Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable fashion is one of the main problems in the fashion industry today. From issues concerning the work place through to waste in materials, there are ways companies are trying to overcome this and trying to improve on sustainability.
Clothing alone is one in which fills many landfills across the world. Textile waste mainly comes from factory waste after the cutting of the materials and it also comes from us when we have that old worn out t-shirt and just throw it away without a thought.  This is happening all over the world, and though there are so many people who are in need of clothing such as those in extreme poverty, It is an ongoing battle and brands all over are trying to help these problems. One brand who are known for their amazing sustainability is H&M. Examples of what they do to help encourage sustainability is having 'garment collecting boxes' in their stores so people can but their unwanted clothes in there so that they can be either reworn or recycled. This is to stop wasting clothes that still have some life in them and also to stop filling our landfills with textile waste. H&M also care hugely for working conditions. This is why they don't use factories to make their clothing and are made from independent suppliers. They also make sure everyone working for their suppliers have a fair wage and are treated with the upmost respect.

 An example of a working condition travesty is when Primark's clothing factory collapsed in Bangladesh 2013. This was an awful thing to have happen and sadly killed at least 386 people. It was mainly young women who worked here and made cheap clothes for Primark. This shows that when we pay near to nothing for our clothes, this is mainly a sign that people are not getting paid much to make them and the factories are crowded and not in great condition. This is a place where you buy clothes which are easily disposable and you have no care or thought when they get a little worn out or old. But where does it end? Is it acceptable to buy clothes which are made from people who earn near to nothing to make them? Is it ok to buy clothes from a brand that has such bad working conditions that people have lost their lives over? Because of this, I feel paying more for a garment seems more acceptable knowing that the working conditions are fair and ethical.

My tips which I learnt from H&M for being sustainable is to Reuse, Recycle or Rewear. If you have a T-shirt which is a bit boring, maybe cut it up, get creative and make something different out of it. Have an old pair of jeans? Turn them into summer shorts. Sometimes you can make something you're not so keen on, into something you wear non-stop! If a garment is completely ruined, reuse it and use it as a cloth or another product. If none of that sounds appropriate, you could always simply recycle your old clothes and they will be used for their fibres.

Thank you for reading