Judging Sustainability Claims in Clothing

FASHION · GLOBAL

Judging Sustainability Claims in Clothing

What the terms mean, certifications worth knowing, microfibres and buying less

Sustainability language in clothing is largely unregulated, which means the words are chosen by marketing departments. A few checkable things sit behind the vaguer claims.

What the vague terms mean

Eco, conscious, green and responsible have no legal definition. A claim is only meaningful if it names what was done, to what proportion of the product, and ideally who verified it.

Regulators in several countries have begun acting against unsubstantiated environmental claims, which is why wording has become more careful.

Certifications worth recognising

GOTS for organic fibre and processing, OEKO-TEX for tested chemical content, and the Global Recycled Standard for verified recycled content. Fairtrade and similar schemes cover labour rather than environment.

A logo without a licence number is worth checking.

Recycled polyester

Usually made from bottles rather than old clothing, which takes plastic out of one stream and into another that cannot be recycled again. It sheds the same microfibres as virgin polyester.

Microfibres

Synthetic textiles shed plastic fibres with every wash. Washing less often, at lower temperatures, with full loads and using a filter bag all reduce it measurably.

Natural is not automatically better

Conventional cotton uses substantial water and pesticide. Wool, leather and viscose each have their own impacts. Durability and how long you keep something matters more than the fibre.

Caring for clothes

Washing cooler, less often and with full loads extends the life of everything and reduces energy and microfibre release at the same time. Air drying rather than tumble drying does more than any purchase.

A fabric shaver, a needle and thread and a spare button between them solve most of the reasons clothes get discarded.

At the end

Sell, swap, donate or take to a textile bank, which accepts items too worn to wear. Very little clothing is actually recycled into new clothing, which is why keeping things longer matters most.

Where to spend

Things worn constantly and things that take load — shoes, coats, bags, underwear — justify spending, since they are used daily and failure is obvious. Trend pieces do not.

Check the composition label, which is the most honest part of any listing.

Second-hand first

Resale, charity shops and swaps put nothing new into the world and are where the largest savings are. Most clothing is barely worn at all before being passed on.

The measure that actually matters

How many times a garment is worn. Wearing something a hundred times rather than five does more than any material choice, and repairing rather than replacing does more still.

Buy less overall, choose things you will actually wear, and then look after them properly.

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