Go Greener

Go Greener

Fashion, textiles, and sustainability

How sustainable is your favourite fashion brand? Is it protecting their workers and paying them fairly? How ethical are they? A few weeks ago, the Baptist Fashion Guide was released rating 600 fashion brands and each company was given a score between 1 – 100 in an effort to make their activities more transparent. They were rated on the following criteria:

  • Trace beyond final stage
  • Remediate exploitation
  • Pay a living wage
  • Listening to workers
  • Use of  sustainable fibres
  • Commitment to Climate Change

It has been estimated the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

This is due the production and manufacture of clothes and includes the disposal of fast fashion as highlighted in the documentary Dead White Man’s Clothes screened in 2021 on the ABC.  This is an issue that affects all of us. Below are some things to consider before purchasing new clothes:

  • Only buy what you need and love
  • Research the sustainable/ethical credentials of the company from whom you are purchasing the new garments
  • Buy garments of high quality and made from sustainable fabrics
  • Purchase items that are classic and can be used in years to come
  • Buy clothes that will mix and match with what you already have.
  • Avoid double ups of clothing
  • Consider buying second hand clothes instead of a new item.

If you would like to congratulate a company on their environmental successes or send them a message to do better, you can message them on the Baptist Fashion Guide website. Click on the name of the company to see their ratings and at the bottom of the page is a yellow box labelled Speak out to this brand.

During Science and Technology lessons, Mrs Wilsmore and the Year 1 girls have been learning about the properties and uses of different materials. To investigate the sustainability of different materials, they buried a sample of cotton fabric and a sample polyester fabric into one of our garden beds. After 4 weeks, they dug up the fabric samples and found that the worms in the garden had started to eat the cotton fabric. However, the polyester fabric remained untouched and there was no evidence of this material breaking down or deteriorating. Year 1 were left wondering how long it would take for the polyester to decompose. The images below show their findings.

Sue Zipfinger
Sustainability Coordinator