Navigating the New Age of Fashion: Trends in Sustainable Sourcing
Fashion labels worldwide are embracing sustainable sourcing for their clothing. Sustainable fashion already holds a 32% share of the global apparel market, with expectations for more growth in the future!
This raises the question of why sustainability has gained popularity over time.
This piece delves into the rising demand for practices in the fashion sector. From identifying the drivers behind the shift towards ethical sourcing to emphasizing the significance of sustainable sourcing methods, we cover all aspects of how the fashion industry increasingly commits to sustainability.
Dive in to uncover all you need to know about how sustainability is shaping the contemporary fashion scene.
The Increasing Demand for Conscious Supply Chains
The increasing demand for sustainable sourcing in the apparel industry stems from several reasons.
The first and arguably most common reason is increasing environmental and social responsibility awareness.
Many leading brands, including Levis and Patagonia, have become more committed to eco-friendly and ethical practices, such as ensuring fairer living wages for garment workers, sourcing raw materials that are grown and harvested responsibly, and implementing recycling and upcycling initiatives to lessen harm on the planet and promote sustainability.
A second major factor includes the response to conscious consumerism. A 2023 study revealed that 78% of shoppers believe sustainability is important, while 55% are willing to spend more on eco-friendly brands. Given the widespread concern for sustainability, it's no wonder why fashion brands are adjusting their efforts to meet consumers' preferences.
Additionally, many governments are implementing environmental regulations in response to climate change, many of which issue penalties to businesses that fail to comply.
For example, the European Union's Emissions Trading System penalizes companies that exceed their carbon emissions allowance. This forces fashion companies that operate within the EU to be more conscious of their practices to avoid financial penalties and supply chain disruptions and ensure regulatory adherence.
8 Best Ways To Improve Your Brand's Sustainability
Sustainability encompasses an assortment of values that combine to make a positive difference, such as respecting the planet, engaging in resourcefulness, and promoting social equity.
By embracing ethical and environmentally conscious practices, you can improve your brand's overall reputation while reducing its impact on the planet.
If you're striving toward greener, cleaner, and more moral operations in your company's supply chain management, consider these eight key strategies:
Choosing Sustainable Materials: Go for materials that have a lower environmental impact, such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, or Tencel.
Maintain Traceability and Transparency: Provide stakeholders and customers with full traceability and transparency by showing the entire journey of your clothing, from garment sourcing to production and shipment. This will encourage people to trust your brand and position it as a reliable and genuinely sustainable business.
Support Fair Labor Practices: Ditch inhumane sweatshop labor! Ensure your employees receive fair wages and operate in safe and humane working conditions.
Reduce Waste: You can minimize the amount of waste thrown out during production by adopting responsible practices, such as small batch production, material recycling, and zero-waste packaging, such as biodegradable plastic, recycled paper, or cardboard.
Collaborate for Impact: Partner with suppliers, charities, and initiatives, such as One Tree Planted, to contribute toward a more sustainable future and overcome environmental challenges.
Always Aim for Continuous Improvement: Help your brand become the best version it can be by regularly assessing and reviewing your supply chain practices. This will help you pinpoint areas for improvement, allowing you to fine-tune your practices accordingly and implement new sustainability initiatives.
Why Is Sustainable & Ethical Sourcing Important in the Fashion Industry?
The fashion industry is notorious for exhausting natural resources, generating mass waste, contributing to global warming, and treating workers unfairly - and that's just the tip of the iceberg!
To put things into perspective, an alarming 10% of humanity's carbon emissions are caused by fashion production, which is more than all the emissions released from international flights and maritime shipping together. The fashion industry's impact isn't just disrupting the planet's ecosystems and overall environment and harming fashion's workforce.
For instance, it's common for garment workers to work in unsafe conditions, with minimal to no breaks, unfairly low wages, and round-the-clock hours. This leads to health problems, emotional and mental stress, and increased poverty.
By embracing more sustainable and ethical sourcing practices, your fashion brand will support a greener future and improve the work-life of employees. To paint a clearer picture of why conscious practices are so important, check out these major benefits:
● Conservation of natural resources, reduced pollution, and decreased carbon emissions.
● Improved brand reputation that appeals to conscious consumers while fostering brand loyalty and trust.
● Improved working conditions, fair wages, and overall respect for workers translate to better livelihoods for employees.
● Long-term resilience to potential resource restrictions, regulatory changes, and supply chain disruptions.
● Meets the growing demand for sustainable products among customers, ensuring continued sales and even a greater market share.
● Compliance with governmental regulations.
FAQs:
Have a question about sustainable sourcing? Check out these ready-answered FAQs:
What Is Sustainable Sourcing in Fashion?
Sustainable sourcing involves seeking materials that are ethically produced and environmentally friendly.
For example, responsibly harvested organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled polyester are excellent examples of sustainably sourced materials used by conscious fashion brands.
In comparison, materials such as conventional polyester, nylon, and acrylic are environmentally harmful and contribute to microplastic contamination, health concerns among garment workers, and increased pollution.
How Does Fashion Sourcing Work?
Fashion sourcing is a key process where brands find, select, and acquire materials needed to bring their designs to life. Beyond choosing materials, it also includes choosing suppliers, negotiating contracts, and even managing logistics to ensure essential production materials are sent to manufacturing facilities.
If you're seeking a reliable, efficient, and versatile supplier, explore Ecico today. We are dedicated to delivering cost-effective and flexible fashion supply solutions tailored to your brand's needs, so you can trust your choosing a trustworthy partner that's committed to excellence and satisfaction. Find out more about Ecico today!