Brands moving away from ‘free returns’ to curb fast fashion
Boohoo, Zara, and soon-to-be H&M are among the major retailers now charging customers to send back clothes in the post. Though shoppers are divided over the new policy, there’s no denying the environmental benefits of a move that targets throwaway culture. When attending a fancy event we don’t have the...
Current in Industry
Opinion – Kourtney’s collaboration with Boohoo deserves criticism
The reality star has been mocked on social media for her new role as fast fashion brand Boohoo’s Sustainability Ambassador. But while it may be hard to believe, Kardashian’s latest collaboration is no laughing matter. Reality stars and fast fashion are no strangers to one another. Despite strides to unpick...
The resale market is fast fashion’s latest greenwashing ploy
We’ve a long way to go before the fashion industry can be deemed sustainable. Is the option to resell our fast fashion items back to retailers a step in the right direction or a novel way for business as usual to continue behind the scenes? Buying second-hand clothing has never...
The Love Island to fast-fashion influencer pipeline is far from over
This summer, the UK’s favourite reality dating programme clothed its stars in second-hand threads from eBay to promote circular fashion. But following their exit from the villa, contestants have already secured record-breaking deals with fast-fashion companies. Love Island season presents the opportunity to witness good-looking people argue, neck each other,...
Selfridges doubles down on sustainability commitments
The luxury department store Selfridges has published its first annual ‘Project Earth’ report detailing a number of ambitious targets that it hopes will ‘reinvent retail.’ Back in 2020, Selfridges committed to its sustainability strategy with ‘Project Earth,’ an impressive outline with the overarching goal of steering its business towards a...
What is the environmental impact of bright clothing dyes?
Just like all fabrics are not created equal, neither are the dyes that give them their colour. Achieving bright whites and neon hues are resource and labour intensive, causing some items of clothing to have a greater social and environmental impact than others. We’re now nearing the end of August...
This no-waste body wash comes in dissolvable packaging
The beauty industry is a top contributor to plastic production and water waste. Helping us get closer to fully sustainable self-care is PLUS, a brand that delivers its products in fully biodegradable, waterless pouches. Unless you tend to use bars of soap or have already started buying solid shampoo, half of the toiletries sitting in your bathroom are likely housed in single-use plastic bottles. The beauty industry is a major contributor...
How California’s plastic ban will challenge the beauty industry
The Golden State has announced a new bill that will ban the sale of single-use plastics by 2032. What does this mean for the hundreds of beauty brands that create and sell their products in California? Plastic is arguably the world’s most convenient synthetic material, but it has become an indestructible double edged sword that harms the wellbeing of humans and the natural environment. Decades of dependency on sturdy plastic bottles,...
PANGAIA’s new ‘Re-Color’ collection utilises dyes from old textiles
Using technology that turns used textile fabric into powdered dye, PANGAIA has created a new capsule collection that uses no harmful chemicals to obtain its pastel hues. The world can’t get enough of co-ord tracksuits and PANGAIA is one brand determined to deliver them in the most sustainable way possible. Already having made a name for itself in the eco-friendly fashion realm, the brand has found yet another way to reduce...
Plant-based version of nylon fabric is on the horizon
As the fashion industry looks for ways to shrink its environmental footprint, two companies have partnered up to create a sustainable nylon fabric from plant-based materials. Nylon was the fashion industry’s first ever lab-made fabric. Today, it stands as the most environmentally problematic. Nylon first gained popularity during the 1940s, replacing expensive and hard-to-source silk used for ladies’ stockings, a fashion staple at the time. It also came in handy during...
