Oxfam: “Sustainable fashion is a term for items of clothing made taking the human and environmental impacts of production into account to support a more just supply chain. It can also include items that are sold second hand to extend their life.”

United Nations Environment Programme: “A sustainable textile industry is one that is resource-efficient and renewable resources-based, producing non-toxic, high quality and affordable clothing services and products, while providing safe and secure livelihoods.”

EuRIC: “A new life-cycle assessment (LCA) commissioned by the European textile reuse and recycling industry has confirmed the significant CO2 and water savings of reusing textiles compared to producing new clothing. The environmental impact of reusing textiles is 70 times lower, even when accounting for global exports for reuse including transport emissions.

More specifically, the study revealed that a massive 3kg of CO2 is saved for each high/medium-quality clothing that is reused. While only a mere 0.01% of the water used to produce new clothing is required for reuse.” 

Fashinnovation: “While thrifting is indeed a sustainable fashion trend and benefits the environment by reducing the carbon footprint, promoting thrifting as the solution for sustainable fashion has allowed fast-fashion consumption habits to transfer to second-hand clothing. Thrifting now provides an ethical way for people to interact with fashion. However, this encourages a glorification of consumption. Now, everyone can feel morally obligated to buy more clothes with the money they were already spending on fast fashion and simply re-donate the clothes they don’t need anymore. This turnover cycle causes problems similar to those we encounter in fast fashion. As stores receive a surplus of donations from shoppers, they are forced to throw away or sell most of their donations to landfills or to other countries. Only 10-20% of donated clothes find their way to the commercial floor.”

European Parliament: “Textile production is estimated to be responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution from dyeing and finishing products.”

“The fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions – more than international flights and maritime shipping combined.”

“Less than half of used clothes are collected for reuse or recycling, and only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new clothes, since technologies that would enable clothes to be recycled into virgin fibers are only now starting to emerge.”

“On average Europeans use nearly 26 kilos of textiles and discard about 11 kilos of them every year. Used clothes can be exported outside the EU, but are mostly (87%) incinerated or landfilled.”

McKinsey & Company: “Fast fashion retailers move, well, faster than their traditional counterparts. This means that they compress production cycles and turn out up-to-the-minute designs, enabling shoppers to not only expand their wardrobes but also refresh them quickly—and cheaply.”

”For all the growth it generates, the fast fashion industry is also responsible for considerable waste. Fast fashion consumers are quick to throw clothes away: some estimates suggest that consumers treat the lowest-priced garments as nearly disposable, discarding them after only seven wears. For every five garments produced, the equivalent of three end up in a landfill or are incinerated each year. And total greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production clock in at 1.2 billion tons a year—that’s more emissions than those emitted by all international flights and maritime ships combined. Reports also indicate that some clothing factory workers are underpaid and exposed to unsafe workplace conditions.”

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: “A circular economy for fashion creates better products and services for customers, contributes to a resilient and thriving fashion industry, and regenerates the environment. It prioritises the rights and equity of everyone involved in the fashion industry, and will create new opportunities for growth that are distributed, diverse, and inclusive.”

“Our (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation) vision of a circular economy for fashion means building an industry that designs products to be: 

• Used more
• Made to be made again
• Made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs”

United Nations: ”Greenwashing presents a significant obstacle to tackling climate change. By misleading the public to believe that a company or other entity is doing more to protect the environment than it is, greenwashing promotes false solutions to the climate crisis that distract from and delay concrete and credible action.”

”Greenwashing manifests itself in several ways – some more obvious than others. Tactics include:

• Claiming to be on track to reduce a company’s polluting emissions to net zero when no credible plan is actually in place.
• Being purposely vague or non-specific about a company’s operations or materials used.
• Applying intentionally misleading labels such as “green” or “eco-friendly,” which do not have standard definitions and can be easily misinterpreted.
• Implying that a minor improvement has a major impact or promoting a product that meets the minimum regulatory requirements as if it is significantly better than the standard.
• Emphasizing a single environmental attribute while ignoring other impacts.
• Claiming to avoid illegal or non-standard practices that are irrelevant to a product.
• Communicating the sustainability attributes of a product in isolation of brand activities (and vice versa) – e.g. a garment made from recycled materials that is produced in a high-emitting factory that pollutes the air and nearby waterways.”

Fashion Checker, (a campaign by the Clean Clothes Campaign, funded by the European Union): “93% of surveyed brands aren´t paying garment workers a living wage.”

“The majority of garment workers are unable to afford life's basic necessities. Fair pay for labour is a fundamental human right, but none of the biggest fashion brands pay garment workers a wage they can live on.”

“A living wage, recognized by the UN as a human right, is a wage that is sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for a worker and their family. It should be earned in a standard work-week of no more than 48 hours, and must include enough to pay for food, water, housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing and some discretionary earnings, including savings for unexpected events.”

“80% of garment workers are women. They are routinely paid less than their male counterparts. Gender inequality is deeply rooted in the industry's power imbalance, and gendered pay has a direct link to verbal, physical and sexual assault.”

Oxfam: ”Gender and economic inequality are prevalent throughout the fashion value chain.

While some fashion brands are making strides to improve conditions, many have workers in their supply chains who are paid below a living wage based in countries where workers don’t have adequate access to join unions, paid leave and other employment rights.

Workers are often women and, in some cases, children. This exacerbates inequality and keeps people trapped in poverty. The increasing demand for fashion leads to inhumane working conditions for millions of garment workers, including low wages and unsafe workplaces.

The industry's focus on cheap and trendy clothing often ignores their hard work, and global fashion brands prioritise profits over worker wellbeing.”

Oxfam: “Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It takes an ethical and sustainable approach to producing clothes. The slow fashion movement is a direct response to the harmful impact of fast fashion on the environment and garment workers. It advocates for making fashion choices that are kinder to people and planet.”

“The slow fashion movement started as a response to the fast fashion industry. Fast fashion refers to the rapid and low-cost production of trendy clothing from mass-market retailers. It targets consumers who seek the latest fashion trends. But is extremely harmful to the environment. According to the UN Environment Programme, the pollution, waste, and emissions of fast fashion are fuelling the triple planetary crisis – climate, nature, and pollution. The slow fashion movement encourages people to consider their clothing purchases and the impact they have on the world. The movement has grown in popularity in recent years, with many people choosing to buy second hand and support independent designers and brands that are committed to sustainability and ethical practices.”

We encourage you to delve deeper into the diverse aspects of the fashion industry.

Please note that it is important to critically evaluate information and seek out reliable sources. Below are some trusted sources that can provide valuable insights:

The United Nations

Fashion Revolution

Slow fashion movment

Fashion Checker

Remake

European Parliament

Clean clothes campaign 

The Wardrobe Crisis