A global directory for environmental technology recommends standards for sustainable production to the fashion industry.

With the likes of Cate Blanchett and Scarlett Johansson behind the movement, eco fashion is about to boom. Top brands like Quicksilver, Gorman and Nudie Jeans are introducing their own organic-clothing ranges, and international studies show the demand for organic cotton is growing at up to 30 percent per year. However, despite the escalating trend towards eco fashion, the industry has not readily embraced a standard that takes into account the entire process of production.

Katie Patrick, CEO and founder of Green Pages, a global directory for environmental technology, points out that while a range of environmental standards exist in the form Australia's own Good Environmental Choice standard, not one fashion brand in Australia has adopted a comprehensive set of standards of their own.

For the up-coming Eco Runway Show, the Green Pages has released its own Principles of Sustainable Fashion as a starting point for the industry. Patrick maintains that the industry needs to take action to adapt these regulations as a matter of urgency, considering that the textile and clothing industries are responsible for some of the world's greatest environmental impact.

‘Organic labelling is a good start, but organic certification is only one component of the total picture,' she says. ‘The fashion industry needs a robust standard that can quantify emissions such as dyes in effluent, air pollution and packaging waste. Consumers need to be able to trust such standards because they want to be assured that the clothes they are buying really do have minimal impact.'

GREEN PAGES PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION

To encourage the fashion industry to take sustainability seriously, Green Pages own Principles of Sustainable Fashion recommend textiles, clothing and packaging are:

- made of at least 50% organic cotton or wool, hemp, silk or bamboo fibres
- coloured with vegetable-based dyes and pigments
- made with recycled or reclaimed materials
- made with materials with Fair Trade Certification.
- made with recycled synthetic fibres.

Bella Beauty Magazine #9