Decoding Sustainable Fashion To Shop Smarter, Fairer, Bolder

Sustainable fashion isn’t just a fleeting trend-it’s a bold responsibility to rethink how we dress and live. To dismantle fast fashion’s grip, we need to speak its language. This no-fluff sustainable fashion glossary unpacks the terms that define ethical fashion: from circular fashion and regenerative fibres to eco-friendly fashion materials like organic cotton and fair trade fashion practices. For the curious, impact-driven consumer, this guide is your weapon against greenwashing - those sneaky, misleading claims that dilute real change. Shop with intention, and wear sustainable fashion brands that stand for something bigger than a quick trend.

Every term you learn empowers you to choose ethically made clothing - from the skilled hands of artisans crafting artisan-made clothing to the future of planet-first low-impact fashion. At In Our Name, we celebrate sustainable clothing practices in many ways, like our Mwali initiative turning scraps into sanitary pads for nearly 1000 girls, proving circular fashion can lift communities. The most powerful thing you can wear is knowledge, and the most stylish act is uplifting others through ethical fashion brands that focus on people and planet.  

1. Bananatex - Bananas, But Make It Luxury

Bananatex® is a tough, technical fabric made purely from Abacá banana plants – grown without pesticides and requiring no extra water. Developed by Swiss brand QWSTION with weaving specialists in Taiwan, it’s an open-source alternative to synthetic textiles, designed for circular fashion. Its Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold rating proves its credentials, but what’s more impressive is what it replaces: petroleum-based nylons that dominate bags and accessories. 

2. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) - Better For Who?

The Better Cotton Initiative is the world’s largest program for sustainable cotton farming, operating in 21 countries and covering 14% of global cotton production. It trains farmers to use less water and fewer chemicals, while improving worker conditions. It’s not a perfect system - critics argue it still allows conventional cotton blending - but it’s a practical step for farmers who can’t afford organic certification. Better cotton = healthier soils, stronger communities, fewer toxic rivers.

3. B Corp Certified - Profit With Principles

B Corps are companies proving they are not just chasing profit. To qualify, they undergo a full audit - scoring 80+ points on the B Impact Assessment for social impact in fashion, environmental practices, and governance. They’re also legally required to balance purpose with profit, meaning shareholders can’t override ethical commitments. If a brand claims to be “good for people and planet,” this ethical fashion certification is the reality check.

4. Bluesign - The ‘Clean Chemistry’ Stamp

Bluesign certification tracks a product’s entire life cycle - from chemical inputs to final sewing. A Bluesign label means the factory used safer dyes, less water, fewer toxic solvents, and stricter worker-safety protocols. For consumers, it’s shorthand for “this eco-friendly item was made with chemistry that won’t destroy the waterways - or harm the people handling it.”

5. Biobased Materials - Plants, Not Petroleum

Biobased materials simply means materials made from renewable living matter rather than fossil fuels - wood, cork, algae, even seaweed-based fibres like Kelsun. The goal is to shift away from virgin plastics and resource depletion. But here’s the nuance: “biobased” doesn’t always mean biodegradable - some plant-based textiles still behave like conventional ones at end-of-life.

6. Biodegradable Packaging - Breaks Down, But How Fast?

Biodegradable packaging means microbes can break it down naturally into water, carbon dioxide, and organic matter. Cardboard, for example, is 100% biodegradable and recyclable 5-7 times. But here’s the catch: biodegradable doesn’t always mean quick or clean - some biodegradable plastics still need industrial composting to decompose properly. Always look for certified compostable packaging if you want true zero-waste fashion.

7. Bioplastics - Not All Green by Default

Made from renewable sources like corn starch, algae, or recycled food waste, bioplastics aim to cut petroleum use. By 2025, they’re predicted to  have replaced 15-20% of conventional plastics. But here’s the nuance: plant-based doesn’t mean guilt-free - some bioplastics behave just like normal plastics if they end up in landfills. Look for labels that specify compostable bioplastics or recyclable.

8. Botanical Dyes - Colour, Straight from the Soil

Botanical dyes use pigments extracted from plants, roots, and bark. Historically, they produced deep, long-lasting colours without toxic fixatives. Modern natural textile dyeing has made a comeback as brands look for ways to cut chemical-heavy dye baths that pollute rivers. Natural doesn’t always mean subtle - indigo, madder, and turmeric produce vivid, bold shades with less environmental fallout.

9. Carbon Capture - Stopping Emissions at the Source

Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) traps CO₂ from industrial sites like cement factories and stores it underground or reuses it in products (think building materials). It’s controversial - expensive, energy-intensive - but it’s currently one of the few scalable ways to stop heavy-industry emissions before they hit the atmosphere

10. Carbon Footprint - Your Emissions, Counted in Tonnes

A carbon footprint measures all greenhouse gases linked to oour actions, from making a T-shirt to powering your home. A single cotton T-shirt can produce 2-3 kg of CO₂, in 2023 an average  UK citizen’s footprint was 5.12 tonnes (1,700–2,560 T-shirts), Japan’s 8.76 tonnes (2,920–4,380 T-shirts), and Kenya’s was just 0.4 tonnes (133–200 T-shirts). Compared to the US’s 16 tonnes (5,333–8,000 T-shirts).

These figures show the power of individual choices  - because what you measure, you can change with low-carbon life-style choices.

11. Carbon Negative - Beyond Neutral

Carbon negative isn’t just balancing the scales - it’s flipping them. It means pulling more CO₂ from the atmosphere than you put in. Think bioenergy plants with carbon capture, soil restoration, or reforestation that sequesters more than it emits. For brands claiming to be “good for the planet,” this is the gold standard for climate-positive fashion - not just damage control, but actively reversing it.

12. Carbon Neutral vs. Net Zero - Not the Same

These terms get thrown around interchangeably - but they shouldn’t. Carbon neutrality balances carbon in and out, often through offsets. Net zero goes further - cutting all greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide, to near-zero, with any remaining emissions absorbed by carbon sinks. If a label claims “net zero,” it’s promising deeper change than a quick offset.

13. Carbon Offset vs. Carbon Credit - Your Climate Currency

Carbon offsets and credits are two sides of the same coin. A carbon offset is paying for a project - like planting trees or funding renewable energy - to counterbalance your emissions. A carbon credit is tradable proof that one tonne of CO₂ has already been reduced elsewhere. Both can be bought and sold, but the impact depends on real, verified projects - not paper promises.

14. Certified Vegan by Vegan.org - No Grey Areas

This seal is for products that are 100% free of animal ingredients and testing. Run by the Vegan Awareness Foundation, it’s stricter than a casual “vegan-friendly” claim. No hidden beeswax, no sneaky silk blends - and absolutely no animal testing. When you see this mark, it’s a guarantee for vegan women’s fashion, not a marketing spin.

15. Circular Design - Designing for Forever

Circular design asks one radical question: What happens after you’re done with it? Every product is designed to be repaired, reused, or remade - keeping materials in circulation and out of landfills. For fashion, it means garments built for longevity, disassembly, and recycling, breaking the toxic “buy, wear, toss” cycle of circular women’s fashion.

16. Circular Economy - Breaking the Take-Make-Waste Habit

The circular economy flips the script on the old linear model. Instead of taking, making, and dumping, resources are kept in play - reused, regenerated, or endlessly recycled. For fashion, it means fewer virgin fibres, more recycled textiles, and production systems that treat waste as raw material, not landfill, for sustainable women’s clothing.

17. Closed-Loop System - Waste That Stays in Play

In a closed-loop system, nothing is “thrown away.” Products are designed to be remade, components recovered, and resources cycled back into production. Think of it as fashion’s version of reincarnation - old fibres reborn into new garments, with minimal waste or virgin resource use for circular women’s fashion.

18. Climate Neutral Certified - Accountability on Paper

This isn’t a fluffy label; it’s a full audit. Brands with Climate Neutral Certified status have measured all emissions (from raw material to customer), offset every tonne, and committed to reducing them long-term. It’s managed by the Change Climate Project, so there’s real tracking – not just a self-made claim slapped on a swing tag for climate-conscious fashion.

19. COSMOS Natural by Ecocert - Nature, Verified

COSMOS Natural certification guarantees a product is made from naturally sourced ingredients, with no parabens, phthalates, synthetic colours, GMOs, or artificial fragrances. It doesn’t mean “organic,” but it does mean clean, responsible, and independently verified by some of the toughest standards for eco-friendly fashion materials.

20. COSMOS Organic by Ecocert - The Next Level of Clean

For something to carry the COSMOS Organic label, it has to meet strict rules on organic content, environmental management, and marketing honesty. At least 95% of plant-based ingredients must be organic, with traceable supply chains and low-impact production. It’s the difference between “natural-ish” and genuinely planet-conscious women’s fashion.

21. Compostable - Back to the Earth

Compostable doesn’t just mean biodegradable - it means breaking down into nutrient-rich compost under the right conditions. Think food scraps, paper, or certified compostable packaging that turns into soil, not microplastics. True compostable fashion packaging should clearly state whether it’s home or industrial-compost certified for zero-waste fashion.

22. Conscious Consumer - More Than Just Shopping Smart

Being a conscious consumer isn’t about perfection; it’s about intention. It’s knowing where your clothes come from, who made them, and what happens after you’re done. It’s choosing brands with measurable social impact in Africa and environmental impact - and rejecting the ones still greenwashing with empty slogans.

23. Conscious Consumption - A Radical Act

Conscious consumption means slowing down in a world obsessed with “more.” It’s asking harder questions: Do I need this? Who benefits from this purchase? It’s choosing pieces that last, supporting ethical African supply chains, and seeing every spend as a vote for the kind of world you want to live in.

24. Cradle to Cradle Certified - Designed for Rebirth

This global Cradle to Cradle certification assesses products across five key areas – material health, circularity, clean air, climate impact, and social fairness. It’s about designing products that can be safely returned to the earth or endlessly recycled, creating no toxic legacy for ethical women’s fashion.

25. Cruelty-Free - More Than a Bunny Logo

Cruelty-free means no animal testing at any stage – not for the finished product, not for its ingredients. The gold standard? The Leaping Bunny certification, which requires annual audits and supplier compliance. Anything less may just be clever marketing for vegan women’s fashion.

26. Desserto - Leather Made From Cactus

Desserto is a plant-based leather alternative made from prickly pear cactus. Created in Mexico, it uses far less water than animal leather and thrives in arid conditions without irrigation. Durable, breathable, and PETA-approved, it’s redefining what sustainable luxury fashion can look like in a climate-conscious world.

27. Deforestation - Fashion’s Hidden Cost

Deforestation isn’t just a climate issue; it’s a fashion one. Cheap leather, viscose, and paper packaging often come from cleared rainforests. Every tree felled means more CO₂ in the atmosphere and less habitat for endangered species. Look for FSC-certified , Ecovero or recycled alternatives - because no dress is worth a destroyed ecosystem.

28. Digital Product Passport (DPP) - Radical Transparency

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are set to become fashion’s biggest shake-up. Proposed by the EU, they track a garment’s entire life cycle - from raw material extraction to recycling. Scan a QR code, and you’ll see its origins, its makers, and its impact. No more mystery. No more greenwashing in fashion.

29. Environmental Footprint - Your Real Impact

An environmental footprint measures the resources and emissions behind a product’s entire life - from water and energy use to pollution. For fashion, it’s a way of cutting through marketing noise. High footprints mean high hidden costs; low footprints mean brands are actually doing the work to produce eco-friendly clothing.

30. EPA Safer Choice - Chemicals That Don’t Cost the Earth

In the U.S. the EPA Safer Choice certification identifies products with safer chemical ingredients for people and the planet. For textiles, it means fewer toxins in dyes, finishes, and detergents. If your clothes claim to be “eco-friendly,” but aren’t Safer Choice-certified (or equivalent), question it.

A global standard covering similar parameters is Oeko-Tex (refer to section 84 below)

31. ESG Investing - Fashion’s New Accountability

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing is where money meets morals. It channels funds into companies that prove they’re reducing environmental harm, treating workers fairly, and running transparent governance. For fashion, ESG pressure is forcing big brands to clean up - because investors now care as much about carbon footprints as profit margins.

32. EU Ecolabel - Europe’s Seal of Sustainability

The EU Ecolabel isn’t handed out lightly. Products have to prove lower environmental impact across their entire life cycle - from raw material to disposal. For textiles, that means stricter chemical use, waste management, and energy efficiency. If you want proof a garment meets Europe’s toughest eco-standards for fashion, this is it.

33. EWG Verified - Safe for Skin, Safe for Planet

EWG Verified means the product has passed one of the strictest health and chemical safety checks in the world. No toxic dyes, no harsh finishes – just clean, responsible chemistry. For fashion, it’s rare, but when you see it, you know the brand takes “non-toxic” seriously, not just as a buzzword for sustainable women’s clothing.

34. Fair Trade Certified - Equity Woven In

Fair Trade Certified products guarantee fair wages, safe working conditions, and community investment for farmers and workers. For fashion, it means your cotton, wool, or artisan-made pieces come from supply chains that lift people up rather than exploit them. Every certified piece is a quiet rebellion against sweatshop economics.

35. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - Paper, But Responsible

FSC certification ensures that paper, wood, or packaging comes from responsibly managed forests. For fashion, it’s crucial - from swing tags to shoeboxes, too many brands still use virgin rainforest fibres. FSC means less deforestation in fashion and more forests thriving for future generations.

36. Fruitleather - Mangoes, Reimagined

Fruitleather transforms discarded mangoes into a vegan leather alternative. Born in Rotterdam, it’s part of a wave of bio-innovations turning food waste into fashion. Strong, flexible, and cruelty-free, it’s proof that waste really can be sustainable luxury fashion – and that no cow should lose its hide for a handbag.

37. Green Seal - The Original Eco Stamp

Long before “green” became a trend, Green Seal was setting environmental benchmarks. Its certification guarantees reduced chemical use, energy efficiency, and safer manufacturing. While mostly seen in cleaning products, fashion brands embracing Green Seal-certified processes are signaling they care about more than just aesthetics.

38. Greenwashing - Fashion’s Favourite Lie

Greenwashing is when brands spend more on marketing “eco-friendly” than actually being it. Think vague terms like “conscious” or “sustainable” with no proof. For a customer, the antidote is simple: look for certifications, data, and transparent fashion supply chains. If it sounds too good, it probably is.

39. Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) - Organic rubber

GOLS certifies latex made from organically grown rubber trees, free of harmful chemicals. It matters for shoes, accessories, and even some garment trims. Latex is often overlooked in fashion sustainability - GOLS is how you know the natural rubber in your soles isn’t poisoning ecosystems.

40. Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) - The Gold Standard

GOTS is the most trusted certification for organic textiles, covering everything from fibre cultivation to dye toxicity and worker rights. If your cotton, wool, or silk has this label, it’s the real deal - organic, ethical, and traceable. Anything else? Ask questions about sustainable women’s fashion.

41. Global Recycled Standard (GRS) - Recycling That Counts

GRS isn’t just about saying “recycled”; it verifies exactly how much and how responsibly. It tracks recycled fibres through the entire supply chain and ensures social and environmental compliance. For fashion, it’s the difference between true recycling and marketing spin for circular women’s fashion.

42. Grape Leather - Wine Waste Turned Luxe

Grape leather, pioneered in Italy, transforms leftover grape skins and seeds from wine production into a supple, plant-based leather. It’s renewable, low-impact, and proof that sustainable luxury fashion doesn’t have to cost animals - or the planet.

43. Infinitely Recyclable - No End in Sight

Some materials, like aluminium or innovative plastics such as PDK, can be recycled endlessly without losing quality. For fashion, this could mean zippers, buttons, or trims that never hit landfill. The future? Clothes built from components designed for infinite loops in circular fashion.

44. Kelsun Fiber - Seaweed That Wears Well

Kelsun is a seaweed-based yarn with a fraction of the environmental footprint of conventional fibres. Developed by Keel Labs, it harnesses one of the ocean’s fastest-regenerating resources - proving marine-based textiles could rewrite fashion’s future for sustainable women’s clothing.

45. Leap - Apples Into Leather

Leap, an apple-based leather alternative, turns apple waste from cider production into a durable, bio-based textile. With up to 85% natural content, it’s making accessories that feel luxurious but leave orchards - not animals - at the heart of sustainable fashion production.

46. Leaping Bunny - Cruelty-Free, Verified

Leaping Bunny is the most reliable cruelty-free certification, requiring rigorous annual audits and full supplier compliance. If a beauty or fashion brand flaunts this logo, you can trust no animals were harmed – ever. Anything else is just a self-declared promise for vegan women’s fashion.

47. LEED - Green Buildings, Green Brands

LEED certification is for buildings, not clothes – but it signals something big. It means a brand’s stores or factories are energy-efficient, low-emission, and built with sustainability in mind. When a fashion label boasts LEED-certified spaces, it’s walking the talk, not just selling it for sustainable fashion production.

48. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - The Whole Story

LCA tracks a product’s environmental impact from cradle to grave – raw material extraction, production, use, and disposal. For fashion, it exposes hidden costs like water pollution from dyeing or microplastics from washing. It’s data that keeps brands honest for transparent fashion supply chains.

49. Linear Economy - Fashion’s Biggest Problem

The linear economy is fashion’s old habit: take, make, waste. It’s why billions of garments end up in landfills each year. Moving away from this model means designing for reuse, recycling, and durability - because a “wear once, toss after” culture is fashion’s biggest environmental crime for sustainable women’s fashion.

50. Locally-Sourced - Close to Home

Locally-sourced materials are more than a feel-good term. They cut carbon emissions from shipping, support regional economies, and often mean fresher, less chemically treated fibres. For fashion, it’s about shortening supply chains and strengthening communities, not just lowering costs for ethical women’s clothing.

51. Made in Green by OEKO-TEX - Traceable from Fibre to Finish

The Made in Green by OEKO-TEX label is more than a green sticker - it’s a QR-code-traceable promise that every stage of production was safe for workers and clean for the planet. Tested for harmful chemicals, made in audited facilities, and fully transparent, it’s the modern customer’s shortcut to knowing exactly what’s touching their skin in sustainable women’s clothing.

52. MADE SAFE - Ingredients You Can Trust

MADE SAFE demands full disclosure of every ingredient and process involved in making a product – no hiding behind “proprietary blends.” For fashion, this is a big deal for dyes and finishes, meaning no sneaky endocrine disruptors or carcinogens lurking in your favourite tee. It’s clean fashion, proven for non-toxic women’s clothing.

53. Microfibre Pollution - The Invisible Fashion Waste

Every time you wash synthetic clothes, tiny plastic microfibres shed into waterways. They end up in oceans, ingested by fish, and eventually on your plate. Polyester, nylon, and acrylic are the worst offenders. A single load of laundry can release hundreds of thousands of fibres - proof that fashion’s waste isn’t just what you can see.

54. Micromodal - Beech Trees, But Better

Micromodal is a silky-soft fibre made from beech tree pulp, processed in a closed-loop system that reuses 99% of chemicals and water. It’s lightweight, breathable, and far kinder to the planet than conventional viscose. Comfort meets sustainability - no compromise for sustainable women’s fashion.

55. Microplastics - Tiny, Toxic, Everywhere

Microplastics aren’t just from bottles - fashion is a huge culprit. Synthetic fabrics shed microplastics every time they’re worn or washed, contaminating rivers, oceans, and even the air we breathe. They carry toxic chemicals and never biodegrade, making them one of fashion’s quietest but deadliest pollutants.

56. Mylo - Mushroom Leather That Feels Like the Real Thing

Mylo is a luxurious leather alternative grown from mycelium - the root system of mushrooms. Cultivated in weeks, not years, it feels as soft and supple as animal hide but without the cruelty or environmental cost. It’s the kind of bio-innovation that could rewrite leather’s future for sustainable luxury fashion.

57. Natural Fibres - Nature’s Original Tech

Cotton, wool, linen, hemp - natural fibres are renewable, breathable, and biodegradable, making them fashion’s original sustainable choice. But not all natural fibres are equal: how they’re farmed, processed, and dyed determines whether they’re truly eco-friendly or just another “natural” myth.

58. Natural Materials - From Earth to Garment

Natural materials include everything from plant-based fibres to leather, but sustainability depends on how responsibly they’re sourced and processed. Over-farmed cotton or unregulated leather can be just as destructive as synthetics, while well-managed, regenerative sources can support ecosystems and communities.

59. Net Zero - Fashion’s Hardest Goal

Net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to almost nothing and offsetting the rest by capturing carbon in forests, oceans, or technology. For fashion, this requires redesigning entire supply chains, switching to renewable energy, and rethinking waste. A carbon-neutral T-shirt is possible, not so much with other more complex products; but net-zero fashion is still a revolution  worth championing for sustainable women’s clothing.

60. Non-GMO Project Verified - No Genetic Engineering

This Non-GMO Project Verified certification guarantees that the cotton or plant-based fibres in your clothes aren’t genetically modified. Non-GMO farming supports biodiversity and healthier soils, avoiding the chemical-heavy monocultures linked to genetically engineered crops.

61. Non-Renewable Resources - Fashion’s Dirty Addiction

Petroleum-based fabrics like polyester, nylon, and acrylic rely on non-renewable resources-fossil fuels. Every synthetic dress or jacket is made from resources that will one day run out, leaving behind plastic waste that outlives us all. 

62. Non-Virgin Materials - Second Life Textiles

Non-virgin materials are fabrics or fibres that have already been used, then recycled or upcycled into something new. They cut down on landfill waste, conserve water and energy, and reduce demand for virgin raw materials. The future of fashion is circular, not linear.

63. Organic - Clean from Seed to Skin

Organic cotton, or linen is grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs. Beyond being better for your skin, organic farming improves soil health, protects pollinators, and uses far less water. Real organic comes certified – anything else is just marketing spin for sustainable women’s fashion.

64. Oregon Tilth Certified Organic - Farming with Integrity

Oregon Tilth Certified Organic certification is a benchmark in organic farming, ensuring soil health, biodiversity, and zero synthetic chemicals. While best known for food, textiles carrying this certification come from farms treating land – and farmers – with the respect they deserve.

65. Organic Content Standard (OCS) - Proof in Numbers

OCS tracks the exact percentage of organic fibres in a product, verified by third parties. It’s a no-nonsense way to avoid brands exaggerating their “organic” claims. If the tag says 95% organic under OCS, it’s certified fact, not guesswork for sustainable fashion. 

66. PETA-Approved Vegan - Animal-Free Fashion, Verified

This PETA-Approved Vegan label guarantees no leather, wool, silk, or any animal-derived materials have been used. Unlike vague “vegan leather” claims, it’s verified by one of the most trusted animal rights groups. Ethical fashion should be transparent – this is.

67. PETA Beauty Without Bunnies - Cruelty-Free & Vegan

This PETA Beauty Without Bunnies certification confirms no animal testing and zero animal-derived ingredients in an entire product line. For fashion, it applies mostly to cosmetics, dyes, or finishes, ensuring beauty and fashion can be kind without compromise for vegan women’s fashion.

68. PETA Cruelty-Free - Testing-Free, Full Stop

PETA’s cruelty-free certification ensures no animals were tested on at any stage of production – from raw ingredient to finished product. Annual audits keep brands accountable, making it one of the easiest ways to shop responsibly for vegan women’s fashion.

69. Piñatex - Pineapple Leaves

Piñatex turns pineapple leaf waste - a by-product of farming - into a durable, breathable leather alternative. Lightweight, cruelty-free, and waste-reducing, it’s rewriting what “luxury” can feel like for sustainable fashion.

70. Post-Consumer Recycled - Waste Worth Wearing

Post-consumer recycled materials come from items already used, like plastic bottles or old textiles, reborn as new fabrics. It saves landfill space, reduces virgin resource use, and gives your clothes a second life story to tell for circular fashion.

71. Rainforest Alliance Certified - People, Planet, and Product Aligned

The little green frog isn’t just a logo - it’s proof that the farms or forests behind your cotton, rubber, or dyes meet strict social, environmental, and economic standards. It means fairer wages, healthier ecosystems, and crops grown in harmony with nature for sustainable women’s clothing. A small symbol, a big shift in how fashion sources its raw materials.

72. Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) - Numbers You Can Trust

RCS verifies exactly how much recycled content is in your clothes – no vague “made with recycled fibres” claims here. Products certified RCS 100 are 95–100% recycled, while RCS Blended guarantees 5–95%. It’s data-backed transparency for a fashion world drowning in greenwashing.

73. Recyclability - Designing for the Next Life

Recyclability isn’t just about tossing clothes into a bin – it’s about whether the fibre can actually be broken down and reused at scale. Pure cotton? Yes. Polyester blends? Hardly. Brands that design with recyclability in mind are building fashion for its second life, not  landfill.

74. Regenerative Agriculture - Healing the Soil, Not Just Farming It

Regenerative agriculture restores soil health, boosts biodiversity, and even pulls carbon from the atmosphere. For fashion, it means cotton or wool grown in a way that gives back more than it takes – healthier land, fewer chemicals, and stronger rural economies. 

75. Regenerative Production - Restoring, Not Depleting

Unlike traditional manufacturing, regenerative production aims to leave nature better off - whether that’s cleaner air, richer soil, or restored biodiversity. Think agroforestry-grown cotton or ethically grazed sheep for wool. It’s the opposite of extraction - it’s simply restorative by design.

76. Renewable Materials - Nature’s Endless Loop

Renewable materials, like cotton, bamboo, hemp, and wool, can replenish themselves naturally, making them the antidote to fossil-fuel-based synthetics. But renewables only matter when grown responsibly; overfarmed cotton can be as damaging as polyester. 

77. Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) - Sheep, Land, and People First

RWS isn’t just about soft jumpers – it’s about ensuring sheep are treated humanely, land is carefully managed, and farmers are paid fairly. Every stage, from farm to factory, is audited. If your wool isn’t RWS-certified, ask why.

78. Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) - For Mohair Lovers

Mohair has a history of animal welfare scandals, but RMS changes the game. It demands humane treatment of angora goats, responsible land use, and strict supply-chain audits. Ethical mohair exists - you just have to look for the certification for ethically produced clothing and accessories.

 79. Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) - Gentle Giants, Ethical Fibres

Alpacas are some of the gentlest animals in fashion’s supply chain, but RAS ensures their welfare is protected and their grazing doesn’t damage fragile ecosystems. It’s a badge that proves soft, luxurious fibres can be kind too.

80. Responsible Down Standard (RDS) - Down Without the Cruelty

RDS bans live-plucking and force-feeding, tracing every feather back to farms audited for humane treatment. For insulated jackets or bedding, it’s the only guarantee that the warmth you feel isn’t built on animal suffering.

81. SA8000 - The Global Standard for Fair Work

SA8000 is one of the toughest social certifications, covering child labour, forced labour, health, safety, and fair wages. If a factory is SA8000-certified, it means workers aren’t just paid - they’re protected, respected, and heard.

82. Single-Use - Fashion’s Most Dangerous Habit

Single-use isn’t just about plastic bottles - it’s about throwaway fashion. Clothes made to be worn a handful of times before falling apart are fashion’s dirtiest secret, clogging landfills for centuries. Buying better-made pieces is your rebellion to fast fashion.

83. Slow Fashion - Intentional, Timeless, Responsible

Slow fashion isn’t a trend - it’s a mindset. It means buying fewer, better-made clothes designed to outlast seasons, not follow them. Quality fabrics, timeless cuts, and repairable pieces are its hallmarks. It’s style that respects both planet and craft.

84. Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX - Tested Safe, Skin Deep

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 guarantees a textile has been tested for harmful chemicals, making it safe for even the most sensitive skin. It’s especially important for kidswear and underwear – because toxins have no place in our clothing.

85. Social Inclusion - Fashion That Opens Doors

Social inclusion means creating opportunities for communities historically excluded from the industry - from fair wages for workers to hiring people with disabilities. True ethical fashion isn’t just eco-friendly; it’s inclusive by design.

Read about our Full Circle Initiative

86. Sustainability - More Than Just a Buzzword

Sustainability isn’t just recycled fabrics - it’s designing fashion that meets today’s needs without stealing from tomorrow. Think fair wages, regenerative farming, circular systems, and clothes built to last. Real sustainability is a system, not just an over used marketing slogan. 

87. Tencel - Tree to Textile, Responsibly

Tencel (Lyocell) is made from sustainably harvested wood pulp in a closed-loop system that recycles 99% of water and solvents. It’s soft, strong, and far more eco-friendly than conventional viscose. 

88. Traceability - Follow the Thread

Traceability means being able to track every stage of a garment’s life - from farm to factory to store. For conscious consumers, it’s the only way to separate brands talking about ethics from those actually proving them in transparent fashion supply chains.

89. Ecovero Viscose - Viscose with a Conscience

Ecovero is a cleaner, greener version of viscose, made from wood sourced from certified forests with 50% less water and emissions than standard viscose. It’s silky-soft without the rainforest destruction guilt for sustainable women’s clothing.

90. United Nations Global Compact - The Business of Doing Better

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, pushing businesses to meet strict principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. Brands signed up to it aren’t just talking change - they’re being held to it for ethical practices.

91. UN Sustainable Development Goals - Fashion With Global Accountability

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aren’t just feel-good targets – they’re a blueprint for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and driving equality by 2030. For fashion, aligning with SDGs means paying fair wages, reducing water waste, and empowering women. If a brand talks “impact,” ask which SDGs they actually support.

92. Up-cycling vs. Recycling - Reinvention Over Reuse

Recycling breaks materials down to rebuild them. Up-cycling skips the breakdown and transforms existing materials into something better – like turning factory off-cuts into jewellery or dresses. In fashion, up-cycling is where creativity meets waste reduction, giving old textiles new life with less energy for circular women’s fashion.

93. OEKO-TEX - Safety, Proven and Stamped

The OEKO-TEX label (including Standard 100 and STeP) is your guarantee that a fabric is free from harmful chemicals and made in safer, more sustainable factories. It’s the difference between “eco-friendly” as a tagline and as a verified standard for sustainable women’s clothing.

94. USDA National Organic Program - Organic Beyond the Buzzword

USDA Organic certification isn’t just marketing – it’s strict, audited farming practices banning toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, and genetic engineering. For cotton, it means healthier soil, safer farmers, and cleaner water.

95. Value Chain - Every Step Matters

A value chain isn’t just supply chains - it’s every stage of a product’s life, from sourcing to recycling. For fashion, transparent value chains show where raw cotton is grown, who spins the yarn, who stitches the garment, and how it’s disposed of. If a brand can’t map it, it can’t claim ethics for sustainable fashion.

96. Vegan - More Than Just No Leather

Vegan simply means no animal-derived materials like leather, silk, or wool in your clothing or accessories - but the best vegan pieces go further, using plant-based or recycled alternatives that don’t just ditch animals, they also cut emissions and chemical-heavy tanning. Look for innovation, not just PVC pretending to be “cruelty-free”.

97. Vegan Society Certified -The Seal of Integrity

The Vegan Society trademark is a strict vegan label, ensuring no animal ingredients, no animal testing, and no sneaky animal-based adhesives have been used. If a piece carries this mark, it’s genuinely animal-free.

98. Zero Waste - Designing Out Waste Before It Starts

Zero waste in fashion means designing products that leave no off-cuts, repurposing every scrap, and recycling garments at end-of-life. It’s not just about “less landfill” - it’s a complete rethink of how fashion is made, sold, and worn.

99. Designed to Last - Timeless Over Throwaway

“Designed to Last” means building garments for years, not seasons – durable seams, high-quality fabrics, and styles immune to fleeting trends. Every long-lasting piece you buy is a quiet protest against fast fashion’s disposable culture.

100. Cleaner Leather - Tanned Without the Toxins

Cleaner leather comes from tanneries certified by groups like the Leather Working Group, using safer chemicals, closed-loop water systems, and traceable hides. It’s proof that leather can be lower-impact - but only when sourced responsibly.