Interviews
BioFach 2011: Green fashion increasingly catching on
31 Aug '10
6 min read
“It has become easier for customers to dress themselves from head to foot, although this is still associated with a certain amount of searching. Some 20 nationwide concept stores specialize exclusively in green fashion and the shop sizes are growing. An online shop is usually also offered. According to recent research among German shop owners, T-shirts are the top-selling item of clothing, but jeans generate the most revenue.”
Green fashion: environmental protection plus ethical claim
Consumers have generally become more willing to spend more money for sustainably produced products. Customers tend to be prepared to dig into their pockets a little deeper for textiles and food. This is the result of a consumer survey by the E-Commerce-Center Handel (ECC)/ Institut für Handelsforschung (IfH), Cologne, in cooperation with the online portal Stayfair.de, Duisburg, in July 2010.
The trend to natural textiles and eco fashion also increases the demands on the manufacturers. Customers would like to be better informed, for example, through printing on the label on the actual product. In reality, ecologically and socially correct products cannot always be recognized reliably, for instance, because the number of test labels has grown very strongly. For clothing it is a matter of the environment and ethics, of social responsibility towards those who make the clothing, but many labels only cover one or the other of these aspects.
The future therefore belongs to compiled labels that combine environmental and social criteria and cover all elements of the production chain from field to wardrobe. Many manufacturers and customers would like organic to automatically also mean fair in the future. “Ecological and social belong together,” explained Günther Bachmann, Secretary General of the German Sustainability Council, at a conference on the future of green fashion in Berlin in June 2010.
The label of the Global Organic Textile Standard GOTS, for example, has high standards in these two respects and is gaining acceptance: The number of certified textile companies grew from only 26 in 2006 to as many as 2,800 in mid 2010.
Social labels are on the advance
The purely social labels are also getting ahead in the textile sector. 2 million clothing articles of fair trade cotton were sold in Germany in 2009, more than twice as many as in 2008. As much as half the fair trade cotton also comes from organic farming. Many companies want to accept their social responsibility, as also shown by the support for the Fair Wear Foundation FWF.
Experts call for legislation against greenwashing in the textile sector, as does Dr. Brodde: “Those who strive for ecological and social labels also take their commitment seriously. On the other hand, those who only want a green and social wash to push promotion must expect to be put in their place by consumer centres and product testers – as shown by a number of court rulings and product tests. The Federal Association of Consumer Centres recently called for legal controls to determine whether the products live up to their promise. However, there are no legal regulations yet as far as fashion is concerned.”
Green fashion: environmental protection plus ethical claim
Consumers have generally become more willing to spend more money for sustainably produced products. Customers tend to be prepared to dig into their pockets a little deeper for textiles and food. This is the result of a consumer survey by the E-Commerce-Center Handel (ECC)/ Institut für Handelsforschung (IfH), Cologne, in cooperation with the online portal Stayfair.de, Duisburg, in July 2010.
The trend to natural textiles and eco fashion also increases the demands on the manufacturers. Customers would like to be better informed, for example, through printing on the label on the actual product. In reality, ecologically and socially correct products cannot always be recognized reliably, for instance, because the number of test labels has grown very strongly. For clothing it is a matter of the environment and ethics, of social responsibility towards those who make the clothing, but many labels only cover one or the other of these aspects.
The future therefore belongs to compiled labels that combine environmental and social criteria and cover all elements of the production chain from field to wardrobe. Many manufacturers and customers would like organic to automatically also mean fair in the future. “Ecological and social belong together,” explained Günther Bachmann, Secretary General of the German Sustainability Council, at a conference on the future of green fashion in Berlin in June 2010.
The label of the Global Organic Textile Standard GOTS, for example, has high standards in these two respects and is gaining acceptance: The number of certified textile companies grew from only 26 in 2006 to as many as 2,800 in mid 2010.
Social labels are on the advance
The purely social labels are also getting ahead in the textile sector. 2 million clothing articles of fair trade cotton were sold in Germany in 2009, more than twice as many as in 2008. As much as half the fair trade cotton also comes from organic farming. Many companies want to accept their social responsibility, as also shown by the support for the Fair Wear Foundation FWF.
Experts call for legislation against greenwashing in the textile sector, as does Dr. Brodde: “Those who strive for ecological and social labels also take their commitment seriously. On the other hand, those who only want a green and social wash to push promotion must expect to be put in their place by consumer centres and product testers – as shown by a number of court rulings and product tests. The Federal Association of Consumer Centres recently called for legal controls to determine whether the products live up to their promise. However, there are no legal regulations yet as far as fashion is concerned.”
BioFach 2011
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