3 Reasons Why sustainable fashion is important

3 Reasons Why sustainable fashion is important for the environment and for you

Sustainable fashion is important because we only have one planet and making conscious choices can help save it from the destructive human impact. Not only does buying consciously help the environment, but it helps the people who live in it too, including you. Sustainable and ethical fashion doesn’t mean you have to walk around in an ill-fitting potato sack or dull, boring clothes, here at Sancho’s we provide style and affordability to those wanting to make positive changes. Read on to find out more about why we need sustainable fashion…

• It’s better for the planet

From forest fires in Australia and California, to changes in Arctic ice levels and widespread increases in the intensity of extreme weather phenomena, the scale of humanity’s impact on the environment is being realised and will continue to increase unless we change our habits (IPCC 2007). With the fast-fashion industry contributing 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (Quantis2018), changing the way we think about fashion and how we buy our clothes can make a huge difference.

Choosing sustainable brands or items made from sustainable fabrics, like organic cotton, can massively reduce your carbon footprint and the amount of chemicals used to manufacture products.

• It’s better for the workers

Sustainable fashion is so important as it provides textile workers with better wages and better working conditions. Currently, minimum wages in the industry are only half of what can be considered a living wage, and even then, over 50% of workers aren’t even paid that (Global Fashion Agenda) .

It’s a feminist issue too. The majority of textile workers are women (Feminism India), but their wages would not be enough to buy an outfit from the fast-fashion brands who employ them. In Ethiopia, the average garment worker earns $26 a month. Sustainable fashion, and the improved working environments that go with it, have a knock-on effect. Better wages mean that children can finish school, nutrition can improve, and people can escape the vicious cycle of poverty.

Through switching to more sustainable options, you’re giving people and their families a better quality of life, reducing poverty and valuing their work. The fashion industry has opportunity to create large-scale social change for millions (Global Fashion Agenda).

• It’s better for you

Sustainable fashion doesn’t just help the environment, the workers and the world, it helps you. Sustainable and ethical garments are made better and with safer materials. This means you don’t have to throw away your see-through leggings or that dress you could only wear once because it ripped after 2 wears. The problem won’t exist in the first place. Organic materials also mean that you don’t have to worry about the chemicals going near your skin.

Consuming less also saves you money. Having staple pieces in classic shapes mean you can never go out of fashion, so you don’t have to constantly buy fast-fashion pieces to stay on trend. If after a few years, holes start to appear, you might even be able to brush up on your Year 9 sewing skills and repair those treasured pieces (saving you even more money).

Buying less but buying better means that you’ll have clothes that make you look fabulous for years.

Sustainable fashion is so important.The reality of the climate crisis is unavoidable, people are being exploited and fast fashion is reinforcing a disposable culture. Making a difference starts with you. Your conscious choices have impacts globally. Sustainable fashion will reduce the amount of emissions produced by the industry, and therefore slow climate change. It will pay workers what they rightly deserve and improve lives. And if that isn’t reason enough, it will help you. Who doesn’t want higher quality, longer lasting garments?

Making sustainable choices will help change society for the better and force companies to change their habits.

Written by Alice Smith