Yes! We can shop sustainably on the high street
ONE OF THE biggest debates around sustainable fashion is that it can be expensive, a privilege for those who can afford luxury clothing, while the high street, with its notoriously large footprint, is generally easier on the wallet, but worse for the planet. And while this can often be true, a wave of high-street brands are rethinking their practices like never before.
This year, several of them rank in the 41-50%, 51-60% and 61-70% brackets on the Fashion Revolution Transparency Index. This is where global fashion brands, including Massimo Dutti, Zara, Lindex, ASOS, M&S, Gap and H&M, are reviewed and ranked according to how much information they disclose about their suppliers, supply chain policies and practices, and social and environmental impact. Many of these companies have also built sustainability goals into their businesses. The H&M group, for example, aims to have 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2020 and use 100% recycled or sustainably-sourced materials by 2030. Inditex (home to Zara and Massimo Dutti, among others), meanwhile, plans to achieve zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the making of its products by 2020 and has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.
Topshop is also thinking about its footprint, with the launch this week of a more environmentally-conscious collection, called Considered. ‘We’ve been working on our Considered range for some time now,’ says buying director Jo Gunner. ‘As a business, we know how critical it is to take responsibility, and to provide our customers with sustainable options at accessible prices. Sustainability is a journey and our teams have worked very closely with suppliers to source and develop lower-impact fabrics. We’re monitoring these new fabrics to ensure they continue to substantiate the claims we’re happy to be announcing.’
For some sustainably-minded shopping, visit these five this October.