The concept of sustainability was devised in 1987 by the United Nations in the Brundtland Report, also known as Our Common Future. Sustainable development is defined as the development that occurs in the present without affecting the future.
As part of this goal, various initiatives were put in place to use the current resources carefully. Some brands rose with products that were made without any wastage.
For instance, brands like Arnhem Clothing manufacture and promote sustainable clothing, which is a relatively newer concept.
What Is Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion encompasses all environmentally friendly fashion. The entire process of creation, manufacturing, and distribution should be in an environmentally friendly manner.
A common misconception is that you can use sustainable and ethical fashion interchangeably. But the terms represent different ideals. Ethical fashion is related to worker rights, where all the workers should be treated in a humane way.
As a concept, ethical fashion is more practical than sustainable fashion. Moreover, the latter has achieved significant strides in the past decade.
The need for Sustainable Fashion
To understand the need, let us consider a simple example. Cotton is one of the most common materials required to prepare garments. But a look into the growth of cotton reveals astonishing figures.
Producing one kilogram of cotton requires approximately 2,700 litres of water. To put this number into perspective, it is the amount of water an average person consumes in 2.5 years! To add to this shock, one kilogram of cotton can only be utilised to make one T-shirt.
According to a survey, cotton t-shirts made about USD 27.4 billion in international sales in 2020. Imagine the water utilised for the same!
Owing to this colossal waste of resources, sustainable fashion is being encouraged all across the globe.
Why You Should Shop Sustainable
There are several reasons that prevent sustainable fashion from being widely adopted. A huge reason is that customers are oblivious to this industry. In addition, changing fashion trends mean that the clothes you purchase now will be out of fashion in a year.
Even so, there are various brands like Arnhem Clothingthat continuously yearn to make fashion-conscious sustainable clothing.
Here’s a look at some arguments in favour of sustainable fashion.
Reduces Carbon Footprint
With the rising danger of global warming, it is essential to be more conscious of the carbon footprint produced. The global fashion industry usually creates clothes from fossil fuels and petroleum-based products, further increasing greenhouse emissions.
Sustainable brands utilise materials that require less energy to produce and recycle. Additionally, these fabrics need very little water and energy to grow.
Requires Less Water
As evident from the cotton example cited above, the fashion industry uses a lot of water. In comparison, organic cotton consumes up to 91% less water. As a result, your clothes not only help save water but also make you feel a sense of pride.
Unfortunately, only less than 1% of the cotton used is organic. Shop sustainable as you encourage the use of organic materials!
Conclusion
For a concept birthed only less than four decades ago, sustainability has seeped significantly into our lives. The pandemic has already given a boost to this concept since work from home models reduced vehicular emissions immensely.
As the future inches closer, consumers can bring the change by actively supporting sustainable brands.
