FROM EGO TO ECO FASHION’S GOT

ATTITUDE: WORKING TOGETHER FOR A

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JEANSWEAR & CONTEMPORARY FASHION

No 73 / 3-2018

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A BRIEF ALPHABET OF SUSTAINABILITY AND FAIR FASHION

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The who's who and the what's what of sustainability and greener living: With our brief alphabet of corresponding trade shows, organic fabrics, conscious modes of manufacture and fair trade, we offer a rough and ready overview of the currently most mentioned and significant buzzwords, materials and certificates for you – without any claim to completeness.

FW18 Low Impact Denim Collection by Jack & Jones

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AACT

An initiative between inter-national brands and retailers, manufacturers and trade unions to address the issue of living wages in the textile and gar-ment supply chain. The primary scope of the initiative is identify-ing each stakeholder’s role and responsibility and how they can support living wages in a scaled up, sustainable, industry-wide approach. Members include retailers and brands like Asos, C&A, Superdry, H&M and Orsay.

actonlivingwages.com

BBCI

Better Cotton Initiative is a non-profi t organisation that aims to improve environmental and social conditions in the cultiva-tion of cotton. Cotton pro-ducers need to fulfi l precisely defi ned criteria before they can apply for the seal. Continual improvements and the fulfi lment of further requirements must be ensured. The requirements vary depending on whether they are smallholders or owners of XL plantations. The seal does not appear on the fi nished products.

bettercotton.org

BLAUER ENGEL

The oldest German certifi ca-tion for products and services in the environmental sector was established in 1978 on the initiative of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Since then, the Blue Angel has been voluntarily labelling products and services that are classifi ed as particularly environmentally friendly. The following aspects play a role: the economical use of raw materi-

a sustainable tights collection with Kunert Blue in 2017.

econyl.com

ETHICAL FASHION SHOW

The Ethical Fashion Show Berlin represents urban zeitgeist, sus-tainable lifestyle and fashion. At the Kraftwerk Berlin venue, the tradeshow presents progres-sive streetwear and casualwear labels and brings together top players and newcomers from the sustainable fashion seg-ment. After the upcoming edi-tion of the Berlin Fashion Week in July, the Greenshowroom and the Ethical Fashion Show will merge under the new name Neonyt (see under N).

ethicalfashionshowberlin.com

EU-ECOLABEL

The internationally recognised quality label makes environ-mentally friendly products more easily identifi able for consumers. When evaluating a product, the entire life cycle, including envi-ronmentally compatible produc-tion and disposal, is examined. It applies to both natural and synthetic fi bres. The European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB) is responsible for the seal and the owner is the European Com-mission. This seal of approval is recognised in all EU member states, including Norway, Liech-tenstein and Iceland. In Ger-many, the German Institute for Product Safety and Certifi cation (RAL) and the Federal Environ-ment Agency are responsible for testing and awarding the seal (for three years each).

eu-ecolabel.com

FFAIR WEAR FOUNDATION

The non-profi t Fair Wear Foun-dation (FWF) has set itself the goal of improving working

superfl uous in the long term. Five evaluation categories are used: material health, reusability, re-newable energies, social fairness and maintenance of water qual-ity, which is why Cradle to Cradle are considered to be particularly environmentally safe. The fi ve certifi cation levels Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum provide a rough overview. Although the list of excluded chemicals is smaller than those provided by other seals, it assesses them according to 23 toxicologi-cal criteria, such as whether a product contains carcinogenic, hormone-affecting, persistent substances. First and fore-most, the better biodegradable, cleaner and recyclable products are, the better their certifi cation level. The label can be found in certain Trigema (Silver level) or C&A (Gold level) T-shirts, but not in their complete product range.

c2ccertified.org

DDYE

Dyes can be harmful to the environment and those work-ing with them. To avoid this, the use of low-impact dyes is highly recommended. Low-impact dyes have been classifi ed as eco-friendly, which means they contain no harmful toxins, re-quire less rinsing and have a high absorption rate, which reduces the amount of water waste.

EECONYL®

Econyl® is a 100% regenerated and regenerative fi bre made from nylon waste, such as torn fi shing nets, fabrics, old carpets and other recyclables. With the help of innovative technologies, it is now possible to produce a premium yarn, so-called Eco-nyl® yarn, from which the fi nest materials can be woven. Italian-based company Aquafi l, one of the world’s leading companies in the synthetic fi bre industry, has succeeded in closing the loop. The revolutionary material is used, for example, by German company Kunert which launched

als in production, respectful handling of health and safety at work, durability of product and sustainable disposal.

blauer-engel.de

BLUESIGN

Bluesign is a certifi cate issued by the textile and chemical experts from Bluesign Tech-nologies AG. It is therefore in an ideal position to examine chemical risks including all detox substances very compre-hensively, over the entire value chain, starting with the chemical industry. In addition to a “nega-tive list”, it also has an additional “positive list” for chemicals that can be viewed on the “Bluefi nder” on their website. Despite their stringency, there are no limit values or wastewater tests for environmental pollu-tion at Bluesign, which makes it inferior to certifi cation such as the Blue Angel. All fi bre types, as well as recycled materials, can

be certifi ed to the exclusion of hazardous substances, which also somewhat limits their re-cyclability. There are also limits for the end product. With over 500 system partners, the textile seal has more than any other, including Vaude, Adidas, Puma and G-Star.

bluesign.com

CCIRCULAR FLOW ECONOMY

The aim of recycling man-agement is to return the raw materials used to make a prod-uct back into the production process at the end of its life, therefore saving resources and avoiding waste. This is in con-trast to the predominant linear economy (disposable economy), where a large proportion of products end up in landfi ll or are incinerated after use.

CRADLE TO CRADLE

For Cradle to Cradle, the con-cept of recycling is a particular focus – the aim is to make waste

The Austrian weaving mill Vieböck uses only natural fi beres and has been awarded the GOTS and IVN BEST certifi cates

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conditions in the textile indus-try. The FWF concentrates on the processing phase of fabrics into textile products (ready-to-wear). The member companies are regularly checked and evalu-ated for the implementation of the catalogue of requirements of the FWF. These checks also take place in the production facilities. In addition, the Fair Wear Foundation is develop-ing approaches with the help of which human rights can be better enforced in the supply process.

fairwear.org

GGREENSHOWROOM

A hotspot for sustainability and innovation in fashion: the Greenshowroom trade fair is part of Berlin Fashion Week and showcases elegant design and high-quality apparel with sustainability as its focus. Please note: After the upcoming edi-tion of the Berlin Fashion Week in July, the Greenshowroom and the Ethical Fashion Show

will merge under the new name Neonyt (see under N).

greenshowroom.com

GREENSTYLE I MUC

The upcoming slow fashion and organic beauty festival & fair at Haus der Kunst in Munich.Launching on October 19 it will be a weekend full of slow fashion designers, fashionshows, instal-lations, panels, an award and the official kick-off for Green Fashion Tours Munich.

greenstyle-muc.com

GOTS

GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) is one of the strictest and best-known quality seals for ecological clothing. Since 2008, it has labelled products whose entire production meets certain ecological and social standards. 90% of GOTS-certified clothing must consist of natural fibres, at least 70% of which must be

organically grown. In addition, social and labour law standards must be complied with. These include no child and forced labour, compliance with local minimum wages, compatible working conditions and occupa-tional safety measures.

global-standard.org

GREENPEACE DETOX CAMPAIGN

In conjunction with the Green-peace Detox Campaign, around 80 brands have committed themselves to produce toxin-free by 2020. Among them are fast fashion chains like H&M, sporting goods manufacturers like Adidas, luxury brands like Valentino, low-cost chains like Aldi and, with the Italian Prato, even a whole textile region. These companies are already doing away with toxic chemicals and publish waste-water data – around 15% of the textile industry worldwide.

greenpeace.com

KKPIS

KPIS – Key Performance Indicators are a set of quantifi-able measures that a company or brand uses to assess or com-pare its performance in terms of meeting their strategic and operational goals. An example of a KPI could be the amount of water saved during the produc-tion process or the percentage of sustainable fibres used in a brand’s collection.

LLINEAR ECONOMY

In the linear economy, large parts of production end up in landfill or are incinerated after use. The raw materials used are not returned to the production process at the end of their life. A linear economy is the opposite of the circular flow economy.

MMADE IN GREEN BY OEKO-TEX®

An independent textile label that certifies products that have been manufactured using environ-mentally friendly processes and under safe and socially respon-sible working conditions.

oeko-tex.com

NNATURTEXTIL CERTIFIED BEST

The International Association of the Natural Textile Industry e.V. (IVN) is a professional associa-tion that companies from the natural textile production sector (textiles and leather) have been joining since 1989 – companies such as Hessnatur and Alnatura that have the highest standards in environmental protection, social responsibility, product quality and consumer protec-tion. The IVN awards the two

quality labels “Naturtextil zerti-fiziert best” (Naturtextil certified best) and “Naturleder zertifi-ziert” (certified natural leather), the guidelines demanding the highest possible ecological and social standards. As part of this IVN certification, all compa-nies involved in the production chain are tested by independent institutes.

naturtextil.de

NEONYT

Right after the upcoming edi-tion of the Berlin Fashion Week in July, the Greenshowroom and the Ethical Fashion Show will merge under the new name Neonyt (composed of the an-cient Greek, neo and the Swed-ish word, nytt for, new) into an international hub for progress. The new trade fair continues to regard sustainability as a step forward, as well as tech-nological innovations designed to bring the fashion industry into the future. Together with

HHIGG INDEX

The self-assessment tool developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition empowers brands and retailers to measure their environmental, social and labour impact and identify areas for improvement. Higg delivers a comprehensive overview of the sustainability performance of a product or company.

apparelcoalition.org

IIVN

Companies that attach great im-portance to environment, social responsibility, product quality and consumer protection have been joining the International As-sociation of Natural Textiles e.V. since 1989. The IVN awards two quality certificates: IVN-Natur-textil Best and IVN-Naturleder, whose guidelines document the highest realisable ecological and social standard.

naturtextil.de

The Greenshowroom has established itself as one of the hotspots for international buyers, media and influencers

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HIGG INDEXMore than 200 global members from across

multiple sectors such as Puma, Ecco and Levi's belong to the SAC

(Sustainable Apparel Coalition)

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the FashionSustain conference, #Fashiontech by the Premium Group and other events, this will create a brand new global hub for future topics.

neonyt.com

OOEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100

When consumer interest in safe textiles began to grow in the early 1990s, the Austrian Textile Research Institute (ÖTI) and the German Hohenstein Institute developed the Oeko-Tex® Stan-dard 100 – a uniform guideline for consumers and manufac-turers. The certifi cate is only awarded when all elements of an item fulfi l the test criteria. As well as the non-hazardous quali-ties of fabrics that come into contact with the skin, this also applies to sewing yarns, buttons, zippers etc.

oeko-tex.com

Leather, wool, silk and of course fur are just as taboo in their production as small parts that contain animal ingredients. Shoes that have been stuck with bone glue and mother-of-pearl buttons are therefore also forbidden. Unlike many other seals, this one is free of charge, allowing small, new labels who meet the requirements to also use it.

peta.de

PIÑATEX

Shoes, bags, belts, car seats: if you want to avoid animal leather, pineapple leather is offering a new vegan alternative. With her start-up Ananas Anam, Spanish designer Carmen Hijosa has de-veloped a procedure that turns pineapple leaves – which are otherwise discarded as waste during the harvest – into a non-woven mesh, which has a similar appearance to animal leather and is just as sturdy. Smaller designers like Maravilla Bags (Mallorca) are already offer-ing pineapple leather bags and Puma and Camper are experi-menting with prototypes.

ananas-anam.com

PURE CONSCIOUS

Hosted bi-annually, the trade fair Pure London covers all categories – from premium womenswear to accessories and footwear and now also newly introduced Pure Conscious, a sector dedicated to ethical and sustainable fashion.

purelondon.com

RRECYCLING

At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable. Re-cycling is the process of reusing waste products or taking the original raw materials to create secondary materials. Second-ary materials are raw materials obtained by recycling waste material. Resourceful green fashion labels have discovered the benefi ts of recycling worn, used products and are creating fantastic new fashions with re-cycled fi bres (e.g. Mud Jeans). As a result, the resource-intensive cultivation of cotton, among other things, can be reduced, as well as the extraction of polyes-ter from crude oil.

VVEGAN FASHION

Garments and accessories that have been made without the use of animal products. Many brands produce 100% vegan collections, while others, like Dr. Martens, Stella McCartney and Patagonia, offer selected vegan fashion items.

WWATER-BASED INKS

Water-based inks are used for screen-printing on fabrics. They do not contain compounds that can be harmful to the environ-ment and those working with them like PVC and phthalates. Furthermore, water-based inks do not require solvents to clean printing screens as their resi-dues can be removed with water.

XXOOM

The tradeshow debuted in January 2018 as part of Pan-orama Berlin. With the new XOOM space the organiser of Innatex provides buyers with the opportunity to discover a selected portfolio of green fashion brands.

innatex.muveo.de/berlin

ZZDHC

The ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Road-map to Zero Programme takes a holistic approach to tackling the issue of hazardous chemicals in the global textile, leather and footwear value chain. The goal is to eliminate the use of hazard-ous chemicals by focusing on the following areas: Manufactur-ing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) & Conformity Guidance, Wastewater Quality, Audit Protocol, Research, Data and Disclosure and Training. The members of the organisation include top brands like Adidas, Benneton, Hugo Boss, Esprit, G-Star Raw and Levi’s.

roadmaptozero.com

SSALMON LEATHER

Salmon leather (tanned salmon skin) is a by-product of fi sh-ing, which green fashion labels can use for their production (of accessories like bags, shoes and belts, for example), with-out the need to breed, catch or kill salmon. Nanai leather comes from the world’s only company that can demonstrate that its salmon leather is tanned and dyed in a way that is 100% chrome-free. Nanai leather is thinner than calfskin, very fl ex-ible, durable and splash-resis-tant. Perfect for gorgeous shoes and bags by labels such as Alina Schürfeld and Nine To Five.

salmo-leather.de

TTENCEL / LYOCEL

Tencel/Lyocel is an industri-ally produced cellulose fi bre made from natural raw materi-als. Cellulose is obtained from wood – in this case from Asian or South American eucalyptus wood sourced from sustainable forestry. The fi bres are manufac-tured in a closed cycle and have been presented with the “Euro-pean Award for the Environment” by the European Union. As well as being very comfortable to wear and versatile, it is the sustainable aspects that make Tencel a real fi bre of the future: almost 100 percent of the solvents required for the manufacturing process are reused, only a fraction of the amount of water is required for production compared to man-made fi bres and neither artifi cial irrigation nor pesticides are required for the cultivation of eucalyptus. Tencel is biode-gradable and is supplied by the Austrian company Lenzing AG.

lenzing.com

UUPCYCLING

Upcycled products and fabrics are repurposed. Parts or the entirety of the old product is used again for another purpose, reducing the need to produce new fabrics or goods.

Mirjam SmendJOURNALIST

Less is the new more, slow the new fast and eco the new cool. And that's the reason why Mirjam Smend quit her job at Elle magazine and started her blogzine my-greenstyle.com where she publishes

sustainable topics from fair fashion to eco travel. With her articles for magazines like vogue.de and Vue Berlin she shares her passion for fair fashion with conventional fashion fans. Her upcoming projects? The Green Fashion Tours Munich and the slow fashion festival & fair GREENSTYLE | MUC.

my-greenstyle.com

ORGANIC COTTON

Approximately 25% of the insecticides and 11% of the pesticides used in the world are attributable to cotton produc-tion. And with one cubic metre of water per kilogram of cotton fi bres, the water consumption is extremely high. Organic cotton makes up 1 to 2% of global cot-ton production and is generally grown in subtropical countries – ideally from non-genetically modifi ed plants, and without the use of any synthetic chemicals. Numerous seals of approval and certifi cates haven’t necessarily made the production of organic cotton more transparent. But producers are currently ensur-ing that there is no child labour, no pesticides are being used and that the farmers are getting fair prices.

organicexchange.org

PPETA-APPROVED VEGAN

All products that carry the PETA-Approved Vegan logo are 100 percent vegan.

Selected sustainable labels show their collections at the new XOOM space (Panorama Berlin ) on more than 2,000 square meters

The Mud Jeans' appeal: "Be kind to the

world – recycle your jeans"

VEGAN LEATHERCurrent vegan styles: sneakers made by Veja, backpack from the latest BMW i-collection,

platform shoes by Vagabond and backpack by Ju-Ju-Be

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