Sustainable Fashion & Conscious Shopping: What can we do to save the planet?

The fashion industry is one of the most harmful to the environment. The textile industry had an estimated carbon footprint of 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2015, basically more than all air and sea transport. In the United States alone, in 11 years, the amount of textile waste in landfills has increased by 38%. Doesn't sound good, does it? How can we solve it and what can we do as customers?

Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable fashion is producing and purchasing garments following the harmony of three key factors

:

• The ethical use of human resources in production
• Preserve the environment
• Maintain a balance in the economy

If one of the three components is unbalanced, the brand is not sustainable.

Ethics imply decent conditions and wages, support for local crafts and industries. Sustainable fashion is the rejection of toxic chemical components during production, the transition to ecological fabrics, balance in the economy, the support of regional brands and the approval of social initiatives for financial well-being. Here is a selection of products from brands that practice sustainable fashion:

Consumers themselves play an essential role in the concept of sustainable fashion. By changing their clothing buying patterns and focusing on more conscious consumption, they can influence brand policies. Manufacturers choose sustainable raw materials, optimize logistics and provide a favorable production environment. At the same time, consumers are making an informed choice in favor of sustainable brands and responsibly disposing of old things, in line with their values. When there is a high demand for sustainable fashion, brands invest more in developing eco-technologies and keep prices affordable for customers. Thus, a separate sustainable culture of consumption and production is being formed.

How to correct the situation and dress according to the trend of sustainability?

The best thing to do in this situation is to change the approach to choosing clothes. First of all, many clothes are not synonymous with better, so you don't have to fill your closet with a lot of clothes. You can, for example, limit yourself to essential capsules for each season. Look for the sales on Giuuno.com to buy high quality products that will serve you for a long time. Practice conscious purchases; also keep these additional tips in mind.

- Start looking for garments that belong to the circular fashion system. Study the composition of the fabric and choose only what can be recycled safely. Also, look for places in your city to recycle old wardrobe items.

- Don't ignore the concepts of fashion companies. In 2021 there is a wide variety of brands specializing in sustainable fashion. Their price is completely different, so you don't have to spend multiple paychecks for a piece from Gucci Off The Grid's enduring collection. One of the perfect ethical examples is Brunello Cucinelli.

Conscious shopping

How to balance your wardrobe and shopping without harming the planet?

If you take a look at your closet, you will definitely notice a lot of useless clothes there. We buy 400% more stuff today than we did two decades ago. But we don't need them: 80% of the time we only wear 20% of our wardrobe. By buying another cheap shirt we think we'll save money. But in the end we pay much more. And we are not alone, our planet pays too. You can then begin to gradually change your attitude towards consumption.

Zero Waste philosophy

Zero Waste is a movement that aims to reduce the amount of WasteWaste on the planet. If you start with clothes, you have to follow these three steps:

1. Accept reality. We have a lot of clothes that we don't dispose of responsibly.

2. Manage your wardrobe. Whenever you're eager to revisit your look, due to a change in lifestyle or taste, be honest, generous, and let go of the superfluous.

3. Make things a reflection of yourself. Get inspired to overhaul your wardrobe so it shows who you are. This will allow you to get the most out of things without harming the environment.