There was a time when the world’s top fashion designers would produce four collections a year — one for each season. But commercial pressures eventually pushed companies into a 12 collections-a-year cycle — a phenomenon known as Fast Fashion.
And this has its critics. “As the clothes get cheaper their quality falls,” says Verena Bax, from the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu). She’s an advocate of Slow Fashion – an alternative path the industry could take, based on fairness, sustainability and care for the environment.
Fair, sustainable or eco-fair — what are the differences?
Many terms are used in the world of sustainable fashion, and many appear similar at first glance. Fair fashion means the items are made with good working conditions along the entire length of the production chain.
Green fashion is made from biodegradable materials and without — as fas as is possible — the use of chemicals.
And these two things often go hand-in-hand, according to Sophia Schneider-Esleben, a sustainability designer from Kassel who is a member of the German Fashion and Textile Designers Association. “Eco-fair combines ecologically sound materials with fairness for all the workers and producers involved”, she says, emphasising that chemical use should be kept to a minimum.
The term “sustainable” is a little more difficult to define, because it is so open to interpretation. “Most designers and labels set their own priorities and specialise in either the fair or ecological aspects,” says Dominique van de Pol, a fashion sustainability specialist from Essen. “Only a few combine both,” she says “and everyone decides for themselves the priorities closest to their heart.”
How do you recognise fair and ecologically sound fashion?
Certified logos or seals — usually attached directly to the label — indicate the standards to which items have been produced. A free App “Seal clarity”, which was set up by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), can help you to understand more about the production standards associated with each logo. You simply click the seal with a smartphone camera and retrieve the information.
Which seals are best known?
The “Global Organic Textile Seal” (GOTS) is the most widespread. It has strict ecological and social criteria which comply with the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s regulations.
The strictest guidelines for a sustainable and social textile production in Europe are provided by the Natural Textile IVN certified BEST Seal, from the International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN). “In the case of outdoor products Blue Sign’s seal on it,” adds Verena Bax from Nabu.
There are two Fairtrade seals: The Cotton Seal covers the first stage of production and certifies that the raw cotton has been produced in an environmentally friendly and fair manner. The Fairtrade Textile Standard governs the manufacturing process of the product. It also ensures fair working conditions right along the supply chain. The seal of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) also covers this.
Aren’t these garments comparatively expensive?
The price of a T-shirt made of organic cotton is often only slightly higher than that of a branded T-shirt made of conventional cotton. Even with a small budget you can now find collections of organic materials in the large high-street chains.
“The targeted purchase of organic collections by customers shows the company which direction it should be going in,” says Dominique van de Pol. – dpa
