5 reasons why choosing a sustainable fashion brand is important.
The fashion industry isn’t an industry you think of first when you think about the problems we have going on in the world right now right?
The battle to tackle climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation, loss of coral reef, water scarcity to name just a few of the problems right now.
The fashion industry should be included in this, it may not be something you think is a problem or that could be part of the solution – we have news for you. It is a big player in environmental and human damage.
Good news – SUSTAINABLE fashion addresses a lot of issues that you may not even of realised. And you can
What does sustainable fashion mean?
Sustainable fashion brands are brands that are considerate to the environment and humanity. The goal is to have systems that work without leaving a negative footprint and reduce the environmental impact where possible.
A negative footprint – this is something we need to consider in all areas of our lives, fitness should not be a negative footprint in our lives, the food we eat shouldn’t impact us negatively, the things you read shouldn’t make you think negatively and the people you are around shouldn’t leave you feeling negative. We will come back to this in another blog – but sustainability and leaving a positive impact or footprint is a health, fitness, mental health thing too!
Back to the topic in hand – here are our 5 reasons why shopping with a sustainable brand where possible can make such a big difference.
- Sustainable Fashion reduces your carbon footprint
Greenhouse gases – a large majority of the clothes we love are petroleum based and made from fossil fuels, including polyester, nylon and acrylics – go check your labels I am sure you will be shocked. This meaning they massively contribute to global warming. These materials take so much more energy to produce than natural or recycled fibres.
Materials that are organic like linen, hemp, cotton or TENCEL™ use less chemicals, less water, less energy and no fertilizers or pesticides to grow. These fab materials are so much kinder to the environment and are great alternatives.
- Sustainable fashion saves resources
A 2015 study shows that 97% of what goes into making clothes are new resources, with only 3% of it being recycled materials. This adds up to an annual resource input of 98 million tons – including oil to produce synthetic fibres, fertilisers to grow cotton and an endless list of chemicals needed to dye & finish fabric.
Recycled fibres are a much more sustainable option, as they reduce pressure on resources and tackle the growing problem of waste management. As a reference, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL® raw material used for our gymwear, 70,000 Barrels of Oil & 57,100 tons of Co2 are saved compared to the production of virgin nylon.
- Sustainable fashion uses less water
Water is a major resources for the fashion industry, for example cotton is highly dependent on water and generally grown in hot countries where water resources is scarce already. It can take on average 2700 litres of water to produce a single t shirt – shocked huh! Organic cotton reduces this amount by 91% as opposed to conventional cotton – BUT only 1% of global cotton production is organic! Buy organic!
Other sustainable fabrics that take little or no water to produce are linen, hemp and recycled fibres, like REFIBRA™
- Sustainable fashion is healthier for the planet, people and does not support child labour.
Fast fashion items undergo an intense chemical process before ending up in our wardrobes. 8000 different chemicals or there a bouts are used to dye, bleach and wet process our clothes. These chemicals can cause diseases, deaths and even child birth defects amongst farmers who produce these clothes.
We can even absorb some of these chemicals through our skin when we wear these items and they can be a danger to our health when wearing – please wash new clothes when you buy them – and always check the label to make sure your items only contain chemicals that are certified such as GOTS and BLUESIGN.
Around 170 million children are used in some form to produce garments according to UNICEF. This is a massive red flag!!!! And do you really want to wear a fast fashion item that a child has slaved over? Brands that truly follow the sustainable and ethical route, systems and process will have details on where their items have been produced! Brands will even show fair trade, fair wear foundation, ethical trading or B Corp certified so check them out! Furthermore they will make sure their staff are fairly paid and working conditions are safe.
- LOVE your clothes like the friends they are!
Time to recognise the impact of our buying decisions, time to take a break from having to have that quick cheap item and maybe save to spend a little more on a sustainable item.
It is easy to look at the piece that looks amazing on an influencer or in the media and forget the story behind it. That’s the power of social media and society wants us to feel. Be aware of the downside of this – There is only one planet likes make it stronger for us, for our future and our planet.
At the end of the day we can chose if we want to be part of the problem or part of the solution. Anna Lappe – every time you spend money you cast a vote for the kind of world you want.
These are just some of the reasons why we have launched our range of sustainable gym and leisure wear – LIFEWEAR. We are just a small drop in a very large ocean, but we hope by bringing some of these points to your attention you will help us, help you be part of the solution! Check out our range HERE