Sustainable Fashion 101: What It Is and Why It Matters

The sustainable fashion movement is revolutionizing the fashion industry. Sustainable brands and conscious consumers are creating a shift toward environmentally-conscious, ethical practices that benefit both people and the planet. 

Read on to find out more about sustainable fashion, including what it is, why it’s essential, and how you can participate in the movement. Join us on this journey towards more conscious and sustainable dressing. 

What is Sustainable Fashion?

Sustainable fashion is an umbrella term for fashion that’s designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in environmentally friendly and socially responsible ways. Key elements of sustainability include reducing waste, conserving resources, ensuring fair labor practices, and being a responsible consumer. 

Why is Sustainable Fashion Important?

The modern fashion industry is notorious for its significant environmental footprint. Today’s clothing production often involves high levels of waste, water pollution, air pollution, and resource consumption. In fact, the industry is responsible for 10% of total carbon emissions!

Sustainable fashion seeks to mitigate these negative impacts by promoting environmentally conscious practices throughout the supply chain. By choosing this fashion model, we can reduce the strain on our planet's resources and lessen the pollution caused by textile production.

The sustainable fashion movement also aims to create a more responsible industry that protects people involved in garment production. Ethical sustainability includes providing safe working conditions and fair wages.

How Does Sustainable Fashion Help the Environment?

Reducing Waste

Sustainable fashion reduces waste by using recyclable materials, creating durable clothing, and promoting circular fashion. By designing clothing that can be easily recycled or repurposed, sustainable fashion minimizes the amount of textile waste in landfills. 

Conserving Resources

This practice conserves water, energy, and other resources by using eco-friendly materials like Tencel™ and implementing efficient production processes. For instance, Tencel™ fibers are produced in a closed-loop system that recycles water and solvents, significantly reducing environmental impact. 

Types of Sustainable Fashion

Ethical Fashion

Ethical fashion focuses on creating a positive social impact with fair labor practices and the ethical treatment of workers throughout the supply chain. This includes ensuring safe working conditions, providing a living wage, and never using child labor.

Circular Fashion

Circular fashion promotes the reuse and recycling of clothing to create a closed-loop system. This means that garments are designed to be easily disassembled and recycled, reducing waste and extending the life cycle of materials.

Slow Fashion

Slow fashion emphasizes quality over quantity, encouraging the production of timeless, durable clothing. This movement advocates for fewer, better-made pieces that last longer, reducing the need for constant consumption.

Conscious Fashion

Conscious fashion encourages mindful consumption and thoughtful purchasing decisions. It involves being aware of your clothing choices' impact on the environment, animals, and society, and choosing items that align with sustainable and ethical values.

Zero Waste Fashion

Zero waste fashion aims to eliminate waste by designing clothing that can be fully reused or recycled. This approach involves using recycled materials, deadstock materials, and sustainable fabrics, as well as using every part of the fabric in order to generate minimal textile waste during production. 

Materials Used in Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable materials are an essential part of reducing the fashion industry's environmental impact. These materials are responsibly sourced and processed to minimize harm to the environment. Examples include organic cotton, recycled fabrics, and innovative fibers like Tencel™, designed to be eco-friendly and biodegradable. 

At Bleusalt, we use Tencel™ fibers, derived from sustainably sourced wood and produced by environmentally responsible processes, to create our timeless, high-quality basics collections. Here’s why we love our materials:

  1. Sustainable Sourcing: It’s sourced from sustainably managed forests. This ensures that the raw material is renewable and the forests are preserved for future generations.
  2. Environmentally Conscious Production: Tencel™ is produced using a closed-loop system that recycles water and solvents, reducing the production process's environmental footprint.
  3. Comfort and Softness: The fibers are renowned for their softness and breathability, making them ideal for everyday wear.
  4. Durability: Clothing made from Tencel™ is durable and long-lasting, contributing to the slow fashion movement by providing high-quality garments that withstand the test of time.

Bleusalt incorporates Tencel™ into our range of sustainable women's clothing and sustainable men’s clothing. This ensures our products are not only luxurious and comfortable, but also environmentally responsible.

Benefits of Buying Sustainable Clothing

  1. Environmental Impact: Reduces pollution and conserves natural resources.
  2. Quality and Durability: Sustainable clothing is often made with higher-quality materials, ensuring longer-lasting wear.
  3. Ethical Practices: Supports fair labor practices and ethical treatment of workers.
  4. Healthier Choices: Eco-friendly materials are often free from harmful chemicals, promoting better health for consumers.

How to Support Sustainable Fashion

Supporting sustainability in fashion involves making informed choices that contribute to a more sustainable industry. Here are some actionable steps:

Choose Sustainable Fashion Brands

Support sustainable brands, like Bleusalt, which uses environmentally conscious materials and ethical production methods. Choosing such brands encourages the fashion industry to adopt more sustainable practices.

Go Minimal

Adopt a minimalist approach to fashion, focusing on essential pieces you need. This reduces the demand for excessive production and minimizes waste.

Invest in Quality and Durability

Purchase high-quality, durable clothing that will last longer, reducing the need for frequent replacements. Strategies like building a capsule wardrobe with high-quality pieces support sustainability and save you money in the long run.

Shop Second-hand

Buy second-hand clothing to reduce demand for new products and minimize waste. Thrift stores, online resale platforms, and vintage shops are great places to find unique, sustainable pieces.

Participate in Clothing Swaps

Engage in clothing swaps to refresh your wardrobe without buying new items. This communal approach to fashion is both eco-friendly and fun.

Take Care of Your Clothes

Proper care and maintenance of clothing extend its lifespan and reduce the need for replacements. Follow washing instructions, store items properly, and repair damaged pieces rather than discarding them.

Where to Buy Sustainable Clothing

Bleusalt is a pioneer in sustainable luxury fashion, offering seasonless basics made with the utmost care for the environment. Based in the USA, Bleusalt ensures that its entire production process, from sourcing materials to manufacturing, adheres to the highest standards of sustainability.

Made in the USA

Bleusalt is proud to produce all its garments in the United States, a commitment that supports local industries, ensures high labor standards, and minimizes our carbon footprint. While only approximately 2% of clothing is genuinely made in the USA, Bleusalt sets itself apart by not exploiting loopholes that allow minimal finishing in the US to claim the label. This dedication to authentic, local production helps reduce carbon emissions associated with overseas shipping and supports ethical labor practices.

Sustainable Fabrics 

Bleusalt's use of Tencel™ Modal fibers showcases our commitment to sustainability. These fibers are derived from sustainably sourced, renewable raw wood materials and produced through environmentally responsible processes. The closed-loop system used in Tencel™ production ensures that the solvents used are recycled, minimizing waste and environmental impact. This method also significantly reduces water usage compared to traditional fabric production, making it a highly efficient and eco-friendly choice. 

Luxury and Comfort

From men’s tops to women’s bottoms and unisex clothing, Bleusalt garments are sustainable and epitomize luxury and comfort. Tencel™ fibers are known for their exceptional softness and breathability, providing a comfortable fit that feels gentle on the skin. These pieces' versatility allows them to be styled for various occasions, seamlessly transitioning from casual daywear to elegant evening attire.

Buy Luxury Sustainable Clothing At Bleusalt

Sustainable fashion is more than just a fashion trend. It's a critical step towards a more ethical and environmentally friendly industry. By understanding sustainable fashion, why it is important, and how it helps the environment, you can make informed choices that contribute to a healthier planet.

Bleusalt exemplifies these principles by using environmentally conscious materials like Tencel™ and maintaining high sustainability standards throughout their production process. Explore Bleusalt's luxurious collections to start your journey towards a sustainable wardrobe today.

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