Why is Sustainable Fashion So Expensive
Sustainable fashion can be intimidating. The high prices that come with eco-friendly options may seem exclusive. But what actually makes sustainable options more expensive? It is easy to shake your head at a company that sells a white T-shirt for $80 and believe they are targeting a specific consumer. That being said, there is certainly a reason why these items are priced so much higher than fast fashion retailers.
This reason stems from the additional expenses sustainable retailers have to pay. These include labor expenses, fabrics expenses, certifications, production scale expenses and cost per wear. When you purchase a sustainable garment, you are not only paying for the item of clothing itself but the support towards the sustainable vendor you are purchasing from. There is a large difference between fast fashion retailers and slow fashion retailers. Fast fashion retailers create items that are disposable - made to wear two to three times and then thrown out. These clothes are made to keep up with trends so people believe they need to keep purchasing. However, Sustainable companies create items to last a lifetime, made to be sold to a good home and kept there for years to come. The price points are different for this reason. Once you understand the expenses that go into sustainably made garments, you are more likely to invest in these options.
The primary reason sustainable fashion is so high priced is because of their labor practices. Very few people think of the garment workers that manufacture their clothes and the way they are treated. However, it has been found that almost 93% of garment workers are not paid enough to live a suitable lifestyle. In Bangladesh, the cheapest place to manufacture clothes in the world, their legal minimum wage is approximately $94 per month. Compared to the proper living wage of approximately $189 per month, this seems unacceptable. Additionally, these workers are not getting paid time off, weekends or sick days. There have been so many stories come out about the horrors of these factories in countries that have horrible factory conditions. For example, in 2013, there was a terrible factory collapse in a garment factory in Bangladesh. There was a death toll of 1,134 people and approximately 2,500 were injured in the collapse. The cause of this collapse was due to a number of administrative failures and signs that the facility was unequipped for use were ignored, ultimately leading to the collapse. Working conditions like these are not ethical. Garment worker conditions should encompass everything you would expect from your job. When garment workers are treated fairly, and given the deserved compensation, the price of the garment must be raised. In this way, sustainable business owners not only make a profit, but their garment workers are able to live a more balanced life.
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Sustainable fabrics are estimated at 3 times more than non sustainable fabrics. Why is this? What actually makes sustainable fabrics more expensive? It is actually more expensive to produce because there are more steps in the process of manufacturing, this means more people to pay and more processes to occur. For example, soil has to be cleansed for at least three years prior to growing organic cotton because it naturally has to return to the state it grows. In comparison, cotton grown for fast-fashion uses fertilizers and other toxic chemicals synthetically to create an environment for this cotton to grow in. Organic cotton is also picked by hand and does not grow as well as it does with toxins, however it is more durable and the quality is much higher. This is why the process is more expensive. Farmers in this process are producing their materials without the use of chemicals that typically speed up the process or make it more efficient. They are also hand performing processes that would typically be automated such as weeding and cleaning. It takes more time and attention to produce materials organically. Sustainable fabrics are also not as high in demand which naturally makes them more expensive to purchase. While it is drastically growing in popularity, the demand for it is not nearly as high as mass produced fabrics such as polyester. The same applies for natural dyes. The demand for natural dyes is not as high therefore the prices of them have increased.
Paying a fair wage itself is an expense of its own but there is also paperwork and documentation involved when running a sustainable brand. Being a part of certifications such as Fair Trade, Fair Labor Association and Bluesign are expenses themselves. While these certifications are not required to ensure sustainable practices it provides a trusting relationship between a brand and their workers that gives reassurance to consumers that they are purchasing from an ethical company. However, certifications and the audits that have to be run come at a price that ultimately show up in the final garment.
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Fast fashion brands typically keep their expenses cheap by mass producing their stock even if it isn't necessary. For example, retailer Fashion Nova produces almost 1000 new styles per week. However, sustainable or slow fashion brands produce clothing that is made to order or produces select styles instead of thousands of items per week. Many companies do this to minimize their waste and will even offer alterations so that each garment is going to a home it will be worn. However, this much care put into clothing again comes at a price. Fashion brands always see more growth and bigger quantities as better, but this growth comes with environmental and sustainability issues that smaller brands do not face. That being said, smaller quantities and smaller brands have a larger overhead to pay.
As previously mentioned, fast fashion brands have created this unrealistic standard to keep up with trends by purchasing cheap clothing often and going through it quickly. This unrealistic and non-sustainable lifestyle of clothing is the reason the fashion industry is so destructive to both workers and the environment. It is said that a garment is worn approximately four times on average. If we could get rid of the idea that clothing is disposable, the price for sustainable clothing would make a lot more sense. When you pay for a $14 Fashion Nova top, you are paying for those three to four wears that you get out of it before you sell it or throw it out. Sustainable businesses are not producing for three to four wears. At a minimum they are producing for years, and ideally they are producing clothing for a lifetime. The effort going into these pieces are not made to be thrown away like fast fashion retailers do. The cost to wear is higher because it is a piece that is made to stay in your wardrobe for years to come.
Responsible fashion is an investment in ourselves, others and the earth. Therefore the expense of it needs to be understood. A shift in mindset needs to be made that sustainable fashion prices are the new standard. Fast fashion has created unrealistic expectations and the prices of the garments are not sustainable. The cost that you are paying for sustainable garments is not just for the item itself, it's for the support you show to the garment workers, the farmers and the company itself for producing these items in an ethical fashion. You are choosing to prioritize the planet. For further information on the truth behind fast fashion companies and the unrealistic price standards they set, check out the documentary, “The True Cost”. Switching to a sustainable wardrobe does not need to happen overnight. It is a slow process that can start by educating yourself on why sustainable options are worth the price.