Sustainable fashion is also known as green fashion or ethical fashion. Sustainable fashion is only a small part of a bigger sustainable design system in which a product is designed, created , marketed and sold with consideration of the impact that product will have on the planet during and after its total working life span, this is known as a ?carbon footprint? of the product in question.



The fashion industry has not been very active in terms of environmentalism, with the only form of environmentalism being a small percentage of sales that is donated to any charity. Today there is a shift in the trend and more and more designers are now trying to reduce the impact that their industry is having on the environment. Many designers are now opting for environmentallyfriendly raw materials for their products, and the use of socially responsible clothing production methods.

A (NPO) non profit organization named Earth Pledge, (whose main goal is to support , encourage, and promote sustainable development), says that at conversion of raw materials into textiles makes use of up to 8.000 chemicals, and that growing non organic cotton makes up about 25% of the worlds pesticides. The damage to the environment caused by these chemicals and pesticides is permanent and irreversible. After this there is a remaining two thirds of the garments carbon footprint that is still to occur after a buyer purchases the product.

The sustainability of a material depends on a lot of things; firstly there is the material that the product is made from. When dealing with the sustainability of a material we consider whether it is renewable or not. Does its production employ the use of renewable sources of energy. The process into which the fiber is turned into a textile product is of importance, because nowadays a lot of chemicals are used in the production of textiles most of these chemical are not disposable, are highly flammable, toxic and could harm the environment. The sustainability of a product also takes into consideration the working conditions that the workers in the textile factories are subjected to. And finally there is the clothing item's entire carbon footprint.

The use of natural fibers as opposed to synthetic fibers is of central concern for sustainable fashion. Natural fibers are those fibers which can be found in nature and occur naturally. There are two groups of natural fibers cellulose and plant fiber.

Sustainable fashion has been well received around the world with many designer and famous celebrities supporting and promoting the movement. The movement continues to grow and has finally proved itself to be more than just a trend.