Sustainability Best Practices for Fashion Brands (Easy to Implement!)
The fashion industry is rapidly evolving. There is a lot of regulation coming down the pipeline to ensure that brands are being as conscious as they can be. Consumer preferences are changing and they are demanding brands to be more conscious. In this blog, I will be giving you sustainability best practices that you can implement immediately, especially if you do not know where to start.
TIP #1 - Know Why You Are Doing This
The first best practice is to know why you are doing it – why it is important to you and your brand. You need to dig deep and be intrinsically motivated as to why you plan to start this sustainability journey. It cannot be just because Gen Z customers are criticizing fast fashion brands or because everyone else is doing it and you do not want to be bashed. It cannot be because your local government cares about this and you are worried about the current regulation. Or maybe, you do not want to feel out of business.
You have to think about your brand values and mission. Ask yourself what parts of the harmful fashion industry resonate with you and what parts are broken that you want to solve. For instance, the harmful materials, unethical treatment of garment workers, millions and tons of textile waste going to the field, and many more. Use your why as your fuel as to why you wanted to do this.
Sustainability does not happen overnight. It is continuous and gradual progress that you are going to achieve with your brand. You need to stick it through and to do that, you need to have a bigger why.
TIP #2 - Choose Your Sustainability Priorities
I always tell our clients to choose their priorities because sustainability in general can be so overwhelming. You do not have to solve the entire industry’s problems with your brand alone. Do not shoulder all that pressure or else you are going to get overwhelmed very quickly and likely feel paralyzed. Instead, pick and choose your battles to have the most impact.
Choose one or two priorities, especially if you are a small business that is just starting out or even if you are a medium-sized brand. Furthermore, choose the areas you are going to go above and beyond and really knock it out of the park. You would want to make sure that you are being the leading edge and top of mind in that area. And as you get more funding and traction, you can expand and address additional things.
TIP #3 - Set Targets and Roadmaps
The next best practice is to develop your targets and roadmap. Once you know why you are doing this and you figured out your priorities, the next step is to set your goals and really break down how you are going to get there.
Another tip is to analyze what is happening in the industry so you have a benchmark. See where you are and assess your current position. Then, set both ambitious and realistic goals.
I also want to challenge you — and this is where the ambitious targets come into play. However, make sure you’re still realistic with your target — you need to look at your metrics and indicators to see if it’s achievable. I have seen brands set ambitious targets but fail to plan their course of action and not consider how they will get there. This is just not helpful. It is important to set goals that you know deep down you are going to reach then set impossible ones with unrealistically high expectations.
TIP #4 - Get Internal Buy-In
The next best practice is to ensure that you have internal buy-in. This is crucial because you cannot be the only one at the company spearheading change. That is just going to be an uphill battle for you.
To do this, you have to share your why. This is an excellent way to improve productivity and spark motivation inside your company and your team. Once onboarded, they must understand your sustainability priorities because these will be your North Star. Plan how you are going to achieve your objectives step by step so you can tell your team too and they are informed.
Now, every single business decision you make needs to go through these priorities. These are like filtering systems. Then, you want to share your targets and your roadmap so everyone understands the goals and how and when you will get there. Make sure you do that so you have internal buy-in and this will not be too difficult for you.
TIP #5 - Design Intentionally
Do not produce products just for the sake of making products. Ensure that there is a product-market fit and you are adding value to your customers’ lives. Instead of trying to capture trends or jumping on the bandwagon for a certain design, think about longevity. Design for wearability – not for trends. Reflect if people are going to wear this for seasons and years to come. It is crucial to become more intentional.
If your ideal customers do not resonate or connect with your brand, your values, and your purpose, even if you are the most sustainable garment, or you have the best materials, or you are the most ethical factory, yet your customers do not wear it, it is just sustainable junk! Think about it. This is not what we want our brand to look like. You need to be so intentional with your designs and ensure that every single thing you make is going to be used and going to be worn.
TIP #6 - Be Selective with Materials
Materials have such a big impact on a brand's sustainability. Make sure that you think about water usage and carbon emissions, as well as why you are choosing certain materials. Be very selective with it to ensure it is high quality that will last.
Selecting a material that is sustainably made and built to last can be quite tricky. If you want to learn more tips on finding the best sustainable material for your slow fashion brand, feel free to watch my previous video on How to Find Sustainable Materials for Your Fashion Brand (With Low MOQs!)
TIP #7 - Be Selective with Manufacturers
Additionally, you must ensure that you find ethical manufacturers whose operations have undergone ethical standards and whose garment workers are treated fairly.
Do your due diligence to check out their background information. Do not just go with whoever you find first. Keep in mind that you want the best of the best for your product. If you want tips on how to source sustainable and ethical manufacturers, check out this video. There are a lot of resources on our YouTube channel so there is no excuse not to do your part!
TIP #8 - Be Transparent and Share
This will help you not to come across as greenwashing. Some brands have genuinely good sustainability strategies and practices but tend to shy away from sharing them. They are afraid that they are not doing it perfectly enough. However, going back to our first tip, you have to remember that there is no 100% sustainable brand. Everyone starts from somewhere.
I always tell our clients to share their sustainability priorities with their customers because that way, customers will be informed of what they are doing and may get inspired to do the same.
Do not back away from people who are asking questions. Welcome them. This means that consumers are becoming more aware and curious. If they are asking you questions and you have answers, you can now solidify and show them what they should be doing. This makes you not only the one accountable but also your audience.
If you’d like help with your sustainability strategy, sustainability priorities, sourcing materials and manufacturers, reporting impacts, and communicating efforts to customers — we can work together through our Sustainability Consulting Services. Our team only works with a limited number of clients every year so if you’re interested in working together, you can request a complimentary consultation to see if it’s a fit to work together and create a tailored consulting package for your needs.
