Sustainability itself has become a trend throughout the world due to the serious and harmful effects of climate change on our planet. Big companies have been starting to realize their effects on this Earth, and many companies are becoming more sustainable with their everyday processes. A big industry that has shifted towards more sustainable products is the retail/clothing industry. Companies and celebrities are beginning to choose more sustainable products. Hailey Bieber, who recently just got married to Justin Bieber, chose to wear an organically produced, eco-friendly and cruelty-free peace silk dress for her wedding.
Every day, people put articles of clothing on, and if they are wearing and purchasing materials that are sustainable, it will be a small step in the right direction for this planet. I think it is very important for companies to keep up with this trend.
Two companies that have been involved in this trend are Patagonia and Earthshoes.
Patagonia is an extremely popular company that has made it its mission to be socially responsible. They openly admit on their website they don’t do everything a responsible company can do, but they do realize the opportunities that they can create to help not only themselves, but their customers act on their environmental and social responsibilities. For Patagonia, their mission started in 1988, when they realized that the cotton grown with pesticides that they had been using, were some of the most destructive crops. From there, they decided to go organic, which was the first step they made to creating better products. After that first step, Patagonia started working harder and harder to reduce their carbon footprint. They learned how to make fleece jackets from recycled plastic bottles, the amount of paper that they used in catalogs, and even how much oil their employees consumed driving to work. Patagonia will always admit that they may never be completely responsible (as most companies will not), but they will always make it a priority to continue “to take the next step, and then the next.”
Earth Shoes is a smaller company that also has its missions and values focused on producing the most sustainable products that they can. Earth shoes goal is to improve a person’s overall quality of life, from the shoes they wear on their feet, to the Earth they walk on every day. They take every environmental precaution that they can when making their shoes. Some of the environmentally friendly things they practice are using water-based glue, glue-free packaging, vegetable tanning, and utilizing their recycled materials. Water-based adhesives prove to be far less toxic to the air and people who work in footwear manufacturing. Many other different products that are used for glue have been proven to be extremely dangerous to people’s health. When it comes to packaging for Earth shoes, they are all glue-free and never contains staples. They also use a certain style of cardboard box which reduces the amount needed for each box. Although these things may seem small, every step adds up.
“THE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR PLANET IS THE BELIEF THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL SAVE IT.”
– Robert Swan, Author
It is important for everyone in this world to do their part in helping the Earth. Even making small changes about the types of clothes and companies that you are investing your money into is important. One small change a day will help this Earth more than you may think!