Chloe is a French environmental activist who lives in Brussels, Belgium. Not only does she work as a sustainability consultant and campaigner, but she also started her own educational NGO called the Green Seeds Project and is the coordinator of Fashion Revolution Belgium. Chloe is very knowledgeable when it comes to ethical and sustainable fashion, which is why I decided to ask her questions on the topic.
What are your main tips to shop ethically and sustainably, and why?
The best thing to do is wear what you already have, fall back in love with it. If you need something specific, borrow from friends. If you need to buy, buy second hand. If you can’t find it second hand, go for clothes that are high quality and will last a very long time.
I highly suggest going for natural fibres. But natural fibres also have some issues: cotton, for instance, is the crop that requires the most water in the world, and one fourth of all pesticides are used for cotton growing. Organic cotton is better but still requires as much water. It is definitely not the ideal solution, but at least it is a natural fibre. The reason why natural fibres should be prioritised over synthetic ones, is that synthetic fibres are made out of plastic. So, not only are materials like polyester made from oil, which requires very intensive production processes, but it also releases incredible amounts of micro-plastics during the washing process. Micro-plastics from synthetic fibres shed and go into our waters and are known to be one of the primary sources of plastic in the oceans.
Other natural fibres also have their downsides. For example, bamboo require a very chemically intensive process to be turned into fabric.
The thing is, every material has it pros and cons. Nowadays, researches are being made on regenerative fibres, such as seaweed. More information here: https://www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2017/05/11/new-sustainable-seaweed-fabric-seacell/
The best thing you ca do, to make the best choices, is doing your research. If you don’t have time for it, go for second hand, it will always be the most sustainable option when you need to buy something.
And finally, it is also important to try and choose clothes that are 100% of one fibre, whenever possible. Only 15% of clothes are recycled, because when different materials are mixed together, it is very complicated and expensive to separate the fibres in order to recycle them.
How do you know if a brand is really sustainable and ethical, or if it is greenwashing?
If you have suspicions, chances are it is greenwashing. A brand that isn’t greenwashing will be transparent about it. It won’t be complicated to find information about their production process. Many brands will make big claims with no evidence to back them up. Also, keep in mind that some brands are ethical but not sustainable, and the other way around.
Fashion is very confusing because the labels are very poorly done. Ideally, one day we will have one label that will say if a product is ethical and sustainable but, until then, it will stay hard to navigate.
What are other alternatives?
Renting clothes is a great option, and it is becoming more and more popular. At least 100 billion new clothes are produced every year. It is crucial that we start becoming less into possessions, and start renting and borrowing instead of buying.
What do you think are the main issues we should tackle, when it comes to fast fashion?
We should try to get out of the temporary trends, which is hard because of the marketing around it. Ads are really pushing products onto us. Social media also plays a huge part in this because influencers have very highly paid partnerships with fast fashion brands, they wear different clothes on all photos, and it makes it feel like it’s normal and almost required to change outfits every day.
The main issue is overproduction and overconsumption. We need to go towards something slower. Buying the same amount of clothes but ethical and sustainable isn’t the solution. We need to buy less and learn to enjoy and value what we already possess.
Finally, there is also a real issue of inclusivity: most of the time, sustainable and ethical fashion is very expensive. It’s hard to tell someone who’s struggling to make ends meet, to buy a 50€ t-shirt from an ethical and sustainable brand, rather than a 5€ t-shirt from H&M. We have to meet people where they are.
It is still a long road ahead, but we can do it.
Learn more about Chloe on these platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreenmonki/
The Green Seeds Project: https://www.thegreenseedsproject.com/