If sustainability is your priority, how do you verify that the products you buy are truly doing better by our planet?

It can be easy for a brand to claim a fashion line is sustainable, but calling out eco-conscious ideals is no longer enough. Modern technology is helping to hold brands  accountable.

Consumers now demand evidence, and not just assurances, and technology is serving as an important catalyst in distinguishing actual sustainable actions and marketing slogans.

Tracking Your Clothes from Farm to Closet

A major concern for green fashionistas is whether the fabrics they’re wearing are from sustainable sources.

Polyester is a popular material closely associated with fast fashion. Derived from the fossil fuel petroleum, it offers great versatility and durability at a low cost. But there are long-held concerns about extracting petroleum. The vast amount of water it takes to create polyester and the pollution from dyeing fabrics at scale are also huge problems.

It can be recycled and turned into other products. However, it’s estimated that only 1% of the materials created in the textile industry are actually repurposed.

While mystery often surrounds the origin of materials in the fashion business, Sheep Inc. does things a bit differently. Focusing on wool, its clothes feature an NFC tag that details exactly where the fabric has come from. This feature empowers customers to make a fully informed and sustainable choice.

This kind of product-level transparency assists in mitigating the concept of greenwashing and other brands are motivated to implement such approaches to traceability.

Blockchain technology is now applied by many other brands that are eco-oriented to trace fibers back to raw materials and finished garments, enabling buyers to check the steps of the manufacturing process.

Using blockchain, the data cannot be changed, and thus it is highly challenging to lie claiming that a brand is sustainable.

Connecting With the Makers

There is a human cost to fast fashion, with brands coming under fire for their hiring practices in factories. The most sustainable fabrics in the world won’t chime with the conscious wearer if items have been made by people forced to work in poor conditions.

Again, some brands leverage technology to show a better way.

Known Supply makes the people behind each item the story. Every item is traceable to its creator. This connection provides responsibility to care for employees and the communities they represent.

It changes the perception of the production process by placing the emphasis on workers, making it respectful, dignified, and with decent wages.

Digital worker IDs, video production diaries and certified labor documentation are also being deployed to make garment makers visible in the fashion ecosystem, previously unknown.

Keeping the Supply Chain Safe and Private

The above initiatives are helping consumers to make informed choices about their fashion. But technology is also helping streamline and optimise operations for the brands.

In the ultra-competitive world of fashion, protecting brand assets is vital. Brands may have concerns about losing plans through malware or a virus and must have strong cybersecurity measures in place. 

A brand might have offices in London, manufacturing locations in Pakistan, and shareholders in Los Angeles. Safeguarding the digital infrastructure that ties them all together is a must.

Buying Clothes with Confidence

More accountability and more honesty. Backed by tech, a more sustainable fashion landscape is trying to show a better solution to fast fashion. 

Consumer choice will ultimately have the final say. But brands can now tap into the tech solutions to show customers the exact benefits a bigger price tag can have.

Fashion future is based on the idea of transparency, as the story behind all clothes has a trace and all purchases contribute to responsible production.

The technology is in the frontline, thus sustainability can stop being a trend and become the new norm.