A T-shirts is a basic, and one of the most worn clothing items, and as such can probably be found in every closet in the world. With the rise of fast fashion, T-shirts have become even more available and cheaper than ever. Hooray for fast fashion, right? Well, wrong. Quick Links What is fast fashion and why is it bad? What is sustainable fashion and why is it good? Key things to consider when buying a sustainable t-shirt Agood company fashion line What is fast fashion and why is it bad? The fast fashion model has earned its name due to the fast design, production and distribution of large quantities of cheaply produced and priced garments. Zara, H&M and Primark are some of the biggest companies in the fast fashion industry. According to the documentary The True Cost (2015), the world consumes 400% more pieces of clothing every year compared to just two decades ago. With cheap clothing so available nowadays, we buy more clothes than ever and dispose of them faster than ever. This mindless over-consumption has an immense impact on our environment. According to Business Insider, fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the total global carbon emission. It not only uses massive amounts of water in the production process, but it also pollutes rivers and other waterways by dumping chemicals and fabric dyes back into them. It is estimated that 85% of all textiles end up in landfills every year. A lot of brands use polyester, nylon and other synthetic fibers, which means it will take hundreds of years for them to biodegrade. Many people think that their favorite T-shirt is skin and environmentally friendly since it is made from cotton. In fact, the production of traditional cotton (as opposed to organic or regenerative cotton) is a very water-intensive process. According to Forbes, it takes around 2.700 liters of water to make just one T-shirt. Furthermore, traditional cotton farming relies heavily on the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides. When talking about sustainability, fast fashion has a huge social impact as well, especially in developing economies. There has been evidence of forced and child labour in India, Brazil, China, Bangladesh and other countries, and these serious social issues should not be ignored. So, having all this in mind, next time you go shopping for a T-shirt, you might want to consider looking for clothing brands which support sustainable fashion. What is sustainable fashion and why is it good? Simply put, it is fashion that is environmentally friendly and ethically made. It is a term that encompasses slow fashion, circular fashion, zero waste fashion, regenerative and ethical fashion. Slow fashion, as opposed to fast fashion, is ’quality-based, rather than time-based’ and it encourages people to buy less clothes and invest in timeless pieces. Circular Fashion supports the idea of using and circulating materials and products as long as possible and it includes recycling, upcycling and thrifting. Zero waste fashion refers to the production of clothing with minimal to no waste. It includes pre-consumer zero-waste, where scraps and leftovers in the production process are used for different projects, and post-consumer zero-waste in which case second-hand materials and clothing are used to produce new clothes. Regenerative fashion starts with regenerative agriculture which aims to improve soil health and restore soil biodiversity. This practice is very important, since it is estimated that we will run out of usable topsoil in 60 years, if we don’t change the way we farm our land. Ethical fashion is concerned with working conditions, fair trade and ensuring that no people or animals are harmed in the manufacturing process. Key things to consider when buying a sustainable t-shirt To sum it up, when buying a sustainable T-shirt, there are several key things to consider. First of all, the kind of material used for its production. Organic cotton, or even better, regenerative cotton, bamboo and hemp are the best sustainable materials for T-shirts. It is also important to know if these materials are ethically and sustainably sourced, as well as where, how and by whom the clothes are manufactured. In other words, look for companies that are committed to using business as a force for making good social and environmental changes, as opposed to the ones that are only concerned with profit (checking if a company is a Certified B Corporation is definitely a good start). How can we help you? You might find yourself thinking that buying a sustainable T-shirt is an overwhelming task, since there are so many things to consider. Perhaps we can help you by telling you about agood company fashion line and our sustainable T-shirts, so you can make an informed decision if you opt to buy them. As a Certified B Corporation, our company’s mission is to eradicate mindless consumption and be as sustainable as possible. We believe in being transparent, so that our customers can find out all about the materials we use, how they are sourced and the manufacturing processes our products go through. Our T-shirts and long sleeves are made in Turkey (using Turkish cotton) and contain 80% organic cotton and 20% recycled cotton. Conventional cotton is an extremely water intensive crop, it is often genetically modified and huge amounts of pesticides are used for its farming, which harm the soil, air and water, as well as farmers’s health. Our organic cotton comes from non-GMO plants which are grown without the use of synthetic agricultural fertilisers and pesticides. This makes it much more environmentally friendly than conventional cotton. It is recyclable, NGO approved and GOTS certified (Global Organic Textile Standard). When you buy a T-shirt from our circular fashion line, you have entered agood loop. We have spent two years working on this circular fashion line, looking at over 800 potential suppliers before choosing the one that shares the same sustainable values as we do. We have designed agood loop because we are truly committed to establishing the circular economy. Once our T-shirt has served its purpose, you can just send it back to us and we will make a new piece of clothing out of it. This will increase the percentage of recycled cotton we use to produce it. With a QR code on each label, you can now find out the exact content of the product or how many items of clothing it has been before. As an incentive for participating in our loop system, you will get a discount on your next purchase. In short Buying our sustainable T-shirts will help in preserving our planet for future generations. Unfortunately, pollution and global warming affect these future generations most, as they are our most vulnerable population. There are nearly 710 million children in the world that are in some way impacted by the climate change. This is why we have partnered with Save The Children, an organization whose mission is to improve lives of children worldwide and for each item sold, we will donate an emergency food kit to a child in need.