A #Curated list of 20 Interesting Facts on Sustainable Fashion Changing the World!

Years ago, it wouldn’t even have come to our minds if the clothes we wore were organically or ethically produced. We didn’t really pay attention if the clothes used animal fur or if they were a result of recycling to reduce the ill-effects on the environment.

Times have changed.

Welcome the vegan way of life! We are more ecologically aware today. We don’t want to do anything that will jeopardise the state of the environment. Nowadays, we see a plethora of brands slowly on the path of implementing a sustainable and ethical set of practices for manufacturing clothes.

So, what is sustainable fashion exactly about, you might ask? Sustainable fashion has two sides to it. One is about producing clothes, shoes, and accessories in environmentally and socio-economically friendly ways. The other is about adapting or bringing a shift in consumer attitudes and behaviour so that they embrace sustainable patterns of use. Both need to have a balance.

Here’s a look at twenty interesting facts that relate to sustainable fashion.

20 Facts about Sustainable Fashion You’d Definitely Want to Know!

1. It takes about 7000 litres of water on an average to produce a single pair of jeans. Woah! That’s as much as the amount of water you’d probably drink in 5 to 6 years.
2. Greenpeace, the community that works to support the planet, estimates that almost 20% of clothes in the wardrobe of consumers are not even worn once. Time to become more responsible.
3. On an average, an e-commerce business utilises about 30% less energy than a typical brick and mortar retail outlet. So, you know why adding to the virtual cart is an even more fantastic idea.
4. Eco fabrics are the way to go. It takes half an acre of land to grow Tencel fibre but cotton needs 2.5 acres to grow the same amount. Cotton also consumes gallons of water. Rethink and make the switch.
5. Air drying clothes is an environment-friendly practice. Drying your clothes naturally just 6 months a year can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide.
6. Many designers have begun using khadi and organic cotton as a base material and are resorting to measures such as zero waste production using natural dyeing and upcycling and implementing fair trade practices.
7. Fabric discards as a result of cutting patterns account for over 15% of cloth. Designers are using their creativity and expertise to upcycle the fabric discards and prepare aesthetically beautiful pieces.
8. Fur may look chic but is banished for good since it is considered cruel by the sustainable fashion enthusiasts.
9. Natural colours, vegetable and herbal dyes have replaced chemical dyes.
10. Eri silk has emerged as a preferred fabric in this age of sustainable clothing. Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya account for 95% of world’s Eri silk production. After the worm becomes a moth, it sheds the cocoon that can be later upcycled to make yarn and fabric. No additional resources are required to produce it.
11. Designers are constantly trying to source fabric from organic farms that deploy cruelty-free methods of silk cultivation and avoid using pesticides and GMO.
12. Just as the trend of opting for organic and preservative-free foods at fantastic prices, people today are increasingly inclined toward paying premium prices for sustainable clothing.
13. When consumers opt for sustainable fashion, quality takes precedence over quantity because organically produced clothes come with higher price tags.
14. Traditional methods of hand spinning, weaving, and natural dyeing take precedence over mechanisation in the world of sustainable fashion today.
15. Traditional crafting techniques often help in making the fabric softer with each wash, hence yes to Handlooms!
16. Consumers are more inclined towards donating used clothes than discarding them, which means lesser pressure on the environment.
17. The world is moving towards slow fashion, which is a positive sign. Fast fashion brands have rendered wardrobes useless at such speeds that you are left in no man’s land every time you think whether you must keep those as-good-as-new clothes or do away with them.
18. Can you believe cow poop converts to a sustainable fabric? Cow manure features cellulose that can be turned into a biodegradable fabric called Mestic. The clothes made with this innovative idea are affectionately labelled as a part of the “Manual Couture” line.
19. There has been a 100% increase in Google search for sustainable fashion in 2017.
20. 3D printed garments get a loud cheer in the world of sustainable fashion. Printing materials have become immensely eco-friendly and give this kind of printing an ethical advantage.

Steady Progress Towards Sustainable Fashion

Curation of best practices comes slowly, not overnight. As a globally renowned Institute, JD Institute of Fashion Technology inculcates a strong sense of ethics and think up novel ways of helping the environment as a part of its curriculum in Fashion Design.

As a part of our previous, theme of change, we insist to refrain from using chemicals and synthetic raw materials that are not bio-degradable and interfere with the quality and efficacy of the available resources.

However, one advice from JD Institute of Fashion Technology to Consumers is that they need to pause and think as to where the clothes they wear have come from and the methods used to produce them. Try to make a difference for a little help from your side can make the world a better place.