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Sustainable Fashion Glossary: Essential Terms You Need to Know
Dive into the world of sustainable fashion with this comprehensive glossary. Learn key terms like fast fashion, slow fashion, and how to build an eco-friendly wardrobe.
Whether you’re just starting your journey into sustainable fashion or you’re well-versed in eco-friendly practices, understanding key terms can help guide your decisions. From fast fashion to capsule wardrobes, we’ve curated this glossary to help you navigate the world of sustainable fashion.
All Things Fashion
Fast Fashion
Fast fashion refers to the rapid production of trendy, low-cost clothing designed to be worn briefly before being discarded. Brands like Zara and H&M epitomize this model, offering styles inspired by the latest runway looks at a fraction of the cost. However, fast fashion contributes significantly to environmental pollution, overproduction, and poor labor conditions. The fast fashion cycle creates an overwhelming amount of waste as consumers are encouraged to frequently buy and quickly dispose of clothing.
Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable fashion takes into account the entire lifecycle of a garment, from production to disposal, ensuring minimal harm to the environment. It involves using eco-friendly materials, reducing water and energy consumption, and prioritizing social responsibility in supply chains. Brands like Reformation and Eileen Fisher are leading examples of sustainable fashion, creating clothing that is both stylish and kind to the planet.
In response to the harmful effects of fast fashion, slow fashion promotes mindful, sustainable production and consumption. Slow fashion brands prioritize quality over quantity, creating fewer collections and focusing on timeless, long-lasting garments. Stella McCartney and Patagonia are examples of slow fashion brands that embrace sustainability, ethical labor practices, and eco-friendly materials. This movement encourages consumers to invest in pieces that can be worn for years rather than just a season.
Ethical Fashion
While sustainable fashion focuses on environmental impact, ethical fashion emphasizes the social impact of clothing production. This includes ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and the absence of child labor. Ethical fashion brands often go hand in hand with sustainability but place a stronger focus on human rights and worker welfare throughout the supply chain.
Fair Trade Fashion
Fair trade fashion ensures that everyone involved in the production process, from farmers to factory workers, is paid fairly and treated with respect. This model promotes safe working conditions and environmental sustainability while fighting against poverty and exploitation. Brands like People Tree and Patagonia work with fair trade-certified factories to ensure ethical treatment of workers and sustainable production practices.
Vegan Fashion
Vegan fashion eliminates the use of animal products like leather, wool, silk, and fur. It’s an ethical choice that supports animal welfare while offering alternatives such as synthetic or plant-based materials like mushroom leather and Piñatex (made from pineapple leaves). Vegan brands like Matt & Nat and Stella McCartney offer cruelty-free alternatives that don’t compromise on style.
Circular Fashion
Circular fashion is about extending the lifecycle of clothing through reuse, repair, resale, and recycling. Instead of the traditional “buy, wear, and throw away” approach, circular fashion encourages consumers and brands to consider how a garment can be repurposed or recycled to reduce waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been a pioneer in promoting circular fashion practices, inspiring brands like Adidas to create sustainable, recyclable clothing lines.
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Zero Waste Fashion
Zero-waste fashion aims to reduce or eliminate textile waste during the production process. Designers focus on using every scrap of fabric efficiently or repurposing leftover materials into new products. Brands like Tonlé and Eileen Fisher’s Waste No More initiative are great examples of this practice, where nothing goes to waste and clothing is either upcycled or repurposed.
Secondhand/Thrift Fashion
Shopping secondhand is one of the most sustainable ways to consume fashion. By buying pre-loved items, you prevent them from ending up in landfills while also reducing the need for new production. Platforms like ThreadUp, The RealReal, Tradesy, Grailed, Rebag, Poshmark, and Depop are thriving in the resale market, allowing consumers to find high-quality, stylish pieces at a fraction of the original cost.
Organic Fashion
Organic fashion refers to clothing made from fibers that are grown without harmful chemicals like pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Organic cotton, for example, is grown using natural processes that are safer for the environment and workers. Brands like Thought are known for their commitment to organic fashion, ensuring their products are both eco-friendly and ethical.
Cruelty-Free Fashion
Cruelty-free fashion means that no animals were harmed in the making of the garment or accessory. It extends beyond vegan fashion to include products that haven’t been tested on animals. This term is often seen in the beauty industry as well, with certifications ensuring no animal testing at any stage of production.
Sweatshop
A sweatshop is a factory where workers endure poor working conditions, receive low wages, and are often subject to exploitation. The fashion industry has been notorious for relying on sweatshops, particularly in developing countries. Ethical fashion brands actively avoid this practice, ensuring that all their products are made in safe and fair working conditions.
Sustainability Ranking
Sustainability rankings are systems that measure a brand’s environmental and social impact. Platforms like Good On You assess fashion brands based on factors such as labor rights, environmental impact, and transparency, allowing consumers to make informed decisions about where to shop.
Supply Chain
In the context of sustainable fashion, supply chains refer to the entire process of producing and delivering clothing, from sourcing raw materials to the final product. A transparent supply chain ensures that every stage of production is ethical and environmentally friendly, holding brands accountable for their practices.
Recycling
Recycling in fashion involves converting waste materials into new products. This process reduces the need for raw materials and helps minimize waste. For example, some brands turn plastic bottles into polyester fabric, while others recycle cotton or wool to create new garments.
Upcycling
Upcycling takes discarded materials or products and transforms them into higher-quality, more valuable items. Unlike recycling, which often downgrades materials, upcycling enhances the original product. Brands like Elvis & Kresse use upcycling to create luxury accessories from waste materials like fire hoses.
Downcycling
Downcycling is the opposite of upcycling—it involves turning waste materials into products of lesser value. For example, old textiles might be downcycled into industrial rags or insulation materials. While downcycling is less glamorous, it still plays a role in reducing waste.
Design for Disassembly
Design for disassembly is a technique that ensures garments can be easily taken apart and recycled at the end of their life cycle. This allows individual components, such as buttons, zippers, and fabric, to be repurposed without waste.
Eco-Friendly/Sustainable Textiles
Eco-friendly or sustainable textiles are fabrics that are produced using environmentally responsible processes and materials. These textiles often come from renewable resources, like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, or recycled materials. The key is that they are made with minimal environmental impact—this means less water usage, fewer chemicals, and lower carbon emissions during production. Sustainable textiles also consider the whole lifecycle of the fabric, ensuring it can be recycled or biodegraded at the end of its life. Many fashion brands are now integrating these textiles into their collections to reduce the harmful footprint of traditional clothing production.
Biodegradable
Biodegradable refers to materials that can naturally decompose in the environment without leaving harmful residues behind. In fashion, biodegradable fabrics like organic cotton, linen, wool, and Tencel® break down over time when exposed to natural elements like sunlight, water, and microorganisms. These materials are crucial for sustainable fashion as they help reduce waste and pollution compared to synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon, which can take hundreds of years to degrade. Opting for biodegradable fashion helps minimize the long-term environmental impact of your wardrobe.
Hazardous Chemicals
Hazardous chemicals in the fashion industry refer to toxic substances used during the production of textiles and garments, including dyes, pesticides, bleaches, and other processing agents. Sustainable fashion aims to eliminate or reduce the use of hazardous chemicals by opting for safer, natural alternatives and using cleaner, more responsible manufacturing processes. Brands with certifications like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or OEKO-TEX® avoid the use of hazardous substances in their products.
Ethical Fashion
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility in fashion refers to the ethical obligation of brands to ensure fair labor practices, worker safety, and positive community impact. It goes beyond profit to prioritize the well-being of workers, ethical sourcing, and minimizing environmental harm. Brands committed to social responsibility often implement policies that promote safe working conditions, fair wages, and eco-friendly practices throughout their supply chains.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing occurs when companies falsely claim to be environmentally friendly to attract consumers. It’s a marketing tactic that gives the illusion of sustainability without real efforts behind it. Common signs of greenwashing include vague claims, misleading labels, or promoting a small eco-friendly initiative while the majority of the brand’s practices remain harmful. As consumers become more eco-conscious, greenwashing has become a significant issue in the fashion industry.
Public Awareness
Public awareness in the context of fashion refers to how much consumers understand the environmental and ethical impacts of their clothing choices. As awareness grows, more people demand transparency from brands, seek sustainable alternatives, and make informed purchasing decisions. Campaigns, documentaries, and fashion movements like Fashion Revolution have contributed to increasing awareness of the industry’s social and environmental challenges.
Transparency
Transparency is the practice of openly sharing detailed information about a brand’s supply chain, production processes, and sourcing of materials. Brands committed to transparency disclose where their materials come from, how garments are made, and the working conditions in their factories. This level of openness helps build consumer trust and encourages accountability within the fashion industry.
Traceability
Traceability refers to the ability to track the entire journey of a garment, from raw material sourcing to finished product. This ensures that brands and consumers can verify the origins of a product, its environmental impact, and the labor conditions under which it was made. Traceability is a key element of sustainability, as it enables accountability and helps prevent unethical practices like child labor and environmental harm.
Sustainable Fashion Standards and Certifications
Clean Clothes Campaign
The Clean Clothes Campaign is a global network focused on improving working conditions in the fashion industry. They hold brands accountable for how they treat workers, campaigning for fair wages, safe conditions, and the eradication of child labor.
Greenpeace Detox Campaign
Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign aims to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals in the fashion industry. Many brands have committed to this initiative, ensuring their products are free from harmful toxins.
International Labor Rights Forum
The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) is a human rights organization that advocates for fair labor practices and justice for workers globally. It addresses issues such as child labor, low wages, and unsafe working conditions, aiming to hold corporations accountable for violations in their supply chains.
Labour Behind the Label
Labour Behind the Label is a UK-based campaign supporting garment workers globally. It advocates for workers’ rights, including fair wages and safe working conditions. The campaign raises awareness of labor exploitation in the fashion industry and works with local organizations to drive change.
United Students Against Sweatshops
This student-led organization fights for workers’ rights in sweatshops, especially in factories producing collegiate apparel. It organizes campaigns across university campuses to pressure brands to improve labor conditions and adopt fair wages for workers in their supply chains.
Certified B Corporations
Certified B Corporations are companies that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. They focus on balancing profit with purpose and are committed to benefiting employees, the environment, and the broader community.
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
The Better Cotton Initiative is a global nonprofit focused on making cotton production more sustainable. It works to reduce the environmental impact of cotton farming, improve livelihoods, and promote fair working conditions while ensuring cotton is produced responsibly.
Bluesign®
Bluesign® is a sustainability standard for textiles that ensures the responsible use of resources, minimizes environmental impact, and guarantees consumer safety. The certification covers the entire supply chain, ensuring products meet strict environmental and safety criteria.
Global Recycle Standard (GRS)
The Global Recycle Standard (GRS) is a certification that verifies the recycled content of products. It tracks the entire supply chain to ensure that materials meet social, environmental, and chemical standards, and promotes the use of recycled materials in the fashion industry.
Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS)
GOTS is the leading certification for organic textiles. It ensures that textiles are made from at least 70% organic fibers and that the production process meets strict environmental and social criteria, from harvesting to final manufacturing and labeling.
OEKO-TEX®
OEKO-TEX® is a certification system for textiles that guarantees products are free from harmful substances. The certification covers various stages of production, ensuring that textiles and leathers are safe for human use and produced in an environmentally responsible way.
Organic Content Standard (OCS)
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) tracks the use of organic materials in non-food products. It verifies the presence and amount of organic material in the final product but does not address the environmental or social impact of production.
Responsible Wool Standard (RWS
The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) ensures the welfare of sheep and the health of the land used in wool production. The certification applies to the entire supply chain, ensuring that wool is produced in a way that respects both animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
Building Sustainable Fashion Habits
Capsule Wardrobe
A capsule wardrobe is a curated collection of essential, versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched for different occasions. It’s a sustainable approach to fashion, encouraging consumers to buy fewer, high-quality items that last longer. Check out Sparkpick’s Women’s Capsule Base and Men’s Capsule Base to start building your eco-friendly wardrobe.
Swap Parties
Swap parties allow people to exchange clothing items with others instead of buying new ones. It’s an eco-friendly way to refresh your wardrobe and give pre-loved clothes a second life.
Minimalism
Minimalism encourages owning fewer, higher-quality items rather than buying in excess. In fashion, this means creating a wardrobe of timeless, versatile pieces that don’t follow fleeting trends.
Fashion Movements (Fashion Revolution)
Movements like Fashion Revolution, which was sparked by the Rana Plaza disaster, aim to bring transparency to the fashion industry. Through initiatives like Who Made My Clothes, these movements advocate for worker rights and sustainable practices.
Who Made My Clothes Campaign
The Who Made My Clothes Campaign is a global movement launched by Fashion Revolution following the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in 2013, which exposed unsafe working conditions in the fashion industry. The campaign urges brands to reveal their supply chains and asks consumers to hold them accountable by posing the question, “Who made my clothes?” Through social media and the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes, it encourages individuals to demand transparency, ethical production, fair wages, and better conditions for garment workers worldwide.
Wardrobe Challenges (Project 333, 10 x 10 Challenge)
Wardrobe challenges like Project 333 or the 10 x 10 Challenge encourage participants to create capsule wardrobes with a limited number of items. These challenges highlight the versatility of a small wardrobe while promoting mindful consumption.
30 Plus Wears Challenge
The 30 Plus Wears Challenge is a sustainable fashion initiative encouraging individuals to commit to wearing each clothing item at least 30 times. The challenge promotes mindful consumption by helping people assess how often they truly wear their garments before feeling the need to purchase something new. By focusing on re-wearing clothes, participants are encouraged to invest in quality over quantity, choosing versatile pieces that will stand the test of time.
Need a Little Extra Help?
If you’re looking for some personalized guidance, Sparkpick’s stylists and transformational guides have got you covered! Our styling team is here to help you embrace sustainable fashion by focusing on mindful shopping, choosing quality over quantity, and making the most of your favorite pieces. Whether you want to build a capsule wardrobe or explore eco-friendly brands, we’ll make sure your style aligns with a more conscious, planet-friendly lifestyle. Let’s create something amazing together!
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