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- Moolberry Contenidos
- Sustainable fashion
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What is sustainable clothing? - Understanding the concept
In recent years, it has become common to hear the term sustainability as a driver of the change in mindsets needed to address the advance of climate change and its negative consequences in all areas. Only a greater sensitivity to the enormous damage that ferocious consumption does to the environment and to the lives of people, especially the most vulnerable, will bring about the social and economic transformation needed to protect the environment and leave a better world for our children.
One of the big areas where we need to be more sustainable is fashion, but what is sustainable clothing, and which sustainable clothing brand can help us achieve stylish and affordable sustainable fashion?
What is sustainability?
Although it is a concept that may seem very recent, its emergence dates back to 1987, when it appeared in the Brunstland Report: Our Common Future. A United Nations document which for the first time drew attention to the drastic environmental consequences associated with industrialisation and globalisation.
Sustainability is a process that seeks to guarantee the needs of the present, but with future generations in mind and without compromising their future. Sustainability rests on three basic pillars and we can find three facets:
Environmental sustainability: from this perspective, humanity has to assume that nature is not an inexhaustible source of resources, and its rational use and protection must be planned. A sustainable policy that seeks to preserve biodiversity, but without giving up on social and economic progress.
Economic sustainability: encouraging economic growth with a more equitable distribution of wealth and always trying to safeguard the environment. Sustainability that seeks to make social and environmental sustainability profitable.
Social sustainability: a search for social cohesion to achieve an optimum quality of life in all aspects, from education to health.
These three pillars represent a challenge for today's society, the only possible solution being to address the problems from a global perspective and adopting a development model based on sustainability. A model of progress that seeks not to break the delicate balance of nature and not to endanger tomorrow’s resources.
What does sustainable clothing mean?
On an economic level, the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries, but it is also one of the earliest to start looking for solutions, although it is a slow process that requires effort from designers and manufacturers, as well as from customers. It is important to start looking at macroeconomic indicators that show the ecological and social character of companies in order to evaluate them and see if they are really sustainable. Thus, within the fashion industry, we would consider sustainable clothing to be that which follows the following points:
Clear criteria for the conservation of natural resources.
Use of ecological materials or materials with low ecological impact and always recyclable.
Reduction of the carbon footprint in all activities, from the production of raw materials to the sale of fashion garments.
Respect for workers' labor conditions.
The concept of sustainable fashion has been gradually changing and expanding from eco-labelling to broadening its goals and criteria and also involving itself in these three basic pillars of sustainability: environment, economy and sustainability. Thus, we can define sustainable clothing as the type of clothes that have a low ecological impact because they are made from recyclable and sustainable materials, are committed to the conservation of natural resources, have a minimal carbon footprint and are manufactured, distributed and marketed by workers with decent working and economic conditions.
Sustainability as a response to fast fashion
Nowadays, many designers, brands, models, influencers and celebrities have turned to sustainable fashion, committing themselves to the future and opting for slow fashion as a formula to slow down the effects of fast fashion. A model of accelerated consumption that has turned fashion into one of the most polluting industries in the world and one of the least sustainable.
The expansion of the fashion industry since the mid-20th century, in addition to the large volumes of sales that are handled and a need to constantly innovate and always present the latest trends are at the origin of this fast fashion model. A fashion that introduces new collections at an accelerated pace, manufacturing them at low cost and offering consumers the possibility of renewing and expanding their wardrobe at affordable prices and on a continuous basis. Some brands offer up to 50 collections of clothes a year, as opposed to the traditional two collections a year.
Social networks have also contributed to the exponential growth of fast fashion by promoting consumerist messages and turning many Instagram, Facebook or Youtube accounts into showcases for this type of fashion. In addition, people want to be photographed wearing different clothes every day, to create daily outfits that are surprising for their followers, and these cheap collections are one of the best options to achieve this.
Fashion has thus become a consumer good for the masses, with clothing consumption increasing by up to 400% in the last 20 years, and it is estimated that the average use of a new item of clothing is now only 7 times before it is discarded. A form of consumption that has resulted in a high consumption of natural resources and an increase in waste and emissions. On the other hand, studies have revealed that there are some 40 million workers in the textile sector in the world, 85% of whom are women, most of them minors, with salaries that do not exceed two dollars a day and working under unacceptable conditions.
Given this panorama, is sustainable fashion a utopia or is it still possible to make this change? The alternatives exist and they offer us truly sustainable solutions. At Moolberry we have accepted this challenge and we present ourselves as an online sustainable clothing brand that tries to bring this new model of fashion consumption to as many people as possible, always promoting quality, sustainability and price.
Moolberry's commitment to sustainable fashion
Although it is a slow process, sustainable fashion is finding its place in the industry and festivals, courses and conferences are already being held, with the Jornadas de la Moda Sostenible being held in Madrid for the last few years.
Moolberry has joined this project and is committed to controlling the entire life cycle of a garment, from raw materials to manufacturing, manufacturing, transport, sale, use and recycling. A process that must adhere to a series of basic criteria that Moolberry strictly follows.
Thus, Moolberry's commitment to sustainability and ecology is based on:
The conservation of natural resources and the search for a low environmental impact in all aspects.
The use of recyclable materials, not resorting to the mixing of fibres, of complex recycling.
The search for efficiency, as well as minimising the consumption of auxiliary products and reducing pollution by not using toxic products and trying to reduce pollution during the transport of materials and garments.
Greater durability of garments by opting for timeless designs, quality fabrics and excellent tailoring.
Respect for labour rights and fair trade to achieve a fairer distribution of wealth. The aim is to prevent a few companies from monopolising the market and exploiting the natural resources and workers of the countries where they have their factories.
At Moolberry we offer both physical shops(via our sustainable fashion franchises) and an online sustainable fashion shop. An offer that we bring you through our wide catalogue of sustainable garments, as well as using the best technology for efficiency, quality and good prices. A sustainable clothing brand that offers you the answer you were waiting for.
We are a responsible company and we take care of all the details, from the creation of the garment to the end of its useful life, offering a second chance to the clothes that you no longer want to wear or that no longer fit you.
An efficient, supportive and sustainable production model that allows us to offer a wide range of articles. Garments made in Spain, as well as in Portugal, France and Italy. A local production model that offers the necessary flexibility to be able to offer a wide variety of garments and meet the orders and expectations of our customers.
Do not hesitate and discover in our online catalogue a collection of sustainable dresses, jackets, shirts, t-shirts, trousers, skirts and all the garments you are looking for. We look forward to seeing you at Moolberry online and in any of our Moolberry shops!
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