How to find sustainable fashion brands

There’s an expression that says ‘don’t buy problems’. It is often used by minimalists as a reminder to avoid purchases that bring unintended consequences, stress or financial burden. The same principle can be applied to fashion, especially fast fashion, which is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. From carbon emissions to textile waste, fashion’s environmental impact is staggering. 

Enter ‘sustainable’ fashion brands. These are brands that aim to minimize their environmental and social harm by prioritizing responsibly sourced materials and fair labor practices. They focus on conserving resources, reducing waste and promoting transparency in their supply chains.

There’s an expression that says ‘don’t buy problems’. It is often used by minimalists as a reminder to avoid purchases that bring unintended consequences, stress or financial burden. The same principle can be applied to fashion, especially fast fashion, which is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. From carbon emissions to textile waste, fashion’s environmental impact is staggering.

This all sounds positive, except that sustainability has become such a buzzword that some brands misuse it as a marketing tool. So, is it possible to find truly sustainable fashion brands and shop more ethically without ‘buying the problems’ that fashion can entail?

Shopping sustainably is more than buying ‘green’

While shopping from ethical fashion brands is a step in the right direction, real sustainability means rethinking our consumption habits.

Instead of endless cycles of ‘ethical’ purchases, the focus should be on longevity and mindful consumption. Investing in timeless, high-quality staples instead of trendy, short-lived pieces makes a real difference.

According to WRAP, an environmental action NGO, extending a garment’s life by just nine months can reduce its carbon, water and waste footprints by 30%.

Shopping second-hand is another way to extend the life of clothing and reduce the demand for new production.

Taking damaged clothes to a tailor or learning to mend them can also reduce waste and save money. Sustainable fashion advocates call this ‘fixing instead of ditching’, and online communities like Fixing Fashion are helping to make it cool.

Beware of greenwashing

If you really want to buy new, watch out for brands that claim their products are greener than they are. This is called greenwashing and can undermine the efforts of ethical fashion brands that are actually doing what they say. Some brands create a single ‘sustainable’ line while the rest of their business model remains exploitative and wasteful.

We’ve put together a handy explainer about greenwashing, but common red flags include vague and unsubstantiated claims like ‘eco-friendly’,‘carbon neutral’ and ‘recyclable’. For example, some plastics used in clothing (like polyester and acrylic) are technically recyclable but often still end up in landfill without proper recycling infrastructure or equipment. 

Where to find sustainable fashion brands

The good news is that amid the noise and marketing ploys, it is possible to make informed choices that at the very least, can help minimize harm. The resources below independently rate or review fashion brands based on a range of sustainability criteria and make that information freely available to use.

Good On You

Good On You is one of the largest resources of its kind. It rates thousands of clothing and beauty brands based on their impact on people, animals and the planet.

The platform’s scoring system assesses over 100 issues across brands’ supply chains. These range from material sourcing and labor conditions to packaging. Larger brands, which inherently have greater impacts and influence because of their size, have to meet higher standards.

Brands receive one of five ratings from ‘Great’ to ‘We Avoid’, making it easy to identify the most people and planet-friendly options.

Beaker

Another rating platform is Beaker. Although smaller than Good On You, Beaker offers an intuitive ranking system. Brands are scored from 0 to 10 based on various environmental and ethical practices. A score above six (marked in green) indicates better-than-average sustainability, while lower scores (marked in orange or red) signal brands to avoid.

It is worth noting that Beaker is a comparison platform. This means that a brand with a high score is not necessarily perfect or doing everything it should to be considered a sustainable fashion brand. Rather, it is doing better than the average. Even so, Beaker is a useful resource, particularly for comparing popular fashion brands.

EcoCult

Founded by fashion journalist Alden Wicker, EcoCult takes an investigative approach to sustainable fashion, beauty and travel. The website provides in-depth research and challenges misleading marketing claims. However, the content is not always updated regularly, and its focus is mainly on buying better – which is no bad thing in itself – but pays limited attention to buying less.

The bottom line

Shopping sustainably isn’t only about switching to ethical fashion brands, it’s also about rethinking our consumption habits. Prioritizing quality over quantity, embracing pre-loved fashion and staying alert to greenwashing can significantly reduce fashion’s environmental impact.

If enough of us make these changes, the fashion industry will have to respond. Research suggests that it takes just 25% of a population to adopt a new behavior to trigger a social tipping point – one that might convince the industry that genuine sustainability is a trend that’s here to stay.