and when you're shopping, it will be easy to choose items that will fit in with the rest of your wardrobe.
Polyester and synthetic fabrics are a No-No if you can avoid them.?
Almost all?synthetic fibres?(polyester, nylon, acrylic, and neoprene, to name a few) shed plastic particles into the waterways. And they take a ton of oil and energy to produce. If you're going for truly sustainable clothing, stick to natural fibres like cotton, silk, and wool.
Opt for quality clothing that will last - preloved luxury.?
When you're shopping, choose well-constructed, durable clothing in classic styles. Some of these you can buy from thrift or online from websites like?Cudoni,?Vestiaire Collective?and?TheRealReal. The luxury, well-made items will last a lot longer and get more use than fast fashion that's only made to be worn a few times.?
I have had to change my modest views towards luxury products when considering the item's 'cost per wear'. It becomes apparent when I compare a pair of jeans bought for ￡36 that falls apart after a few wears to a jean that is still presentable after six years.
Buy preloved clothes
The most sustainable piece of clothing is the one already in your wardrobe, and buying something secondhand is always better than purchasing it brand new. Check out your local thrift store to pick up some clothing on the cheap and feel good about buying sustainably at a lower price point.
There are also online thrift stores you can check out, like?Poshmark,?ThredUp, and?Fillip. Buying secondhand is a great way to dip your toe into sustainable fashion, as sustainable clothing lines can come with a steep price tag.
Rent clothes instead of buying
Renting clothes is an increasingly popular option for those looking to reduce their impact on the environment and contribute to the circular fashion economy. Rather than buying new clothing, which requires resources and energy to produce and often ends up in landfills, renting allows individuals to access a variety of garments without the environmental and social costs of ownership. Whether you're looking to save money, reduce your carbon footprint, or try out new styles without committing to ownership, renting clothes is a convenient and responsible alternative to traditional fashion consumption. Here are a few fashion rental services to checkout;
If you feel more adventurous, you can educate yourself about brands and their Sustainability processes and claims. Here are a few ways to equip yourself with information about your purchases.
Search for Sustainable Fashion Brands
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I was hoping you wouldn't take my word for it, so you may need to do some research of your own. Look up each brand and find out what makes them sustainable. What do they claim, and what can be substantiated? That brings me to the next point.
Check out Sustainability claims and processes on brands' websites.
?Most brands have a sustainability page on the About Us or a separate page with their sustainability processes. So once you're on a brand's website and aren't sure what their sustainability process is, head to their "About" section to see if they talk about sustainability. They probably aren't sustainable if they don't have any information about sustainability.?
Even if they have a wishy-washy, vague statement about sustainability, there's a chance they're not that sustainable, either. Some brands will use misleading words or phrases to seem sustainable when they actually aren't, so you should also do your own research and check for third-party certifications and review the brand's website.
For example, look at part of the "About" section on Levi's website:?
"At Levi Strauss & Co., we are committed to sustainability and constantly looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. That's why we launched Water<Less, a collection of jeans and other products made using significantly less water in their production. By using innovative techniques and technologies, we are able to create the same high-quality products while using less natural resources. We believe that sustainability is not just a trend, but a key part of our business model and our commitment to leaving a positive impact on the world."
It is clear from the above that their sustainability claim comes from their focus on innovative water usage techniques. While that may not be enough, at least you can have something to work on.
Another example is Patagonia's focus on ensuring sustainability in the supply chain processes.
Patagonia's mission is to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. We recognise that all life on earth is under threat of extinction, and we believe it is our responsibility to reinvent our business practices to protect what we love. In addition to making the highest quality outdoor clothing and gear, we work with our supply chain partners to reduce our environmental impact, give back to the communities where we live and work, and inspire others to do the same.
It may be a little tedious, but you must be comfortable with the reason why you support a particular sustainable brand. Another strategy is to check out major fashion brands and their sustainable lines.
Look for sustainable lines within major fashion companies.?
Some large companies have rolled out sustainable clothing lines that use different materials and more ethical practices than their standard lines do. There's some debate about whether these lines are really sustainable since fast-fashion companies still make them, but if you're going to shop at a major fashion company, it may be better to buy from their sustainable clothing lines to help show the company that sustainability is important to their customers. Here are a few I have checked out recently.
These sustainable lines may not be enough to offset the carbon emissions put out by these large corporations long term. However, you can feel a little better purchasing from big companies if you buy their sustainable line rather than non-sustainably made clothing.
Download Apps with Sustainability ratings or are built on circular business models.
Some third-party organisations have worked hard for you, so you don't have to. Apps like Good on You and a few others provide simple sustainability ratings to help you determine a brand's sustainability claim. Some enable you to engage directly with consumers selling their preloved items or renting, allowing you to take positive action towards circularity or sustainability.
Checking out Brands' Certifications
It is important to check for certifications on clothing to confirm their sustainability credentials because these certifications help to ensure that the clothing has been produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. For example, certifications such as OEKO-TEX and GOTS verify that the clothing has been made from sustainable materials and has been produced to minimise the negative impact on the environment. In addition, certifications such as Fairtrade and SA8000 ensure that workers who produce the clothing are treated fairly and paid a fair wage. By checking for certifications, consumers can be confident that they are making informed and ethical fashion choices that align with their values.
Brands with any of these certifications prove they have credibility from third-party organisations that issue them, which means some transparency. Transparency is a huge topic I will dedicate time to exploring in future, but Fashion Revolution takes it seriously with the Fashion Transparency index.
Read the Fashion Transparency Index to find the ratings of top brands.
The?Fashion Transparency Index?does a new study every year, ranking top brands based on their social and environmental impact. In their document, brands are rated on a scale from 0 to 100 on attributes like Policy and Commitment, Governance, Supply Chain Traceability, and Know Show Fix.?Download the Transparency index from the Fashion Revolution?website
In conclusion, the holiday season is an excellent time for gift-giving, celebrations, and of course, sales. While it can be tempting to take advantage of discounts and clearance prices, it's important to also consider the environmental impact of our purchases. Fast fashion, or cheaply produced clothing that is designed to be worn a few times and then discarded, is a major contributor to pollution and waste.
When shopping during the sales season, you can make a conscious choice to support sustainable fashion brands that prioritize the use of eco-friendly materials, fair labor practices, and minimal waste in their production processes. Not only will this help protect the planet, but it can also lead to long-lasting, high-quality wardrobe additions that will save money in the long run. So as you hunt for discounts, remember that shopping consciously can benefit both you and the environment.
DDM Wells - Engineering, Operations, Procurement & Logistics
2 年Thanks great article!
Supporting initiatives that advance climate resilience in Africa and beyond.
2 年Thanks for the info-packed article!
Director, Product Management
2 年Excellent article with a lot of information and links to many other resources. Thanks for sharing at the right time.
Medical Affairs | Medical Communications I Global Medical Strategy | Rare Disease
2 年Learned quite a lot. Thank you for sharing!