But what’s wrong with H&M’s recycling?

H&M advertises their recycling program to make consumers believe that all the clothes will be remade into new clothes, or their recycled clothes are 100% post-consumer recycled materials. This is, unfortunately, not the case. 60% of these clothes go into resale in other countries and then 35% of these clothes are downcycled as insulation. Only maybe 5% are recycled into new fibres for their clothing, and those clothes aren’t 100% recycled materials either. Recycling natural fibres such as cotton or wool reduce their quality, and have to be mixed in with more virgin fibres. 

Author and environmentalist Elizabeth Cline is sceptical of H&M’s recycling initiative for many reasons. “The reason why H&M is focusing on textile recycling is that it’s an easy sustainability win for them. It doesn’t involve them changing their production model at all.” So if we’re focused on recycling being the solution to sustainability, we’re advocating for a waste-based model – and that needs to stop.

So what can we do with our old clothes, in good and poor condition? Well, we’ve shaved off some time and effort for you with this list of things you can do with your old clothes. However, if you want to give donating and recycling a try, read on to see where your old belongings will truly have a second life! 

Where to donate your clothes in Singapore

1. SSVP Shop (Society of Saint Vincent de Paul)

The SSVP Shop is a social enterprise project by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, located seven-minutes away from Aljunied MRT. The items in the store are secondhand items such as clothes, bags, kitchenware and household items that were donated. Donation drop-offs are by appointment only and a maximum of two shopping bags are accepted due to manpower and storage constraints. All the proceeds from the shop go towards helping the less fortunate. 

What they take in: Please refer to their website for their ‘Wishlist’ items, which includes clothes, accessories, bags, electronics, household items, all in good condition.

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2. Metta (Metta Welfare Association)

It is a non-profit organisation that provides social service programmes to the community. Metta collects donated preloved clothing in collaboration with a local socially responsible recycling organisation. The organisation will then decide which donated items to use and distribute to their beneficiaries or centres once they have been accepted. Donations can be deposited in the recycle bin at their Simei office.

What they take in: Clothes, electronics, IT equipment, groceries. 

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3. The Barn

Managed by volunteers, The Barn is a thrift shop under Cornerstone Community Services with outlets in Katong, Ang Mo Kio and Penjuru. The store sells preloved consumer goods from the community e.g. accessories, clothes, shoes, household appliances, toys and other miscellaneous items. The Barn also collaborates with social service agencies monthly to visit selected housing estates and offer their products to the residents there. Donations can be made during the opening hours of each respective outlet. 

What they take in: Clothing, accessories, bags, electronics, toys, sports equipment, household items, all in good and working condition.

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4. Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is dedicated to meeting the needs of the poor and marginalised in the community without discrimination. You can pass on your pre-loved or new belongings and also have a look at what they have! Drop off items to their Donation In-Kind booths in these locations.

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), books & toys, bags & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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5. MINDS

MINDS Social Enterprise is run as part of the MINDS Employment Development Centres. Here they provide vocational training to adults with intellectual disabilities. MINDS learn the day-to-day operation of managing the store and sorting of goods. This then gives them the opportunity to interact with customers and develop social skills. Recycle items in new or pre-loved conditions by donating them, all sales proceeds go to their MINDS trainees as allowance.

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), books & toys, bags & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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6. Something Old Something New

Something Old Something New (SOSN) is a social enterprise thrift shop and a platform to train and equip persons recovering from mental health issues. They train them with retail and logistic skills to boost their employability. It’s also a “green” enterprise which operates with the “reduce, reuse and recycle” principles. SOSN would be accepting donations of new or preloved items at Farrer Park, Pasir Ris, Woodlands and Yishun outlets.

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), bags & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

Website

7. New2U

New2U is a thrift shop that sells pre-loved clothing, accessories, household items, ornaments, books and etc. starting from as low as S$1.00. This is an initiative by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations to encourage customers to steer away from fast fashion brands at a similarly low price, towards more unique finds that make fashion circular. Proceeds from the store go towards the Star Shelter and the various SCWO Initiatives.

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), books & toys, bags & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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8. Wacoal

Recycle any of your old or damaged bras with Wacoal. Their Bra Recycle programme aims to gather old bras and turn them into eventual products that will benefit the environment. From 25 Wacoal outlets, you can get a Bra Recycling Bag to store your old bras, and drop the package off into their bra recycling bin. Keep your eye on their Facebook page to learn about their next collection drive. 

Presently, their Bra Recycling programme is not accepting any donations but you can follow their socials to be in the loop about future programmes.

What they take in: Bras of any brand or size, can be old or damaged.

Facebook 

9. Ten Feet Tall

Consider dropping off your old school or sports shoes to Ten Feet Tall’s shoe bank. They polish and pack every pair with a handwritten note from one child to the next wearer to schools in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and India. The shoes continue to help prevent disease but they will also allow children to attend schools and receive an education, and provide a path to employment for many who cannot afford a pair of shoes. All while keeping shoes out of landfills too!

What they take in: Any kind of shoes (adults and children’s) in good condition.

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10. Visio Optical

If you have a few pairs of glasses laying about, untouched and neglected, consider donating them for a good cause. Visio Optical runs a spectacle collection programme, where you can donate old or unused eyeglasses. The initiative focuses on providing eyewear to people in nursing homes, day-care centres, underprivileged families and anyone in need. They also offer on-site eye tests, along with the cleaned and prepared glasses. 

What they take in: Old or unused spectacles and sunglasses (even if they don’t have lenses).

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11. Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME)

HOME or Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics is dedicated to supporting and empowering migrant workers who suffer abuse and exploitation. Among medical treatment and legal aid, they also provide clothing, shelter and social support for all vulnerable domestic workers in Singapore. 

What they take in: Men’s and women’s clothes, unopened food or toiletries to the shelter are welcome. They accept craft items such as sewing machines and paints, too.

Website

12. Dress for Success by Image Mission

Here’s a great option to donate your old office attire, shoes, or any professional and formal clothes you don’t need anymore. Dress for Success Singapore by Image Mission is an affiliate of an international non-profit organisation of the same name, and is an agency that helps individuals prepare for a job. Only clients who are referred by charities, non-profit organisations and employment agencies are provided with assistance. Before the job interview, those in need will be professionally styled for a suitable outfit; upon gaining employment, continued support is given with more suitable work attire. Note: Due to overwhelming response, the organisation is presently not accepting donations due to space constraints.

What they take in: Interview and work-appropriate dresses, suits, blouses, jackets, pants, skirts, shoes, bags and accessories, all in good condition.

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13. Pass It On

Pass-It-On, a project managed by The Helping Hand, a Christian halfway house founded in 1987, helps in the rehabilitation of former drug addicts. The project seeks to provide a meaningful way to distribute unwanted, albeit useful items to benefit the needy (home appliances, home furniture, medical aids, mobility aids, learning aids & etc). With Pass-It-On, your used item can be given a new lease of life, and to better the lives of the needy!

What they take in: Please refer to their website for their ‘Wishlist’ items, which includes clothes, shoes, sanitary care, all in good condition.

Website

14. Blessings in a Bag

This award-winning globally recognised community organisation supports children from Singapore’s most vulnerable areas to be themselves in a safe space. They accept donations and have their own ‘Wishlist’ items that can be used for their community programmes.

What they take in: Please refer to their website for their ‘Wishlist’ items. If you have items, please email helloblessings@gmail.com details of your donations with photos and descriptions. They only accept items in ‘like new’ condition, i.e. items you would lovingly present to a friend or to your own children.

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15. Facebook Groups

There are many Facebook groups available where you can donate your old belongings to needy families. Simply post a photo of your items and then choose whom to donate them to. This way you know your preloved items are going to actual people in need, and won’t sit obscured in a donation bin. So, here’s some groups you can join.

1. Blessing of Items For Low-Income Families 
2. Give away/donate item FOC for those who might need
3. Blessings Only Singapore
4. Singapore Second Hand Clothing Sales

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), books & toys, bags & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. You can also donate other items as per necessary. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items. 

Where to recycle your clothes in Singapore

16. Cloop

Cloop is a start-up initiative by Jasmine Tan and Yin Ling Tan that collects reusable clothing and other textiles through recycling bins around the island in partnership with Life Line Clothing. After collection, the textiles are transported to a facility run by Life Line Clothing located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and sorted for reuse and resale where possible. Some of the clothes are also donated to migrant workers at Sprout Hub, MINDS, Bread and Butter, FB freecycle groups as well as to people in the community who need it. 

What they take in: Clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, belts, hats and caps, plush toys and pillow linens deposited in any dry condition.

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17. ActiveSG

ActiveSG is building a shoe waste collection ecosystem by collecting used school shoes, sports shoes, and other rubberised footwear. You can donate your shoes at over 120 collection bins located throughout Singapore in sports centres, community centres, and Decathlon stores. Your shoes will then be recycled into infrastructure materials for sports facilities.

What they take in: All rubberised shoes such as sports shoes, school shoes and football boots (without metal studs) and rubberised slippers and sandals without metal parts. Shoes will need to be dry and clean when dropped off.

Website

18. Greensquare

Greensquare provides free textile recycling services to households and organisations in Singapore. They emphasize on promoting awareness of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) through engaging youths in schools, and increase the number of recycled textiles in Singapore. Clean clothes, shoes and household linen (bedsheets, quilts, curtains, etc) are sorted, then good quality items are sold to secondhand textile importers in developing countries. They also recycle any worn and damaged textiles and sell them as industrial cleaning cloths. Additionally, Greensquare donates 5% of their annual profits to a local children’s charity organization.

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), household linens, bags, belts & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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19. Uniqlo 

UNIQLO has launched a new initiative encouraging customers to participate in giving their unwanted clothing a new life. The ‘re’ in RE.UNIQLO is focused on recycling, reusing and reducing, so waste, carbon dioxide emissions, and resource consumption are reduced throughout product life cycles. Their recycled down initiative was a success, where they took in preloved UNIQLO down garments to redistribute and recycle. By partnering with the United Nations Refugee Agency, they also provided down jackets to refugees, disaster victims, and recycled the rest.  

What they take in: All UNIQLO clothes. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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20. Wing Tai Retail

Wing Tai Retail, known to house brands such as Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, or Warehouse, has collaborated with World Wide Fund For Nature Singapore (WWF-Singapore), to repurpose used garments and reduce textile waste. They also send their clothes to families in need and full proceeds will be donated to support WWF-Singapore’s festival for nature, Earth Hour. 

What they take in: Clothes (men, women, and children), belts & accessories, shoes in new or used condition. Please do not send wet or mouldy items. Kindly donate clean, laundered items.

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There’s been an increasing amount of buzz around the terms ‘sustainable’, ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘natural’, in everything from fashion to food. Unsurprisingly, this comes at a time when we’re all becoming more conscious of what we buy. In particular, the rising interest in sustainability amongst Millennial and Gen Z consumers, coupled with their increase in purchasing power, is influencing businesses to take notice. However, rather than truly going green, certain brands are taking the greenwashing route instead. It’s tough enough for fashion folk to navigate the greenwashing maze, so naturally, it makes everyday consumers confused! Read on for how you can spot and avoid fashion’s ‘fake news’ trap.

What is greenwashing?

In a nutshell, greenwashing is a tactic that companies use to ‘appear’ more sustainable than they actually are. This could mean making false claims about the eco-friendliness of production practices, or purposefully being vague with facts. The term has been around since the 1960s, but American environmentalist Jay Westerveld popularised it in 1986.

How do I spot it?

Greenwashing can come in many forms. Here’s a few indicators you can look out for: 

“When a brand produces just a tiny range of its product line sustainably but promotes itself as conscious, they’re greenwashing. If your company is still profiting off largely unsustainably made goods, then one surely cancels out the other.” 

Why do brands greenwash?

As sustainability becomes increasingly trendy and we all start taking more of an interest, brands want to jump on the bandwagon. Understandably, big fashion brands want to bank on that competitive edge and attract more consumers keen on shopping consciously. But no label can become green overnight; it takes time and resources to embed sustainability into all aspects of a business. Rather than work out the nitty-gritty of truly integrating sustainability into their supply chain, some companies use marketing tactics to paint a greener picture instead. 

On top of that, its been proven that companies do better when they make us feel better about our purchases. Brands who are genuine are more likely to value transparency and share their progress with their customers. Everyone likes to believe that their hard-earned money is going towards something good, be it quality materials and craftsmanship or supporting rural communities. Unfortunately, some brands that greenwash use this narrative to convey the same sentiments to us without making real change. 

How do fashion brands get away with it?

The biggest loophole in sustainability is that it does not have a clear, quantifiable definition. As it stands, terms like ‘ethical’ or ‘eco-friendly’ have no legal meaning, so companies cannot be held accountable for their actions (or lack thereof) by the law. This nuance surrounding sustainability is partly due to the lack of empirical data and government funded research on fashion’s impact.

As more environmental non-profits and other organisations begin to study and dig deeper, we uncover staggering data. Research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that textile manufacturing consumes 98 million tons of nonrenewable resources — from oil that goes into synthetics fibres to fertilisers to grow cotton — and 93 billion cubic meters of water annually. The International Energy Agency estimates that the textile industry also generated 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2016, which means fashion’s carbon footprint is larger than international flights and maritime shipping combined. 

Another reason why brands are able to get away with greenwashing is due to the lack of mainstream public awareness around what really happens behind the scenes in the fashion industry. Before documentaries like The True Cost or even Hasan Minhaj’s episode about fast-fashion, many consumers were unaware of fashion’s supply chain. Garment labels could say ‘Made in Italy,’ despite being manufactured elsewhere. Many prefer natural fabrics, considering it a more  ‘eco-friendly’ choice, but the fact that it takes 2700 litres to make one cotton tee is lesser-known. In short, brands can take advantage of the lack of regulation and public education to continue spewing false information. 

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.” 

— Anna Lappé

How to avoid being a greenwashing victim

1. Don’t let marketing fool you, always look for evidence! Instead of being swayed by fancy terms, check online or in-store for clear information about a company’s sustainability agenda. Brands who genuinely prioritise sustainability will make a point to share it on their website and through their messaging. While this requires more effort, it means you’ll identify greenwashing faster in the future. 

2. When in doubt, look for facts and figures. Truly sustainable fashion brands are more likely to state information about their suppliers, production facilities, materials used and the impact of their decisions. Transparency is always the first step towards accountability. Most importantly, the fashion supply chain is intensely complex. There are many people involved that remain invisible. It’s important to look a bit deeper, such as where a brand’s cotton is farmed or polyester recycled, where is it dyed and produced, and even where they source small stuff like buttons or zippers.

3. Look for certifications — but they’re not the be all and end all. If a brand says that their products are ‘100% organic cotton’ or ‘cruelty-free,’ check whether its been certified. From Fair Trade, EcoCert and B Corporation to PETA, GOTS or BCI, these certifications all serve the same purpose: to evaluate a brand’s sustainable practices.

But remember: sustainability is a journey for brands of all sizes, especially emerging labels. Their suppliers often can’t get certified for a number of reasons, including how expensive certification is. In sum, not seeing a certification doesn’t mean a brand isn’t walking the walk. If you’re truly curious, contact the company about their practices. Most will gladly explain their processes and be as transparent as possible.

4. Natural isn’t always 100% eco-friendly, and vegan doesn’t always equate to cruelty-free. While natural fabrics are favoured by sustainable brands because they are breathable and biodegradable, they still have an impact. Read our WTF: What The Fabric guides on how even cotton and linen have social and environmental ramifications beyond what we can see and feel. The same goes for vegan materials; most of them contain synthetic fibres. So unless you find plant-derived vegan products, take the term ‘vegan’ with a pinch of salt too.

5. Look beyond the overhyped and irrelevant. There are plenty of brands who hype up their sustainable choices to overshadow their other not-so-great ones. For example, recyclable packaging means nothing if a brand isn’t addressing textile waste or changing their business model. Neither does creating a sustainable capsule collection when it doesn’t even constitute 10% of their total production.

6. Focus on brands with a holistic approach to sustainability. Support brands that integrate sustainability into everything they do — not just one collection or a handful of pieces. Look at how they approach product design, manufacturing, shipping, packaging; the works.

Go green, don’t greenwash

The silver lining to all this? The rise of greenwashing in fashion proves that sustainability is becoming a real priority for brands. While you may have been fooled in the past, don’t forget there are companies putting real effort in. In the end, the process of demystifying greenwashing makes you a more conscious consumer, that’s a win. Learning more about the clothes we wear is a major part of anyone’s sustainability journey. Ultimately, it will help you discover better brands whose values truly match yours.

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Given the democratisation and level of access we have to information today, anyone can take steps to make a difference, something Audrey Yang believes in wholeheartedly. Whether your activism is proudly loud or quietly powerful, she shares how every step can make a difference, from starting a conversation to signing a petition. When it comes to translating intention to action, Audrey uses her illustrative skills to break down complex, intersectional topics—from greenwashing to climate change—into digestible snippets anyone can relate to. We chatted to her about how she’s adopted a lower-waste lifestyle, finding her form of activism and what it means to her to be #Down4Earth.

As an individual, what led you down the path of environmental advocacy?

I did not plan to become an advocate, and I can’t pinpoint one single event that made me “wake up”. I arrived here through a gradual process of constant learning and unlearning. Growing up, I was raised to not be wasteful (be it with electricity, or food and so forth) mostly because things cost money. It was also easy to get used to a convenient use-and-throw lifestyle once it became affordable, and it’s tough to see a need to reflect or change.

I crossed that point when I became more aware of my consumption habits of single-use items. It dawned on me that using something for a short while and then throwing it away just didn’t make any sense. I’m referring to things like straws, take-out boxes, cups and bread bags etc. This then got me thinking about product packaging, materials, resources and labour. This helped me see waste in a completely new light. Gradually, I became more conscious of the things I consumed. It became clear that extensively producing something only to use it for a few minutes didn’t make sense. 

Advocacy just fell into place because the kind of work I do tends to be more public. As a graphic designer, I’m able to communicate information visually in a more interesting and meaningful way. For me, I’m simply using my skills for a cause I believe in, with the hope that things can change for the better.

You break down complex topics on instagram. Where has this outlet taken you?

I’ve been creating such content @thisisaudsomee since 2018. While I started by focusing on sustainability, this has slowly evolved to be more reactive to current affairs like the NDP FunPack, helping migrant workers amid Covid-19 and more. 

The main objective for my advocacy work has always been to inspire action for a better world. Eventually, I felt that to be able to do so in a more consistent and organised way, having a dedicated space would help. That is why I started @a.tiny.warrior too, to share about issues on people, animals and the environment through a Singaporean lens. We cover a new topic over a span of 1 month. As we learn about the topic, I provide resources for further reading and avenues for taking action in Singapore. It was heartening to see that the content was able to reach audiences I otherwise would not.

Can you campaign for change without being an ‘activist’? How can more introverted individuals advocate for a greener, more just world?

Definitely! There are so many people planting the seeds through quieter work that we shouldn’t ignore. The label of “activist” is often associated with those who are loud and angry, but there are so many forms of activism. Recently, we’ve seen a rise of “quiet activism” where people are provoking thought and conversation in non-confrontational ways like through art, writing, or their day-to-day interaction with others. In fact, I think this method might be more effective than traditional activism since it is more approachable.

It’s funny how people like to ask me this, because I’m actually an introvert! So really, it is less about whether you’re an extrovert or introvert, but more about translating intentions into actions. Participation can come in different ways, whether you’re leading a protest, making art or signing a petition, the act might differ but the work still counts. Choose a way that is meaningful to you, something sustainable (so you can continue doing so without easily feeling drained) and the rest will follow. 

What do you feel are the most important steps Singapore and the SEA region needs to take towards authentic climate justice?

This is a big one. Other than cutting emissions, converting to greener energies, conserving nature and reducing plastic consumption (a.k.a. the popular big problems), achieving climate justice also means taking into account how we can support the communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. There needs to be a just transition; we shouldn’t be simply swapping to a greener version of our current system. And the word “authentic” is a reminder to be wary of performative gestures that do not actually address the issues. I believe that even though we lack natural resources, Singapore is rich in other areas. We can definitely implement much more than what we currently have in place.

Finally, tell us the ways you’re #Down4Earth and how you feel individuals or brands can be too.

I’m #Down4Earth in several ways, from changing to a lower impact lifestyle to my advocacy work. What keeps me grounded in the belief that what I practice is meaningful. The impact might be small today, but who knows what could happen tomorrow.

As an individual, it’s common to feel powerless, or like any action you take is pointless because you’re “just one person”. But what if 1 billion individuals changed their mindset? The result would be a cultural shift. While a top-down approach is seen to be more powerful and can create a more significant impact, oftentimes the ones setting the policies need to be “convinced” that “the society is ready for it”. Change is only meaningful if there is genuine buy-in, so we see how individual action also drives systemic change. The two have to work in tandem and it’s not about placing responsibility in one or the other.

For brands, the perspective has to be cast wider — is it environmentally-friendly, animal-friendly or people-friendly? The challenge is to start, so just pick one. It’s the same with businesses and individuals; there needs to be an entry point before they can do anything more significant.

#Down4Earth is a social awareness campaign launched by ZERRIN on World Environment Day 2021. The campaign features Singapore-based sustainability advocates with a passion for urban farming, circular fashion, composting and more. They prove that there’s more to sustainability than the quintessential 3 R’s and there’s something everyone can do. Discover more about the campaign. Photography, styling and production by ZERRIN STUDIO.

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Now, creating a capsule wardrobe isn’t a new invention. Our grandparents definitely knew a thing or two about rewearing, repairing and making the most with less. So what is it about this small, curated collection of clothes that has piqued the interest of so many fashion and sustainability enthusiasts? After attempting to build my own, I now understand the hype: there’s so many more benefits to downsizing your wardrobe than just saving space! What’s more, I managed to create 45 looks with just 13 core pieces from ZERRIN’s arsenal of ethical brands and a few honourable mentions from my own closet. Yes, that’s two months worth of outfits! And no, we’re not here to tell you to only wear plain white tees and beige trousers here, this guide will help you build a capsule wardrobe to suit your lifestyle. 

What is a capsule wardrobe?

As its name suggests, a capsule wardrobe is a curated collection of clothes you love that are timeless and versatile enough to be worn continuously and styled in different ways. But if (like me) you spent a minute searching capsule closet ideas on Pinterest and felt flabbergasted by the neatly collaged images of black, white and a touch of denim, you might think it’s not for you. 

The brief said downsized wardrobe, not necessarily devoid of bold colours, prints or personal style. Maybe, if that’s your style you’d probably find it easier to cannonball into building your capsule wardrobe. However, if you’re a bit like me, and can’t live without 50 different outfit choices spanning animal print, floral, clashing patterns or varying silhouettes in the morning, you might be hesitant to dip even a toe. So this is where this guide differs from other capsule wardrobe ideas. Not only will there be no fixed limit to how many clothes you can keep in your capsule wardrobe, but I also encourage you to use it as a tee-off point instead of a strict rulebook.

Having a capsule closet means you don’t need a lot of clothes to make dozens of outfits. Consciously choosing less, but more versatile pieces are the key to making the most of your closet. Plus, owning less means you can afford to invest a little bit more into each piece. Having well-tailored, high-quality and comfortable pieces increases longevity and makes you feel more polished.

Not your average capsule wardrobe

Putting the ‘fun’ in ‘functional’, I believe that having a minimal wardrobe and a maximalist style did not have to be mutually exclusive. It’s all about striking a balance between the suits and the sequins and making sure each found its own place. The last place you want to be is in another closet rut feeling like you have nothing to wear despite carefully curating your capsule. Especially if you’re afraid of repeating outfits, I’ll specify some tips and tricks to squeeze out all the potential from each of your garments. 

Why should you start a capsule wardrobe?

While the proverb ‘the more the merrier’ works for adding guests to a party, applying it to your wardrobe might make you far from merry. Here’s why creating a capsule wardrobe may be your best style solution this year: 

• It helps you downsize your wardrobe yet maximise what you have. Did you know that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time? Having a capsule wardrobe ensures you’re wearing 100% of your wardrobe all the time. Flip your thinking: would you rather have more outfits or more clothes?
• It helps you declutter your mind and purchase more intentionally. A capsule wardrobe helps you improve your relationship with your clothes. We’re often bombarded with thoughts, advertisements and outside opinions of what we should wear. But when you think in terms of a capsule wardrobe, you’re essentially loosening the hold fleeting trends have on your style. Essentially, a capsule closet is a more concentrated view of your style, your priorities, your purchasing habits and so much forth. Because of that, building your capsule wardrobe with pieces you have an emotional connection with helps you be more mindful of the origins of your clothes, who made them and under what conditions. It also helps you think of yourself as a curator vs. a consumer. 
• It’s easier and less time-consuming to get dressed. Capsule closets reduce the stress and ‘decision fatigue’ of getting dressed. This frees up more of your time to get other things done, instead of overthinking which pants go with which top.
• A capsule wardrobe helps you look instantly put together. When you know all your clothes pair well with everything else, you’re able to quickly throw something on without much fuss.
• You save money! Being in an ‘I have nothing to wear’ rut means you’re more likely to impulse shop. Adding high-quality, timeless pieces to your capsule lets you wear them over a long period of time and reduces the cost per wear of all your clothes. 

How to curate your own capsule wardrobe

Step 1: Identify your outfit categories.

You need to know what your closet is meant to accommodate. This means breaking down your wardrobe based on your daily needs. Whether you work from home or have to attend many formal events, you will need to pick your clothes accordingly. The most common categories are work formals, casual, weekend and special occasions. For example, if you spend a lot of time working from home, partake in a few weekend activities, have a more smart-casual style and don’t have many special events to attend, your breakdown might be 40% work formals, 30% casual, 25% weekend and 5% special occasion wear. When you can figure out how big each category’s fraction is, you’ll be more mindful of the pieces you add. 

Important note: this capsule closet does not include uniforms, activewear, sleepwear and underwear so they will not count towards your capsule wardrobe size. 

Step 2: Strike a balance between basics and statements.

If you want to create a capsule wardrobe that you won’t exhaust in a week, you need to mix it in with a good amount of statement pieces with your closet fundamentals to keep things versatile and fresh. Mostly neutral colours will help to mix and match, but not everyone wants to dress in black, white and navy. You need to find what your basics are because basics do not mean the same to everyone. For some, it could be white shirts, jeans or a suit for others, it’s sequinned pants, printed dresses and fedoras.

Choose what suits your style preferences. The easiest way is to pick from the pieces you reach out for the most. The same goes for your statement pieces; pick items that can easily elevate or change the mood of an outfit if you add or remove it. Plus, when it comes to finding the right balance, it’s not as easy as 50/50. Just as you broke down your outfit categories, think of basics and statements relative to your lifestyle needs. A general rule of thumb requires more basics than statements, say ⅗  are basics and ⅖ are statements. However, follow what makes sense for you and feel free to break some rules!

Step 3: Pick your number and stick to it.

While you don’t necessarily have to dwindle your closet down to a neat, round number, it helps to keep track of what you have. Many capsule closet enthusiasts follow Project 333 where you stick to 33 items for 3 months or the 10×10 challenge for those trying a capsule for the first time. More proof that capsule closets don’t have to be dowdy and boring, author Elizabeth Cline even put a bold spin to the 10×10 challenge and called it the Glam Capsule Challenge.

If you’re like me and love the fact that you can create two month’s worth of outfits with just over a dozen pieces, it helps to keep track of a number. Ideally, you would not be shopping during this time. However, if you do have to get anything for your capsule, switch it out with something so your number stays intact. You can choose to stick to your current capsule for as little as a month or as long as a season. After that, you can either stick to the same number when you curate your next capsule or be a little more flexible if you have other items to consider such as sweaters, coats and jackets.

Step 4: Mix and match to your closet’s full extent.

Probably the most important part of building your capsule is knowing how to make clothes work with each other. The traditional capsule closet sticks with neutrals of similar shades, saturation and hues for easy pairing. However, if beige, greige and grey are not your cup of tea, learn how to mix and match. You can do that by mixing solids with prints, prints with prints and colour blocking two or more colours. The easiest way to do that is to pick colours opposite or next to each other on the colour wheel. For example, the blues and yellows I’ve picked out in this capsule are complementary, and the red and pink are close to each other on the colour wheel. This helps to bring some cohesion to the outfit. Still, don’t be afraid to try new combinations with the same clothes.

Next, the most realistic way to have a versatile capsule is to make sure each of your items is interchangeable. For example, doubles the number of outfits you can create by choosing tops that pair well with every bottom. Plus, try to find 5 different ways to wear something before adding it to your capsule. Wear it as it is, backwards, as outerwear, as inner wear, play with proportions and embrace layering. 

Step 5: Shoes maketh the outfit.

Even if it’s the last thing we put on while getting dressed, don’t underestimate the importance of footwear. However, that doesn’t mean you need fifty options to create fifty looks. I would say 3 kinds of footwear is more than enough – white sneakers, classic black boots, neutral heels. If you were to add a 4th pair, the best is to go for a pair of comfy slides that can substitute your heels for when you want a more laid-back yet elevated mood.

10 Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t start from scratch and get rid of all your clothes. Always audit your own closet to see what you have that fits your ideal capsule closet. After which you can fill in any gaps responsibly. 

Do pause all shopping. Make sure you buy anything you need before you start the capsule wardrobe. Else you might find it hard to incorporate anything new into your mix and match collection. If you want to add something in, try to take something out.

Don’t forget to accessorise. An outfit can completely change based on how you style it with the right accessories, bags, shoes and outerwear. 

Do dress for the climate(s) you’re in. Choose breathable fabrics such as cotton, hemp and linen for those hot and humid months. Keep the leathers and polyester blends for cooler days. If you experience four seasons, prepare for the other times of the year by keeping those pieces in storage. 

Don’t keep your capsule closet with the rest of your clothes. Most of us won’t give up the rest of our clothes while testing out the capsule closet lifestyle. However, it’s important to not keep them in the same space. This can cause a lot of physical and mental clutter. Hang your capsule in your closet or even on a clothing rack, and the rest of your clothes in a dresser or folded away. This way it doesn’t get in the way of your current capsule. 

Do use high-quality garments for your capsule. The purpose of this capsule is to make a few items go a long way. However, it’ll be harder to do so if the clothes you wear are hanging by a thread after a few washes. It’s a timely investment to have high-quality clothes. In the long run, it saves you a lot of money and time replacing your old clothes. And besides, since you only have a few clothes to work with, you have fewer repairs to do. This means you learn to value each of them better. 

Don’t be afraid to add in any trendy pieces of clothing you might like. Given that a majority of your clothing are timeless, versatile and work well with the rest, you can easily style your trendy pieces in different ways to make the most of them.

Do choose clothing that is practical, and I don’t mean boring. Choose clothes that are functional, fit and flatter you well, easy to take care of, and things that you want to reach out for. It also helps if they are multi-purpose. A short sleeve shirt that you usually wear on its own can be worn as an outer layer over a tank top or a dress instead. 

Don’t just wear your clothes in a conventional way. Try to wear them backwards, over or under something else, and don’t be afraid to get experimental. This should be something you think about before you commence, so you know how many unique wears you can get with the same garment. 

Do layer smartly. This goes without saying that you don’t have to layer all the time, or when it’s too uncomfortable (read: too hot) to layer a turtleneck under a dress. But sometimes, an oversized shirt goes a long way to make something too formal look more casual. The same goes for a chic blazer to transform the mood of one outfit to convey a whole new message. 

Capsule closets are evolving

A capsule wardrobe is meant to reduce strain and time when getting ready. However, during the pandemic, when time is all we have with working from home and not many places to go, the priority shifts from efficiency to enjoyment. We want the clothes we wear to not just represent who we are, but what we need emotionally. A respite or simply a reason to feel special, capsule closets are now adapting to support a new kind of lifestyle that values intentionality as well as logic. For example, all the pieces in this capsule closet were curated to be multi-purpose and stylish. Our wardrobes need intentionality built-in from the get-go – and a capsule closet makes it easier to get started.

Find the items used for my capsule and more capsule closet suggestions on our website!

The post A non-minimalist guide to building a capsule wardrobe appeared first on ZERRIN.

Until the moment Nat Geo releases footage of last season’s strappy sandals strangling sea turtles, we’re really not waking up to how pivotal a role we play in fashion waste. It’s not just the direct implication of our purchases (and throwaways) that affect the planet, but the indirect incentive for fast fashion companies to become even faster, cheaper and easier to discard. Just how we’re now aware of the impact of single-use straws, we need to unsubscribe from the idea that fashion can be single-use, too.

How did fashion become so cheap (and disposable?)

Clothes have never been cheaper than it is now; we can buy clothes that’s cheaper than a sandwich and replace our whole closet with a 500 dollar SHEIN haul. Even when it’s more than we need or can possibly wear, consumers still want everything in the ‘new to sale’ category. So when did fashion go from being affordable to dirt cheap? In short, the faster fashion gets, the more corners they have to cut – poor-quality fabrics, fewer durability tests, haphazard sewing, low wages. Especially since the industry isn’t producing clothes with the intention of lasting for generations, customers find it hard to value their latest buys. When customers would rather buy more of something than repair or extend the life of the existing item, it’s clear the priority isn’t sustainability.

It’s become increasingly easy to part ways with the very items we once excitedly purchased. This means we’re crossing the point where our clothes get old and boring sooner than usual. It’s one thing to democratise fashion so more communities have access to expressing their individuality. However, it’s another to make cheap and poor-quality fashion the default to which we’ve become desensitised, and constantly crave novelty. If this is where fashion is headed towards, we should’ve slammed on the breaks yesterday.

The rise of the #OOTD phenomenon

Social media is capable of accelerating any new trend into the peak of popularity. However, it’s not long before that very trend tumbles into the troughs of ‘cheugy’ status. Shopping haul videos moved away from 30-minute Youtube videos and personal blogs to short, snappy Instagram stories and TikTok videos. There lay all of this season’s collections; from Abercrombie to Zara, immortalised by the endless lines of codes and algorithms of the Internet. So what happens once we post, share, like and retweet those outfit photos? They become ‘last season’ and can’t be worn (read: posted online) again. The fear of someone online commenting the dreaded words ‘outfit repeater’ looming over. 

On the topic of outfit repeating, the ones most suffering from this phobia are celebrities looking to stay relevant. Shoppers are no longer waiting for the latest runway show or style magazine. They’re looking to micro or large influencers to tell them what’s in. Studies show that our frequent use of social media correlates to the time and money we spend shopping online; exponentially more if we follow any influencers. However, what we don’t realise is that most of what these content creators post are sponsored aka paid for by the brands, hoping to sink their hooks into a new customer demographic. But that still leaves influencers with more clothes than they can possibly wear and a gnawing feeling amongst consumers eager to chase the latest trends. 

The pursuit for more, simplified

Even during the beginning of the pandemic, more people searched for sustainable fashion, but fast fashion wasn’t exactly slowing down. Whether it was some mindless scrolling on ASOS or a pick-me-up gift to yourself, it’s likely you might’ve impulsively clicked the checkout button a few times too many. TLDR, this isn’t to shame you into not buying things you want. It’s a commentary on how easy it has become to buy things we don’t need just because it’s convenient. Free shipping over $50, free returns or exchanges for 30 days? Add to cart. Shop from your own wardrobe and make the most of what you own? Move to wish list. 

We discussed the many problems of fast fashion, but there’s obviously a difference between high-street brands such as H&M and Topshop, and ultra-fast and real-time fashion brands such as Boohoo, Fashion Nova, and SHEIN. These ultra-fast fashion brands run without physical shops, so they capture their audience on their own turf – online. Considering that these brands offer thousands of new styles every week (or few days), consumers have ample products to choose from. E-commerce isn’t just helping fashion get faster but is offering a better user experience, making the entire journey from start to finish easier and more rewarding. Especially since the price of clothes has reduced, we’re actually accumulating more clothes for the same amount of money. Add on the misconception that we’re saving money by buying fast fashion, the ease of mass consumption feels like an escape from the world’s real problems.

Facing the (fashion waste) facts

• We consume 400% more clothes now than we did 20 years ago, yet we keep them for far less long as we used to.
• The average number of wears before a piece of clothing is tossed is just 7 times. 
• A study in the UK found that 33% of women consider their clothes old after 3 wears.
• A Huffington Post Survey finds that the average woman has $550 of unworn clothing in her closet having never worn at least 20 percent of the items in their wardrobes. 

These facts are not only true, but they highlight one symptom that’s harder to treat: feeling detached from our clothes. Here’s an experiment for you: try to count all the clothes you have in your closet without looking at them. Yes, even the ones piling on your work chair or heading out for laundry. Now, this isn’t a tricky way to test if you remember what you wore two weeks ago. It’s more to test the value you’ve assigned to each individual item of clothing. According to the average closet size today, if you can guess even a third of what you have, it’s a win. It’s okay if you forget a pair of trousers or a button-down here and there. However, one thing’s for sure, we’re all a little guilty of not knowing what we have. 

Mend, repair and upcycle before you closet detox

However, this is not a sign to KonMari your closet of all the clothes you happened to forget about. In fact, it’s the contrary – revive what you have by giving them the TLC they haven’t received in a while. Try to shop your closet more often, wear different outfit combinations, and make the most of what you have. After a few months, if there are still some pieces that aren’t working for your lifestyle, mindfully part with them. The biggest mistake you can make at this point, after taking so much effort to rekindle the relationship between you and your wardrobe, is to dump your old clothes at the H&M recycling bin. 

If you haven’t heard, H&M isn’t actually recycling your old sweats and shoes, they’re dumping them in developing countries, destabilising local economies. But H&M aren’t the only ones; most recycling initiatives aren’t equipped to recycle everything they receive. The industry recycles less than 1% of textile and fashion waste. Plus, when big brands say they’re using recycled materials as one of their sustainability efforts, it’s usually just greenwashing. Until companies properly address the issue of fashion waste, recycling is just a staggering oversimplification of a much bigger problem. We can’t justify shopping endlessly by saying they can be recycled or donated, it’s not justified. Even if you can save an old shirt from the bin by mending any ripped seams, sewing back any buttons, it makes a world of difference.  

Mending our mindsets

More often than not, we tend to buy things that are very similar to what we own. It could be intentional, say if you were Steve Jobs and have a uniform outfit. Or perhaps you just reach for clothes you recently laundered and forego the styles you don’t see front and center. But instead of looking for what we like within our own closets, we head to the nearest mall or online. It’s no surprise that when a new trend is popular, we suddenly suffer the ‘I have nothing to wear’ syndrome. If stopping yourself from shopping the latest trends is hard, tell yourself to wait it out or find it secondhand. You could rummage through your and your parents’ closets for something similar. Trends are cyclical so we constantly see them coming back in style from time to time. So chances are you’ll find the original edition of the over-saturated trend sitting in your grandma’s closet. 

Yet, the underlying message is that when we have too much, it’s hard to love each item equally. There just aren’t enough days in the year to wear all our clothes enough times. It gets especially harder to remember what we own if someone asks about our closet headcount. Marie Kondo was right – it matters a lot whether something ‘sparks joy’ for us. It becomes the reason why we choose one strappy tank dress over another. When we have a connection with our clothes, it becomes hard to say goodbye, even to tattered jeans. Personal style doesn’t mean wearing trendy clothes, it’s about expressing identity with the clothes that speak to you. Especially with social media, learn to distinguish between clothes you actually like from the outfits with the most likes.

Clothes are meant to last but aren’t treated as such

There seem to be two pivotal solutions to ending fashion waste: either we stop making new clothes altogether or learn to value what we have better. While the first option veers on the impractical side, it’s something the industry (and the environment) would benefit from. It’s true, there are too many garments in our closets that we don’t appreciate enough. However, there are ways to make the most of our clothes that also make our lives easier. Whether it’s renting out your clothes, selling your extra fancy pieces to consignment stores, or just donating them to those in need, our old unworn clothes can fulfil a new purpose. When it comes to unfixable clothes, that’s when advanced textile recycling comes in handy. Hopefully, in the near future, there will be better infrastructure to separate natural from synthetic fibres. Fashion as a whole would benefit from moving towards circularity: reimagining what waste looks like and use existing resources to make anything ‘new’. 

For the latter option, it’s a mix of valuing the clothes we already have and demanding better for the clothes we want to add on. If they’re comfortable, flatter you, and generally make you excited to get dressed for the day, it’s a success. However, it’s a tall ask for the majority of people who buy clothes online from brands they haven’t tried. Especially when it comes to fast fashion – where sizes are wonky, the clothes fit better on the model than on you, or the material feels scratchy or unpleasant – we’re putting too much on the line. While not everyone has the privilege to prioritise high-quality natural materials when there’re bills to pay, it’s something we can be more conscious about. Buying good quality clothes equals clothes that will last a lifetime (if taken care of properly!)

Loved clothes last

If passionate activists, regulation, and smart marketing can spotlight the devastating effects of single-use plastic, why can’t we do the same for fashion? We’re buying bamboo straws to reduce waste and yet we opt for fast fashion made from fossil fuels. More than anything, we have to stop blaming individuals for the actions of companies. Especially those producing over a billion pieces of clothing. So when overproduction becomes over-pollution, the ones with the most responsibility go silent and start to point fingers. Contrary to popular belief, low-income communities aren’t the ones instigating throwaway culture. Instead, it’s the oil companies producing polyester, CEOs of fast fashion brands, celebrities with endorsements – aka the benefactors of overconsumption.

The bottom line is – when we buy less, we throw away less too. However, everyone has their own way to translate what ‘buying less’ means to them. Whether it’s swapping, borrowing, or upcycling what you already own, or buying fewer but better quality clothing that can possibly be passed down generations. There are plenty of clothes in circulation; but unless we can value them better, we’ll always find new clothes more exciting than our old-but-gold clothes. It’s ironic how it’s easier to shop for new clothes than reinvent your closet, all a ploy to promote overconsumption. But, if you challenge yourself to be more mindful with your wardrobe, it has far more benefits to the environment and to your life than can be advertised on any fast fashion website.

The post How can we fix fashion waste and solve throwaway culture? appeared first on ZERRIN.

“How am I supposed to afford to buy 400 dollar t-shirts?”

“Do I have to throw out my favourite Zara jeans?”

And the best yet:

“Does that mean I can only wear linen from now on?”

As an industry insider that values inclusivity and accessibility, I know that sustainable fashion is much more than its tired old stereotype: beige clothing that cost an arm and a leg. However, not everyone feels the same way and it’s clear my friends aren’t the only ones. Many of us have misconceptions about sustainable fashion, with little truth or fact to back them up. If these misunderstandings are what’s stopping more of us from choosing consciously, then we’ve got a lot of collective unlearning and relearning to do.

What is sustainable fashion, really?

To start with, sustainability is a journey and everyone’s experience is a unique one. It means a mindset shift and a commitment to choose consciously, whether buying new, used or nothing at all. In itself, the sustainable fashion movement campaigns for a more fair, equitable system; in high contrast with the exploitative way the industry at large currently operates. What actually makes fashion sustainable or ethical? It relates to the way manufacturers treat their workers, produce our clothes and manage their environmental impact.

While supporting ethical brands is important, sustainable fashion doesn’t just come in the form of new clothes. There’s so many ways to consume fashion more sustainably: swapping, renting, choosing secondhand, thrifting or simply buying less. One way doesn’t win over another, it all comes down to your priorities and what you find the most accessible. For example, if you’re someone who cares about animals, you might avoid leather or silk, but you may be ok with buying them second hand since they already exist. If you’re concerned about microplastics in your clothes, instead of throwing out all of your polyester garments, you could focus on ways to care for them better and use a microfibre-catching washing bag.

In short, green living doesn’t come with a handbook. Your sustainable fashion journey doesn’t have to look like the next person’s. You have the right and creative freedom to experiment with what works for you. At ZERRIN we’re passionate about dispelling myths around conscious fashion consumption to inspire your sustainability journey. So, we’re discussing and debunking myths and issues surrounding the sustainable fashion movement so you can feel more empowered to create a greener wardrobe—on your terms.

1. You have to be rich to afford sustainable fashion brands.

Admittedly, ethically made fashion is more expensive than fast fashion brands at your local mall. However, there’s quite a few reasons for the higher price tag. An obvious one is that, unlike fast fashion, sustainable brands care for their environmental impact, their workers and the needs of the consumer. They don’t just prioritise profits, they advocate for transparency and use innovative ways to make clothing that don’t exploit people and the planet in the process. Quality materials and paying living wages will, naturally, result in a more expensive product.

What’s more, slow fashion brands intend to make high-quality products that can be passed down through generations. If you compare the cost per wear of a pair of boots purchased for $50 and only used 10 times, versus one bought for $500 and worn a countless number of times over the span of two decades, it’s clear who the winner is. The cost per wear of a garment is the real indicator of how expensive it is. However, this just isn’t a mainstream way of thinking—yet. So yes, sustainably made clothing is costly at first, but they may pay for themselves by saving you the time, effort and money of having to replace them every season, especially if the item in question is something you gravitate towards buying multiple times (like great wardrobe basics!)

The cost per wear of a garment is the real indicator of how expensive it is.

2. Quitting fast fashion takes away jobs from developing countries.

The reality of the garment industry in developing countries is pretty harsh, and something not everyone is aware of. The reason why many manufacturers are based in Cambodia, Bangladesh, India and China is because of the low cost of production and minimal labour regulations. Local governments use this as an incentive for large businesses to produce there and contribute to their GDP. However, this leads to suppliers turning a blind eye when human, animal and environmental rights are blatantly rebuffed in the never-ending pursuit of higher profits. 

What’s more, did you know that 80% of garment workers are female? Due to low family income and lack of spousal support, women enter the workforce to afford their basic needs. Unfortunately in these countries they have limited job opportunities, often having to choose between physical labour or prostitution. There’s few other choices for a decent livelihood other than entering the garment industry, which is majorly held afloat by fast fashion. This means they’re often overworked and paid very little, endure physical, mental and verbal abuse on a daily basis. What’s more, they usually don’t have the right to unionise and demand better treatment.

All of this begs the question, is this the kind of job and working conditions that we want to encourage, anyway? Fueling fast fashion purchases only worsen the condition of these workers. It forces workers to toil for 18 hours a day to produce clothes for the price of a sandwich. Shockingly, brands sometimes get their garments into retail shops before they pay their workers for their overtime. Meaning, you may have bought clothes made by another human being who hasn’t even received their salary for making it yet. 

Understandably, refusing to buy fast fashion isn’t possible for everyone. Still, we can confront manufacturers and brands and push them to stop focusing on profit over people. On the other side of the coin, ethical fashion promotes a business model that values the faces behind the fabric. By supporting fashion made in a better way, we are encouraging fair labour and fair pay. More importantly, we’re placing value on the artisans and workers who make the clothes we wear every day.

Your sustainable fashion journey doesn’t have to look like the next person’s. You have the right and creative freedom to experiment with what works for you.

3. You need to be 100% sustainable, otherwise, it doesn’t make a difference. 

One common comment made by sustainability naysayers (and one that I’ve seen on a few viral TikTok videos recently) says that “there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism”. More often than not, it’s posted after someone points out the wastefulness of an $800 SHEIN haul. This type of comment is increasingly used as a scapegoat to justify impulse buys or massive hauls. It steers the conversation about sustainability away from its intended purpose: awareness and education. 

Yes, the onslaught of capitalism has made it impossible for us to avoid the exploitation of resources or labour, from our smartphones to our shampoos. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t try to do better, a little at a time. Sustainability has never been about doing everything perfectly because that’s neither possible nor the goal. If there’s some change you can make—whether it’s to carry a reusable bag or support an independent designer—it’s a step in the right direction. 

4. Your wardrobe should only contain items from ethical and sustainable sources.

In case you were about to clean out your closet of all fast fashion, stop! No one’s saying you have to throw out your old Zara pants or H&M shoes. The most sustainable piece of clothing you own is what’s already in your closet. Did you know that the average number of times a piece of clothing is worn before being tossed out is, shockingly, just 7 times? Wearing our clothes for just nine months longer could lessen their environmental impact by 20 to 30%. Also, it’s still important to audit your closet once in a while to make sure you don’t encounter the “I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear” syndrome.

It really doesn’t matter what your ratio of fast fashion to ethical pieces is, it matters that you wear your clothes to their fullest! Making your clothes last longer and not overconsuming trends is more eco-friendly than buying a whole new wardrobe to replace your existing one. Besides, it’s more important how you wash and take care of your clothes, regardless of where they’re from. 

5. You can buy as much as you like, as long as it’s from sustainable brands.

Shopping sustainably doesn’t give you a free pass to replace your closet every season, even if you can afford to. It’s not enough to just buy from sustainable brands; understanding your individual impact is key too. Learning about the resources to just produce a plain white tee will change your perspective entirely.

For instance, it takes 10,000 litres of water to produce just 1 kilo of cotton. Especially if it’s conventional cotton, which takes a lot of land, labour and harmful chemicals to achieve the maximum yield. It can leave the land barren after each harvest and leads to complex health issues for farmers working those fields. So, you might actually be helping the environment by buying only what you need, even if it’s from a fast-fashion brand.

6. You can’t be sustainable if you still shop fast fashion.

Considering how ingrained fast fashion is in our lives, it’s a huge feat for anyone to completely give it up. While many have done this successfully (including our founder), it’s not practical for many shoppers who consume fast fashion due to price, size or other accessibility reasons. Fast fashion brands also provide a level of convenience that’s hard to give up, like free express shipping and returns. While fast fashion brands might wastefully churn out new styles every week (or every day, looking at your SHEIN…) we can’t deny that they offer a lot of diverse sizes and fits. Plus-size, maternity, petite, tall and wide feet are just some categories you’ll see on the ASOS homepage that many sustainable fashion brands can’t offer yet.

The bottom line is that not everyone can give up cheap fashion, but we can always consume it more mindfully. Consider buying only what you need from fast fashion brands, and opting for other ways to get your fashion fix, like at a thrift or swap store instead. This isn’t to say you can only buy necessities and not wants; the goal is to not fall into the rabbit hole of every fleeting trend of the week. Buy what you like and what makes you happy, and wear it well past the 30-wear mark. Check out the #30wearschallenge on Instagram for inspiration, or have a go at the 30-day outfit challenge I tried out.

7. Luxury brands are more sustainable than fast fashion brands.

While it might sound intuitive, this is, unfortunately, a flawed concept brands use as greenwashing tactics. To the untrained eye, it might seem like higher prices mean better quality and responsible sourcing. However, it’s not often the case. It’s been revealed that some luxury brands even outsource production to Indian sweatshops. Just like fast fashion brands, many luxury brands often don’t own all of their manufacturing facilities. That means they don’t have control over all of their suppliers, or the pay and working conditions of their workers. The high price of luxury is mainly a big marketing mark up, rather than evidence of ethics and quality.

What’s more, when you consider the waste that fashion weeks create, or how some brands have burnt excess inventory instead of marking it down, luxury brands don’t seem that sustainable. That being said, certain luxury labels out there are authentically committed to sustainability. Companies like Stella McCartney are paving the way for vegan ethical fashion and Gucci has announced carbon-neutral plans. 

8. Sustainable brands can’t be stylish. 

Sustainable fashion brands might steer clear from trends, but that doesn’t mean their designs aren’t fashion-forward. Rather than focusing on fads, conscious brands look to create unique and timeless pieces that fit individual lifestyles. While classics mean different things to different people—some imagine monochrome hues, some bold prints—there’s a few key ingredients that make something timeless. If anything, creating a more sustainable wardrobe has a lot to do with discovering your own style language. 

And here’s some food for thought: no matter how sustainably made a garment is, it won’t matter if you don’t like it enough to wear it again and again. As consumers, our goal is to find clothes that suit our lifestyle, style preferences as well as match our ethics. Maybe there was once a time when all sustainable fashion looked the same—neutrals and baggy silhouettes—however, a quick google search will dispel all of that. Just look at the brands ZERRIN carries; block-printed fabrics, bold natural and waterless dyes, bamboo ribbed bodycon dresses…the list goes on!

Here’s some food for thought: no matter how sustainably-made a garment is, it won’t matter if you don’t like it enough to wear it again and again.

9. Brands saying they are sustainable are definitely sustainable.

As the trend in conscious living is on the rise, sustainability has become a popular marketing tactic. Brands (more often than not, fast fashion companies) now slap on terms like “organic” or “recycled” into marketing campaigns. This is only possible because of the sheer lack of regulation in the fashion industry. We repeat: it’s not enough to have a “conscious collection” while the bulk of the production you’re making profits of is made in a completely different way—and even more so when there’s little to no transparency about where materials are sourced and if workers are paid a living wage. Isn’t it ironic that large fashion conglomerates can spend more on greenwashing instead of fundamentally changing their business practices?

While it takes a lot of time and effort, the only way to know if a brand is truly sustainable is by doing research and asking questions. You can use apps like GoodOnYou to look up brands and see how they are rated, or even search for fast fashion alternatives on ZERRIN’s ethical brand directory, which breaks down a brand’s impact in 5 key areas: People, Planet, Packaging, Principles and Product. When in doubt, chat with a brand over social media to know more about their approach to people and the planet. If you get any responses with overly fluffed language or no information beyond the first tier of their supply chain, these are red flags. Brands who put in work day after day to ensure they minimise their impact will have lots to say, guaranteed! 

10. Donating clothes is better than throwing them away

It’s true, charities and thrift stores do give away or sell some of the clothes they receive. However, most charity shops ship these clothes overseas to resale markets in developing countries. This influx of cheap clothes negatively impacts local industries or ends up in a landfill. Take H&M for example. The brand advertises its recycling program to make consumers believe that all clothes will be remade into new clothes, or their recycled clothes are 100% post-consumer recycled materials. This is just not the case. 60% of these clothes go into resale in other countries and then 35% of these clothes are downcycled as insulation. If you’re Singapore-based and want to donate clothes to vetted organisations and mutual aid, read our guide here.

We can’t simply donate our clothes to absolve us of our fast fashion consumption. We need to buy for the right reasons and think long term. Otherwise, we fall down a slippery slope of counterbalancing unethical practices with a more sustainable afterlife. Yet, if everyone in the world thinks this way, that means millions of people buy tonnes of clothes solely to give or throw away every year when the trend is over. When we consider the intricate processes that go into the making of our clothes, from fibre to the final product, we can appreciate them better. Even if they do not serve their purpose any longer, you could try upcycling them into something that will.

11. It’s not worth repairing cheap clothes.

If our clothes cost more to repair than when we bought them, it might seem logical to just chuck them out and replace them. Funnily enough, this is exactly what brands want! Experts have called this phenomenon ‘planned obsolescence’, and it’s not unique to fashion​​—notice your phone drop in performance just in time for the release of the latest model? In essence, fast fashion brands design clothes to fall apart so customers have a reason to keep coming back. It could be a missing button or a loose seam that warrants the next shopping spree (online or offline). So, learning to mend our clothes can save us money and time in the long run.

12. Thrifting takes away clothes from marginalised communities. 

While there’s some truth to this statement, it’s oversimplified. As thrifting has gained popularity, some have questioned the “ethicality of thrifting” if you can afford to buy sustainable products. There have been cases of wealthy consumers buying out the best pieces at a store and reselling them for 4 times the original price.

There’s also been a recent trend on social media where young thin women show off their thrift hauls. This includes buying larger sizes of clothes and upcycling them into trendy pieces for their TikTok accounts. What this does is reduces the options for marginalised groups, such as plus-sized low-income individuals. This makes them dependent on fast fashion for cheaper options, and still encourages overconsumption (even if it’s secondhand). So yes, thrifting for fun is not so sustainable.

Nonetheless, there are still immense benefits to the environment of thrifting. It’s better to give preloved items a second life rather than to let them end up in landfills. We definitely need to encourage more to give secondhand fashion a go—especially here in Asia—because it helps keep more existing clothes in circulation. Alternatives like thrifting or swapping are a great way to experiment with your style while minimising your impact. 

Fact: Sustainability is for everyone!

We want to stress: sustainability isn’t an exclusive club you have to buy your way into. It’s all about a mindset shift and creating greener habits. That’s something we can all do, regardless of race, budget, location or income level. When it comes to consuming fashion more sustainably, it is not about buying more but reframing why you buy in the first place. And if we all choose well—quality over quantity—and make things last, we’ll naturally buy less, but better.

The post 12 misconceptions about the sustainable fashion movement appeared first on ZERRIN.

Sadly given climate change—the big elephant in the room—our natural world is suffering and if we’re unable to stop global warming from tipping over the 1.5°C increase above pre-industrial times, future generations won’t have any parks to walk in or trees to climb. From the wide-reaching impact of fossil fuels and plastic pollution, big industry has a lot to answer for. On top of that, it can be hard to imagine how we as citizens can create change. But it’s all about small steps, something that environmentalist Olivia Choong—aka The Tender Gardener—strongly believes in. 

When Olivia isn’t organising events and or helping companies communicate their sustainability efforts, she’s in her backyard, composting or creating gardening content for social media. Her love for nature nurtured her journey into urban farming, founding Green Drinks and advocating for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. We chatted with the green thinker about why she loves farming (especially growing edibles!) and how we can all do a little to be more #Down4Earth.

Tell us about your journey in environmentalism. Where did it begin?

While studying in Perth, I became aware of the need to care for the earth. Most of us aren’t yet mindful of resource depletion and pollution. But, it was only after watching Live Earth, nearly nine years later in 2007, that I realised how climate change was truly impacting us all. It was a rude awakening and compelled me to take an active role in raising awareness on environmental issues. 

That year, I set up a local chapter of Green Drinks with a friend. The goal was to bring together people from business, academia, government, NGOs, and members of the community to discuss environmental issues, collaborate on solutions, and share knowledge. In more recent years, after taking an interest in growing edibles, my personal desire was to connect people to nature. I spend most of my time now creating gardening content on Instagram and YouTube. This helps to inspire people to take an interest in plants and nature as a whole, since people cannot love what they don’t know.

Since co-founding Green Drinks, what have been defining moments on your journey?

When the number of attendees started growing larger each month—over 150 at one point—it really signalled to me that more people wanted to learn about how they could care for the environment. Another defining moment was when government statutory boards started to partner with us, which really made us feel legitimised! 

As a PR consultant, you’ve worked with multiple companies to convey their green initiatives. What are the biggest hurdles to communicating sustainability?

Around 10 years ago, many saw sustainability as a trend and that it would not be here to stay. That was my initial challenge; getting stakeholders to see sustainability as a serious issue that requires behavioural change and not some fad that will fade. Right now, people realise that climate change is a real issue, but many aren’t willing to shift their purchasing and behavioural habits yet. 

Another hurdle is that many find eco items to be more expensive. It takes a lot of convincing for them to see how ‘worth it’ they are. We need to fill these gaps in understanding with better awareness and statistics. It also helps to be more persuasive in getting people to see that we don’t need so much stuff in our lives. We should buy better quality things and take care of them so that they last longer.

You’re a big advocate of nature and low-impact living. How do you feel urban citizens (locally, globally) can find ways to reconnect with their natural surroundings?

Having plants, taking nature walks and forest bathing are a few great activities that urbanites can take part in. I used to love staying indoors, but going on nature walks helped me realise the beauty and wonders of nature. However, it was only when I started gardening that I really started appreciating nature. It taught me to observe all the little details such as visiting insects and plant growth, as well as bigger things like weather changes. Now I am more observant of my surroundings and the biodiversity that exists around us.

Around 10 years ago, many saw sustainability as a trend and that it would not be here to stay. That was my initial challenge; getting stakeholders to see sustainability as a serious issue that requires behavioural change and not some fad that will fade. Right now, people realise that climate change is a real issue, but many aren’t willing to shift their purchasing and behavioural habits yet. 

Finally, tell us the ways you’re #Down4Earth and how you feel other individuals and brands can be too.

Everyone can try to be minimalist in at least one area of their lives! I believe in owning less – which is difficult when it comes to gardening – and buying better quality for longevity. I compost and harvest rainwater and try to create as little waste as possible, and reuse what I have on hand and recirculate what I no longer need. 

#Down4Earth is a social awareness campaign launched by ZERRIN on World Environment Day 2021. The campaign features Singapore-based sustainability advocates with a passion for urban farming, circular fashion, composting and more. They prove that there’s more to sustainability than the quintessential 3 R’s and there’s something everyone can do. Discover more about the campaign. Photography, styling and production by ZERRIN STUDIO.

The post Olivia Choong on the power of nature to nurture appeared first on ZERRIN.

Ever finished a cleanser or moisturiser and been dismayed at all the plastic you have to throw away and then repeat purchase? You’re not alone. Plastic packaging is like kryptonite for beauty brands. The industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging each year. Plus, all of this is non-biodegradable and, unless it’s properly recycled, ends up in landfills and oceans. On top of that, coffee cups have become reusable and fashion brands are finding ways to reuse leftover fabrics, but the skincare industry’s been slow to adopt zero waste options.

If brands can become vegan, cruelty-free, and certified organic, their next focus should be becoming as zero waste as possible. Let’s face it, it’s confusing if your favourite sustainable beauty brand uses ethically-sourced ingredients and still uses shrink-wrap plastic or non-recyclable bottles. The future of beauty should be solid, refillable, reusable, clean as well as toxin-free. Whether its packaging-free haircare, dental care or deodorant you’re after, scroll on for brands that are leading the charge, proving that eco-friendly and zero waste beauty can coexist.

1. Oasis Skin

Any hunt for zero waste beauty in Singapore should start at Oasis! This beauty brand’s naturally scented products are produced by hand in small batches. They also use responsibly sourced, plant-based ingredients, like cold-pressed plant oils and butter, premium clay, organic & wild-harvested essential oils and herbs. Additionally, all of their products are made using high quality ingredients from artisanal producers, and are free from parabens, sulfates and 400 other synthetic substances. 

Editor’s picks:

• Fair-trade Aleppo soap, $18

• Miniature solid shampoos set,$30

• Solid conditioner, $16

Shop the rest | Follow them

2. Bamboo Straw Girl

Bamboo Straw Girl is an earth-minded lifestyle store and a great resource for all things zero-waste for your kitchen, laundry and beauty shelves. They are the pioneers of production and sale of all-natural handmade bamboo straws and other reusables for consumers to start their low and zero-waste journeys. As the very first “zero-waste lifestyle” store in Singapore (before “zero-waste” became a buzzword), their aim has always been to be as plastic-free and low-impact, from production to point of sale. Plus, Bamboo Straw Girl explores zero waste in ways most individuals wouldn’t even know existed – from crystal deodorants, safety razors, refillable dental floss, even microfibre laundry bags that snag microplastics before ending up in oceans!

Editor’s picks:

• Crystal Deodorant Stone, $13.50

• Beechwood Safety Razor (Double Edged), $24

• Reusable Facial Cotton Rounds (Large), $23

Shop the rest | Follow them

3. BHuman

100% plant-based, natural and always cruelty-free, BHuman’s products are unisex and fit for all skin types. They use anhydrous formulas, aka sans water, to ensure you get a higher concentration of ingredients while lowering greenhouse emissions by reducing its transport footprint too. BHUMAN’s bottles are also made up of sustainable bamboo instead of single-use plastic and provide aluminium bottle refills.

Editor’s picks:

• B CLEAN Bamboo Bottle, $59

• B CLEAN Aluminium Bottle, $39

• Mini B CLEAN, $15

Shop the rest | Follow them

4. Mira Singapore

Mira is a homegrown skincare brand offering artisan soaps and skincare products that are made in Singapore in small batches. They believe in embracing the beauty of all things natural & handcrafted. All their products are formulated using skin-loving ingredients and are free from skin irritants such as parabens, SLS, phthalates and other harsh chemicals and are also vegan and palm oil-free.

Editor’s picks:

• Charcoal Tea Tree Bar, $12.90

• ‘Indulgence’ Bath and Body Gift Set, $105

• Soap Saver Bags, $6

Shop the rest | Follow them

5. Lush

Lush is a global speciality beauty retailer, and their products are 100% vegetarian, 80% vegan and also have not been tested on animals. Known for their ‘naked’ packaging for various products, Lush removes useless packaging and incentivises customers to go zero-waste. The products are handmade with ingredients from around the world including fresh produce purchased from local farms to shea butter sourced from women’s cooperatives in Ghana.

Editor’s picks:

• Movis Facial Soap, $25

• The Great Wave Bubble Bar, $20

• Aromaco Solid Deodorant, $20

Shop the rest | Follow them

6. Rough Beauty

Rough Beauty is a Singapore based artisan brand featuring handcrafted bath and body products, with simplicity and sustainability in mind. The brand name was inspired by the rugged terrain and haunting beauty of the majestic Himalayan mountains. They use only quality natural ingredients, plant essential oils, herbs and spices for scents and colours in all their products, free from synthetic fragrances, colours, sulphates and parabens. They also handcraft their products in small batches in Singapore.

Editor’s picks:

• scruffy cleansing grains scrub, $14.90

• ashberry bar soap, $9.50

• petal soft set, $22.40

Shop the rest | Follow them

7. Noice Toothpaste

Noice is a dental brand, that aims to replace 1.5 billion toothpaste plastic tubes with a clean, natural & zero-waste alternative. They take the best of nature to develop effective, natural, sustainable oral care products that are good for your teeth as well as for the planet. Combining vegan and zero-waste, Noice wanted to offer a better toothpaste solution that would also tackle all aspects of sustainability. The brand uses recyclable glass bottles, which you can swap at your local retail store when they’re empty.

Editor’s picks:

• Anti-Plaque Charcoal Toothpaste, get your trial bottle for $4.95

Shop the rest | Follow them

8. Handmade Heroes

An all-natural, vegan and super affordable skincare brand that promises no fillers, no nasty chemicals, and no animal by-products in your skincare. Handmade Heroes are PETA Cruelty-Free and Vegan, this means that they do not use any animal or animal by-products in their ingredients nor do they test on animals. Instead of using animal-derived ingredients, the brand uses nourishing natural botanical oils and plant-derived ingredients. 

Editor’s picks:

• Cocolicious Luscious Lip Mask, $12.90

• Butt Kickin’ Deep Detox Coffee Scrub, $21.90

• Beauty Warrior Face Mask Kit, $35.90

Shop the rest | Follow them

9. The Social Space

The Social Space is a socially conscious multi-concept cafe, located in both Kreta Ayer and Marina One (their Marina One store is also the home of our concept space, Zerrin Lounge!) Featuring a tea bar & café, a fair trade retail area and a nail salon, you can find plenty of zero waste beauty and reusable products for your daily routine; from deodorant bars and solid shampoos. You can even use their refillery, which carries premium brands from Australia and New Zealand, for dishwashing detergent, shampoo and even pet shampoo.

Editor’s picks:

• Ecostore body wash refill, $7.29

• Dr. Enzyme therapy shampoo refill, $15.93

• Biologika shampoo refill, $8.64

Shop the rest | Read about the brand | Follow them

10. Aesop

Cult skincare brand Aesop needs no introduction. They’re known for their exceptional skin, hair and body care products, packaging and store design. Their formulations are made with meticulous attention to detail, and with efficacy and sensory pleasure in mind. They source ingredients from the most reputable suppliers across the globe, then marry contemporary technology with long-established scientific practices. All Aesop products are vegan and also do not test their formulations or ingredients on animals. Their Rinse and Return Initiative launched in Singapore encourages residents to return aluminium, glass, and plastic cosmetic packaging to Aesop signature stores for future recycling. For each Aesop container returned, they donate SGD$1 (up to a total of SG$10,000) to Zero Waste SG.

Editor’s picks:

• Geranium Leaf Duet, $163

• Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk, $45

• Herbal Deodorant Roll-On, $45

Shop the rest | Follow them

11. Frank Skincare

Frank Skincare was developed as a 100% organic solution to try and improve the founder’s skin condition. They carefully source each top-grade natural active ingredient from different parts of the world, making sure they are packed with genuine benefits and also avoid harmful chemicals. Their product line includes luxe cleansers, hydrating mists as well as nourishing face oils for all skin types. Unlike mass-produced skincare which contains synthetic chemicals to extend the product shelf life, Frank creates small batches of product to ensure quality and freshness in their skincare. They also sell reusable skin cloths and cotton swabs for you to swap out your disposables.

This brand is certified organic by international organisations Australian Certified Organic (ACO). 

Editor’s picks:

• Smooth-me-out  acne spot treatment oil, $48

• Reusable swabs, $8

• Organic bamboo washcloth, $28

Shop the rest | Read about the brand | Follow them

12. Jomingo

Jomingo is a vegan and zero waste beauty brand creating packaging-free deodorant. They use natural ingredients such as candelilla wax, cold-pressed coconut oil, cocoa butter and more oils that make them suitable for even sensitive skin suffering from rashes. Their packaging uses biodegradable FSC-certified material. The brand sources premium ingredients from countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia and studies each of them carefully to ensure they are not toxic in any way, to any animal or person.

Editor’s picks:

• Natural Origin & Plant-Based Deodorant Grapefruit 50g, $22

• Natural Origin & Plant-Based Deodorant Unscented 50g, $22

• Litsea Cubeba Natural & Vegan Hand Balm, $15

Shop the rest | Follow them

13. Coconut Matter

Coconut Matter is a natural beauty brand crafting the best performing products from natural, vegan ingredients, and without testing on animals. Their core ingredient is fair-trade, organic, virgin coconut oil that provides a livelihood, as well as improved wellbeing for rural Solomon Island communities. They don’t use any plastics and also work on closing the loop on how their products are made, packaged and delivered.

Editor’s picks:

• Coconut Sudsy Delight Smarter Pack, $43.36 on sale

• Sleep Well Coconut Body Butter, $34.69

• BLISS Natural Deodorant, $24.39

Shop the rest | Follow them

14. RdyToGlow

RdytoGlow handcrafts vegan soaps, shampoo bars and beauty products as well as carry eco accessories. They use natural ingredients that are vegan and have no nasties. They’re dedicated to using packaging that’s biodegradable or recycled and encourage consumers to recycle or reuse them to reduce their single-use plastic waste. The founder was inspired to design cold process soap as they are made with all-natural and skin-loving ingredients, and also avoid artificial fragrances and harsh chemicals. 

Editor’s picks:

• 3 Soap Bundle Set, $35

• My Little Posy Vegan Solid Shampoo for Dry Hair, $16

• Wildflower Sprinkles Bath Salt Scrub, $15

Shop the rest | Follow them

15. Unpackt

Unpackt is a home-grown social enterprise offering package-free bulk food, products and daily necessities that you need to live a zero-waste lifestyle. They are the first zero-waste bulk store in Singapore, where customers are encouraged to BYO containers and buy what they need, to also avoid wasting excess packaging or food. They stock eco-friendly health, beauty and toiletries products, also including packaging-free shampoo bars, refillable makeup sets and castille soaps.

Editor’s picks:

• Cotton Facial Rounds, $12 for 5

• Facial Cleansing Puff – Make Up Eraser, $15

• 4-In-1 Cheek-N-Lip Multi-Stick Set, $58, buy the refill for $10

Shop the rest | Follow them

16. The Sustainability Project

The Sustainability Project is a Singapore-based business that aims to encourage and inspire the adoption of a low or zero waste lifestyle. Their blog is also a great resource for tips on how to lead a sustainable lifestyle, chats with other green business owners and any other relevant information about sustainability. They also encourage businesses to adopt a circular packaging system, provide support and recognise businesses who reduce their waste through these means.

Editor’s picks:

• Natural Deodorant 25g, $5

• Tooth Powder 50g, $8

• Facial Squares Cotton Pack of 5, $8

Shop the rest | Follow them

17. Tata Harper

Tata Harper is a natural makeup and beauty brand that pioneered the farm-to-face concept with impeccable standards of efficacy, quality, and purity. Additionally, the brand makes natural skin care products made in small batches in Vermont, led by an all-female lab. Their ingredients are either grown in Vermont or sourced around the world, and the brand is certified cruelty-free. Highly recognizable by their green glass bottles, they’re also a way to encourage consumers to reuse and recycle and also offers refills. 

Editor’s picks:

• Clarifying Cleanser, $103.50

• Resurfacing Serum, $125.30

• Water-Lock Moisturizer, $92.60, get the refill for $84.40

Shop the rest | Follow them

18. W.ANT Skincare

W.ANT Skincare is a 100% natural ethical skincare brand. They decide on product formulation with pure botanicals and minerals, which are also waterless. From farm to skin, WANT’s ingredients come directly from farms or through co-ops. Their products use specific ingredients for different purposes – from plant-based oils such as Rosehip and Neroli that promote skin health, skin nourishers like Raw Honey, to natural exfoliants such as French Green or Bentonite clay.  

Editor’s picks:

• Beet This Honey, $59

• The Eye Oil, $69

• The Facial Spritzer, $29

Shop the rest | Read the founder’s interview | Follow them

19. Ethique

Ethique is a zero waste beauty brand from New Zealand on a mission to rid the world of plastic bottles. This certified climate-neutral, cruelty-free BCorp has saved over 10 million plastic bottles from being made or disposed of in landfills to date. Ethique’s bars are all 100% plastic-free, certified cruelty-free and vegan and certified palm oil free; no bottles, no harsh chemicals. What’s more, their products contain nothing but great formulations in high concentration, and their bars last 2 to 5 times longer than liquid products! In Singapore? You can find their products at your nearest Watson’s!

Editor’s picks:

• Too Delicious – Super Hydrating Solid Conditioner, $21.51

• Frizz Wrangler Shampoo Bar for Normal to Dry Hair, $21.51
• Pink In-Shower Container (Keep Shampoo and Conditioner Bars Dry), $24.21

Shop the rest | Follow them

All prices are in SGD unless mentioned otherwise.

The post Green up your routine with these zero waste beauty products appeared first on ZERRIN.

What is bamboo fabric?

Bamboo is part of a group of woody perennial evergreen plants that can grow just about anywhere;  from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. Technically, bamboo is a grass but we tend to call it a tree because of how tall and towering it can grow. The fibres in bamboo fabric are made from the pulp of the stem of bamboo grass. 

Over the last 20 years, technological advances have helped expand the bamboo textile market by as much as 5000%. Innovations have made it easier and more affordable to produce a soft and pliable feeling bamboo fabric, as well as create blends like bamboo rayon or viscose, bamboo lyocell and bamboo linen.

The most commercially available bamboo fabric is rayon or viscose, which is a specific process that can be made from any cellulose fibres from plants such as eucalyptus, beech, pine as well as bamboo. In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined companies claiming to sell “bamboo clothing”, instructing them to accurately label it as “rayon made from bamboo”.

Where does bamboo material come from?

Fabric made from bamboo has existed for thousands of years, predominantly produced in Asian countries like China, India, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Historically, people crafted paper (even paper currency) out of bamboo, as well as houses, weapons, needles and most products we use wood to make today. Certain cultures in India and China have been producing this textile for untold generations. Bamboo fabric festivals are still held in rural India every year! Since it’s relatively easy and environmentally friendly to grow in any climate, the United States and countries in Europe have also started to produce bamboo too. 

What are the benefits of bamboo?

As a plant, bamboo crosses many of the right boxes. It’s fast-growing and doesn’t need pesticides or fertilisers to grow. Bamboo even releases 35% more oxygen into the air compared to trees of the same size and is known for its antibacterial and UV protection properties. It even helps to improve soil conditions and prevent soil erosion. However, some of these properties don’t transfer into their fabric form. Nonetheless, we use bamboo in a variety of applications such as clothing, bed linens and other household textiles. Here’s some reasons why:

How is it made?

Is making bamboo fabric just as sustainable as growing the plant? The fabric production can be low impact, but that depends on whether it’s chemically or mechanically processed. 

Bamboo rayon or viscose

Bamboo rayon is commonly made using the viscose process, ie. chemical processing. For that reason, we categorise it as half-natural and half-synthetic. It involves dissolving the extracted cellulose from the bamboo plant in a chemical solution to produce a pulpy viscous substance. This is then pushed through a spinneret into fibres, which is then turned into threads and fabrics. 

Fabric workers then treat these fibres in a chemical solution with caustic soda and carbon disulphide. These are highly toxic and create hazardous waste that these workers cannot recapture or reuse. Manufacturers will also use other dangerous chemicals, like sodium hydroxide and sulphuric acid, to transform raw bamboo into fabric, too. While there have been improvements in chemical waste management and treatment to deter these chemicals from disrupting nearby ecosystems, it still causes significant harm. 

Most commercial factories produce bamboo fabric through chemical processing because it saves money and is, therefore, more consistent and easy to scale. Unfortunately, this compromises environmental sustainability.

Bamboo linen

Bamboo linen is processed without extracting the cellulose of the plant. Instead, producers add a natural enzyme on crushed bamboo wood fibres, which is then washed and spun into yarn. This mechanical process is environmentally friendly, results in a strong and long-lasting fabric, but is more expensive and labour-intensive. The end product tends to be coarser than bamboo viscose, and not as stretchy. 

Bamboo lyocell

Unlike cellulose from other trees common in viscose rayon production, bamboo cellulose is suitable for closed-loop production processes. This closed-loop process is similar to viscose, but it recaptures and reuses 99% of the chemical solution used. Lyocell made from bamboo is branded as Monocel®, but it isn’t as commercially available as conventional Tencel or Lyocell. This is why we can use bamboo to make fabrics similar to lyocell. Plus, the lyocell production process doesn’t produce any toxic waste, creates silky smooth fabric, and is technically vegan too!

How to care for bamboo clothing

Bamboo is a fairly low-maintenance fabric but will need specific care based on the different fabric types. In general, bamboo can be machine or hand-washed, or dry cleaned if labelled as so. Since it can wrinkle easily, you’ll need to iron it. Washing less frequently (inside-out), in cold water and then hang drying can minimise shrinkage and pilling. This also reduces the need for excess electrical consumption. For rayon clothing that is stretchy, don’t hang dry as it can cause it to lose shape. Avoid bleach or chlorine as it can cause yellowing.

Bamboo is biodegradable as long as it has no added chemicals during any phase of its production. This way, untreated bamboo linen made from FSC plants without any chemicals used during the retting process can degrade naturally without releasing any toxins to the environment. While this means bamboo linen can be composted, you’ll need to follow a certain (dozen) steps to ensure you’re doing it the right way. It goes without saying, upcycle or recycle what you can’t compost to give your old loved pieces a new life! 

So, how sustainable is bamboo fabric?

Bamboo has the potential to be one of the most eco and wardrobe-friendly fabrics out there. It’s fairly low maintenance to care for and less intensive to produce than conventional cotton. Of course, it goes without saying that it definitely wins over fossil-fuel derived, microplastic-shedding fabrics like polyester. But, assessing how sustainable bamboo fabric is really comes down to two things: how manufacturers grow and process the fibres.

As it stands, most bamboo fabrics on the market are a form of rayon, manufactured using harmful chemicals. Thankfully we see improvements on how these chemicals are managed; a step in the right direction. Certifications and regulations exist to ensure the raw material is grown, harvested and processed in a more eco-friendly way, such as not using chemicals or destroying acres of forests for bamboo plantations without replanting. If you’re concerned (or curious!) about how a brand sources its fabric, you can look out for certifications from USDA, Oeko-Tex, FSC, Fair Trade and CFDA. The CFDA even states that ‘unless a product is made directly with bamboo fibre — often called “mechanically processed bamboo” — it can’t be called bamboo’.  These require manufacturers, fabric producers and brands to adhere to high safety standards to safeguard people and the planet. 

The majority of bamboo production occurs in China. China’s lax environmental and human rights standards are questionable in the consumer goods production sector. So, it’s not often clear whether producers grow it in a green or ethical way. Thankfully, more and more brands are prioritising the use of ethically-produced fabric production in their supply chains, like SANS FAFF and Boody. They ensure their raw materials are certified and partner with audited factories, in China or otherwise. 

Our final verdict

While we’ve made a case for which bamboo fabric is more sustainable, the final decision is on you. In terms of the least detrimental environmental and social impact, bamboo linen made from FSC bamboo plants takes the crown. To make sure your bamboo linen is just as eco-friendly as it can be here’s some tips. Choose naturally dyed or raw dew retted fabric; this requires less water and virtually no chemicals or bleaches. 

If you prefer a soft, stretchy texture over linen, choose bamboo lyocell over rayon/viscose if you have the option. Due to its closed-loop production, it reduces the amount of waste significantly compared to the viscose process. Either way, a garment is just as sustainable through production as it is with proper aftercare. So make sure you wear it often as well as treat it well because loved clothes last.

This guide is part of our What The Fabric! series, a bunch of useful guides that deep dive into the materials we wear every day. For more from the series, go here.

The post WTF: What The Fabric! Just how sustainable is bamboo? appeared first on ZERRIN.

Because of this, more voices have clubbed together to campaign for greater transparency around how clothes are made and produced. While not equalling sustainability, transparency is an important stepping stone towards a more ethical and equitable fashion system. Pulling back the veil on the industry helps both us and brands know and understand how things work, discouraging greenwashing and paving the way for crucial business-model changes that will radically transform how brands operate and impact the world.

Non-profit organisation Fashion Revolution and its annual Transparency Index—a report which reviews and ranks 250 of the world’s largest brands with annual turnovers over USD $400 million—has been key in pushing that agenda forward and holding the world’s biggest retailers to account. You see, it’s not your neighbourhood tailor or small local designer that is causing the greatest effects; it’s the world’s most influential fashion giants and conglomerates—collectively producing hundreds of billions of tonnes of clothing across the globe—that have proven time and time again to be the least transparent. 

Transparency in fashion; where are we now?

Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index 2021 makes it clear that 250 of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers are still too slow, or reluctant to, disclose supply chain data. Brands achieved an overall average of just 23%.

Why does this matter? The impact of the world’s top fashion brands—their volume of production, purchasing and labour practices and how transparent their supply chain is—can determine how they need to mitigate and solve current and foreseeable issues. That’s why we’re breaking down the key facts, figures and findings of this year’s index to better understand where the industry’s really at, and where it needs to go. 

While not equalling sustainability, transparency is an important stepping stone towards a more ethical and equitable fashion system. Pulling back the veil on the industry helps both us and brands know and understand how things work, discouraging greenwashing and paving the way for crucial business-model changes that will radically transform how brands operate and impact the world.

You can check out our breakdown of the 2020 index here, and we highly recommend reading Fashion Revolution’s full report. Brand’s are assessed and scored across five key areas: Policies and commitments, governance, supply chain traceability, know, show & fix and spotlight issues. The main issues that Fashion Revolution focused on for 2021 were brands’ Covid-19 response, gender and racial equality, sustainable sourcing and materials, overconsumption and business models, waste and circularity, water and chemicals and climate change and biodiversity.

There’s substantial ground to cover, but here’s the facts that struck us most:

1. H&M dropped 5% from last year and lost first place.

Last year, H&M got a lot of pushback for greenwashing on social media for declaring themselves ‘the world’s most transparent fashion brand’; despite their continuing to pollute the earth with synthetic materials, encouraging overproduction and consumption and murky details about their treatment of workers. This resulted in a clarification from Fashion Revolution that transparency doesn’t equal sustainability and isn’t the end goal, but is still an important tool to hold brands accountable.

Here are the brands who ranked highest this year:

• OVS (78%)
• H&M (68%)
• The North Face and Timberland (66%)
• C&A and Vans (65%)
• Gildan (63%)
• Esprit and United Colors of Benetton (60%)
• Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen (PVH) (59%)
• Gucci, KMart Australia, Target Australia (56%)

2. Traceability decreases further down the supply chain.

Brands like UGG, Gildan, OVS and Esprit scored 90% and over in terms of traceability. This means they provided public information about their production facilities, certifications, how they trace at least one of their raw materials, an approximate number of workers, their gender breakdown and more. 

Only 47% of brands and retailers have published a list of their first-tier manufacturers: where the final processing and production of their clothes takes place. 27% published processing facilities beyond the first tier, where we can find out about where their fabrics come from. 11% published selected raw material suppliers, where they process the fibres from the harvested crops. While average traceability scores are on the rise (from 8% in 2017 to 19% in 2021) it’s necessary to have more usable data as 80% of the industry’s emissions and impact occurs beyond the first tier. Most brands are not even attempting to measure this yet, much less reduce them. 

3. 97% of brands do not publish the percentage of workers that have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

This pandemic revealed that the most vulnerable in the supply chain—garment workers—have no guarantee of pay or wellbeing. Many have faced hunger, food insecurity, stress and fatigue, as well as going into debt for taking out loans for basic necessities like food and housing. The Workers’ Rights Consortium estimates over 37,000 workers across 31 facilities were denied the equivalent of five months’ wages (USD $39.8 million). They’ve also identified 210 facilities across 18 countries where suppliers owe 160,000 workers an estimated USD $171.5 million since the Covid-19 outbreak.

To sum up, major brands offer very little transparency on how workers in their supply chains have been impacted by the pandemic, leading many to believe they weren’t even monitoring the situation in the first place. This is where the #PayUp campaign, launched by non-profit Remake, came into play. The initiative publicly pressured large brands to reinstate and pay in full for all their cancelled orders. Sadly, the ongoing project also highlights how, during hard times, brands have turned their backs on the people responsible for making them a profit instead of protecting them. 

4. Less than 1 in 5 major brands disclose the percentage of order cancellations they made during the pandemic.

From ultra-fast fashion brands like Fashion Nova and Shein to luxury brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino, they all scored less than 5% when it comes to disclosing order cancellations. Only 14% of brands disclosed the percentage of orders that were cancelled and not yet reinstated. The WRC estimates initial order cancellations were valued at USD $40 billion, where suppliers had already borne costs for raw materials and labour costs. This matters because brands withholding pay causes a knock-on effect of human suffering at the bottom of the supply chain. If factories don’t pay their garment workers, they and their families struggle to survive. 

5. Only 7% of brands disclose worker representation on their own corporate board of directors.

While 84% of major brands say that they require worker representation in supplier facilities, they don’t seem to follow up with action. Ideally, the supplier code of conduct will mention freedom of association requirements, which includes freely elected worker committees. The benefits of worker representation support supply chain workers. They’re able to directly communicate feedback or grievances to management and be taken seriously. It’s not just for the sake of diversity, but for the betterment of their work experience. If they have representatives at management level, they’re able to partake in decisions regarding their own jobs and lives. 

6. Brands must rethink their poor purchasing practices to reduce human rights risks in supply chains.

The report makes it clear that it’s not just our spending habits that need to change; the way brands purchase directly affects the quality of life for garment workers, too. According to Better Buying data, making last-minute changes to orders or payment terms can have a devastating impact on workers, including illegally low wages, unpaid benefits, forced overtime and job insecurity. It’s not uncommon for suppliers to get paid between 60 and 180 days after delivery. This means we may be buying clothes in stores made by factories that haven’t even been paid yet! 

7. Just 2 out of 250 brands have disclosed the number of their garment workers who are actually paid living wages.

A living wage—unlike minimum wage—is a human right recognised by the UN. This means being paid enough to afford food, water, housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing and some discretionary earnings during a workweek of no more than 48 hours. While brands don’t directly pay workers; their suppliers do. But through issues mentioned earlier about brands’ poor purchasing and payment habits, it traps supply chain workers in the middle. Only OVS and Patagonia have published data on the number of workers who are paid a living wage rate, however, the data highlights that very few workers actually receive living wages. 

It’s not uncommon for suppliers to get paid between 60 and 180 days after delivery. This means we may be buying clothes in stores made by factories that haven’t even been paid yet!

8. There’s still little evidence that brands oppose racism and inequality.

The report reveals there’s little evidence that brands are addressing racial and ethnic inequality in their operations and supply chains. While many have been quick to support the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements on social media, there’s been little proof to show that this goes beyond being a PR tool. Overall, the research shows that brands scored higher in gender equality data than racial equality data.

As an example, in 2020 Reformation founder and former CEO Yael Aflalo apologised after a former employee of the brand spoke out about alleged racism she experienced during her time at the company. The results of an investigation published later in 2020 found that the company didn’t have “a racist workplace culture”, yet they acknowledged the negative impacts employees had experienced and aimed to work towards “creating a culture of respect, accountability, and inclusion”. 

9. Brands still won’t address the elephant in the room: overproduction and overconsumption.

With over a hundred billion pieces of clothing made annually, overproduction and overconsumption are poisonous to both us and the planet. Yet the industry still isn’t doing enough to address this problem. Many brands are quick to jump on circular solutions, like recycling synthetic clothing and talk about textile-to-textile recycling (27% in 2021 compared to 18% in 2020), yet only 14% of brands publish the annual quantity of products produced.

10. Not a single British brand or retailer has scored within the top 10 brands in the Index.

This is fishy, considering data shares that the UK consumes the most clothing in Europe. Fashion is one of the biggest industries in the UK. Consumer spending on clothing has quadrupled between 1998 and 2018 to £60 billion, on mostly fast and ultra-fast fashion items. An estimated 70-80% of clothes produced in Leicester are for Boohoo, Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThing. Given the 2020 Boohoo wage scandal, it’s clear that transparency, nor paying minimum wages, are a priority for many brands. Data shows how major British brands are falling behind their European counterparts in terms of transparency. Speedo, with headquarters in Nottingham, is the highest-scoring British brand at 53%. 

11. Despite the urgency of the climate crisis, brands aren’t forthcoming about environmental data.

95% of brands do not disclose their annual water footprint at the raw material level. Water pollution occurs across the value chain; as untreated wastewater remains a threat to human, wildlife and ecosystem health surrounding processing factories (we recommend watching the documentary RiverBlue for more insights). What’s more, a brand’s transparency decreases the further you look down the supply chain. Furthermore, only 18% of brands published any data on absolute energy reduction in their operations.

12. Nearly half of major brands and retailers (44%) publish targets on sustainable materials. Yet fewer than one-third (30%) define what constitutes a so-called ‘sustainable’ material.

Simply put, this is greenwashing and exploits consumers’ interest in sustainability. Using these terms, consumers think they’re purchasing from brands that match their beliefs and values about environmental and social safety. More than half the world’s garments are made from synthetic fibres, with the four most common ones being polyester, nylon, polyolefins and acrylic. 

13. Carbon neutrality is not the same as net-zero carbon. These are the differences.

More big brands are establishing carbon goals, be they net-zero or carbon neutral. We can’t use these terms interchangeably due to their very disparate impacts. First of all, if major brands don’t track carbon emissions right down to raw material level, they cannot accurately measure their climate impact. Carbon neutrality has requirements for the quantifications, reduction and offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions according to the internationally recognised standards of PAS 2060. Net-zero carbon is achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions according to the Paris Agreement of 1.5°C. This is by balancing any remaining emissions with carbon removal (through carbon capture and storage). 

Essentially, it takes a lot of effort and ambition to get to net zero. This ties into various environmental aspects like deforestation and even regenerative agriculture. As one example, Burberry created a “Regeneration Fund” to support future carbon insetting projects in its global supply chain, in partnership with Pur Project. Carbon insetting focuses on a brand’s own supply chain and promotes biodiversity, restoring ecosystems, supports local livelihoods and stores carbon at source and removes it from the atmosphere through agroforestry. However, regenerative agriculture isn’t a new concept. Indigenous communities have been practising it all over the world for centuries. So as more brands adopt regenerative agricultural practices, their models should focus on valuing the knowledge of these traditional methods.

So, where do we—and the fashion industry—go from here?

Fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Its effects across fields like aviation, agriculture and biodiversity conservation are just the tip of the iceberg. With the industry’s (active and inactive) participation to fight climate change, there’s more major brands and retailers need to do to take action.

It’s not all bad new thought; there is progress underway. Compared to a decade ago, there’s more awareness about the impact of the fashion than ever before. Industry innovations today focus on multiple issues: reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, opting for circular solutions (beyond recycling or down-cycling), improving the lives of workers, even those of our furry friends. We see this with plant-based leather alternatives, regenerative farming practices, the digitalisation of fashion events and more repair and take-back programmes. Yet, what this year’s Fashion Transparency Index spotlights is the dire consequences of not taking action fast enough.

In the end, this report is intended to ignite your activism rather than sway your shopping habits. As consumers and citizens, we can use this data to both scrutinise major brands and hold them accountable, plus call for change on a legislative level.

Here’s a few ways we can take action to demand more transparency and accountability:

For individuals

• Call out brands and ask them who made your clothes and fabric and under what conditions. It’s important to go beyond the first tier and question brands beyond the surface. 
• Call on policymakers, stakeholders and investors to influence and enforce transparency standards that brands will have to follow. This could mean an email to your local community representatives to ask for more accountability. 
• Show you care by sharing or reposting information about these issues on social media. Share it with friends, family and followers – you never know who might care!

For brands

• Brands need to be more forthcoming with information about their supply chain. From paying living wages, material sourcing, addressing gender wage discrepancies – the details matter.
• There must be more due diligence to prevent human and environmental rights violations. 
• Bring in more worker representation into management-level boards. This is to ensure workers’ voices reach those making the decisions that impact their lives the most.

For policymakers, investors and shareholders

• Governments need to get on board with better regulations, laws, sanctions. What’s missing most is the enforcement of existing laws in place to improve worker and environmental conditions. 
• Make it mandatory for board-level accountability for social and environmental performance within businesses. More so, our governing bodies should emphasise the necessity of experts measuring environmental and social impacts on these boards. It’s not enough to make celebrities sustainability ambassadors (a trend we’re seeing a lot of these days) without having scientists, researchers and activists contributing to meaningful solutions. This includes measurable, meaningful and mandatory ESG disclosure to support any company’s sustainable practices. 

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