Vegan Fashion vs Sustainable Fashion: All You Need to Know

There is a lot of confusion about the overlapping fashion movements (sustainable, vegan, ethical) that have overtaken the industry.  Many people believe these popular fashion terms are interchangeable, i.e. something that is sustainable is always ethical - or rather - something that is ethical is always vegan.

In order to be conscientious consumers, it is important that we make an effort to shop by our values. This is essentially “voting with your dollar” and it really does work. Thanks to our joined efforts in refusing brands that participated in animal-exploitation, furs have been banned from 13 countries and 3 international fashion weeks. That’s huge.

The industry can only change for the better if we keep pushing it in the right direction. So, to better understand what we’re buying, let’s break down these fashion terms...

Vegan Fashion

Vegan Fashion is clothing that is 100% “cruelty-free.” In other words, no fur, leather, feathers, wool, silk or any other animal-based fibers. Vegan fashion is increasingly important now when considering, not only animal welfare, but the negative environmental impact of the fur trade and animal agriculture.

Whether you adopt Vegan Fashion for the love of all sentient beings or to reduce your environmental impact, it is a lifestyle and a philosophy that transcends into all aspects of life - fashion being just one part of a bigger picture which includes animal-free beauty, food and any other buying choices. The decision of many to lead an animal-friendly lifestyle is in direct response to the unnecessary suffering and destruction caused by animal agriculture alone.

Animal agriculture is a leading cause of global warming and the single leading cause of deforestation worldwide. It has become so unstable that the beef (and leather) industry alone is predicted to fully collapse by 2030.

While most vegan brands are sustainable in their overall production process, sustainable fashion as a whole must be defined separately.

Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable fashion primarily focuses on reducing the environmental impact of clothing alone, sourcing fibers that will biodegrade or have been recycled, and creating the smallest carbon footprint possible. Most sustainable brands are still likely to use wool, cashmere, silk, and leather in their products which is why they cannot be classified as vegan.

The biggest downfall of sustainable fashion is the fact that it truly stops at fashion. You could buy a top made from 100% organic cotton then go home and eat a big-mac. Even though you made a conscious choice to reduce your environmental impact by purchasing something sustainable, the carbon emissions released in the creation of your hamburger essentially cancels out the purchase of your top.

Sustainable fashion needs to do more to encourage their wide ranging consumers to practice sustainability in and out of the dressing room.

The Problem with Animal Fibers

Sustainable brands often obtain their wool from “welfare-certified” sources. This is commonly mistaken to mean “ethical” or “cruelty-free” but sadly, it’s neither. Most people imagine wool to be sourced from happily grazing sheep dotted around a lush open field, underneath the shadow of picturesque mountains. In reality, most sheep raised for wool are subjected to shockingly cruel treatments, similar to the raising of minks and foxes on fur farms.

We once functioned under the misconception that shearing is just like getting a haircut. But undercover investigations have revealed systematic cruelty. Shearers are paid by volume - not hourly - so they often rush the shearing process, scraping and cutting the lamb’s skin. If the lamb struggles – and of course they will – shearers have been known to beat them, sometimes even breaking their necks. Lambs are often sheared in the colder months, and without their fleece, millions die yearly of exposure. The complex supply chain can easily hide these facts from sustainable brands who believe they are sourcing from animal-friendly ranchers on deceptively named “sustainable” farms.

Let’s talk Leather, there is a huge disconnect in the fashion industry between sustainability and “ethically-sourced” or “eco-leather.” Animal leather being used in “sustainable” collections is hypocritical at best, dangerously misinformed at worst. Brands label leather as “eco” when it is sourced as a byproduct of the meat industry or utilizes a “vegetal” tanning process. The truth is, any farm raised leather holds countless environmental problems. The carbon impact is not only the final product but we have to take in consideration the water used to feed the cow and the land destroyed to raise the animal.

Even if the leather is a bi-product, it was likely sourced from a factory farm. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), factory farms account for 70% of the current water pollution in the United States. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) recent report, Sustainable Apparel Materials, recorded the annual global impact of the leather industry alone to be 130 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e). This number is directly comparable to the amount of pollution emitted from 30 million vehicles per year. 80% of leather is tanned using chromium, an extremely hazardous chemical. It is so toxic to the workers involved in the tanning process that undercover studies conducted in Bangladesh showed 90% of its leather workers die before the age of 50.

Some sustainable brands attempt to offset this process by tanning their leathers through vegetative sources, but the source of the leather itself is still questionable. The relationship between leather and the meat industry is one of interdependence. Animal hides are marketed as a way to lessen waste but in actual fact, they are simply a way to boost slaughterhouse profits. Leather accounts for approximately 10% of the animal’s total value, making it the most valuable part, pound for pound.

“Eco-silk” has also been circulating through sustainable fashion houses. Normally, in the creation of silk, 2500-3000 silkworms are boiled alive to create a single pound. The resulting fabric is then dyed with chemicals including formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. “Eco-silk” exchanges these chemicals for a series of low-impact dyes or leaves the fabric undyed all together. This ultimately does little to offset the negative impacts of the silk industry and still leaves behind thousands of boiled silkworms.

Silk is not a local resource, a vast majority of it comes from India and China where the processing and transporting leads to significant carbon emissions. The major environmental concerns in silk production are the chemical pesticides used for the cultivation of mulberry trees and the pollution generated by the wastewater released in the degumming process.

Truthfully, “eco-wool”, “eco-leather” and “eco-silk” are a myth. The best way to be “eco” is by eliminating animal-fibers all together.

What's Being Done?

Luxury fashion brands have been known to use vegan silks in their collections. The most popular being Lotus Silk which requires no toxins or chemicals to produce.

Vegan brands have also invested in new plant-based wools to help offset the casualties of the industry. Students from Columbia University recently invented “wool” made entirely of coconut fibers, hemp, and mushroom enzymes. They later spent two-weeks with designer Stella McCartney collaborating on a method of mass production for the wool-like material. Other environmentally-friendly alternatives for animal-sourced wool include Tencel, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, soybeans, linen, and recycled fibers. These organic materials can be easily manipulated to create a similar hand to wool as well as providing better breathability.

Many brands try to combat the deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions that accompany cattle farming by using Polyurethane leather (PU). But this animal-free option is made from plastics and can take up to 500 years to breakdown. But there is hope in vegan fashion. Textile designers have made great strides in researching plant-based materials that give the look and feel of fur or leather but are 100% cruelty-free and biodegradable. Stella McCartney has also pioneered her own Eco Faux Leather™. This plant-based leather utilized vegetable oil instead of petroleum oil. Vegan leathers crafted from organic plant-based resources such as mushroom, pineapple, cactus, coffee beans, cork, and grass are gaining popularity too.

Vegan Sustainable Fashion Wins For the Future

When sourcing animal-derived materials, there is no real way to know what you are putting in your garments and this is a disservice to the ethical fashion movement. In order to declare your brand truly sustainable, you must eliminate all animal-based products.

Fast-fashion brands cannot claim sustainable or vegan practices, hence their steady decline. Consumer expectations have and will continue to shape the fashion world for the better. In all the commotion of a changing industry, it is important we know where we stand and the more informed we are, the more likely it is that we will stand together to help end exploitation of humans and non-humans while protecting our planet.

This is better for us because it shows the compassion in our humanity, better for the animals that no longer have to suffer for green-washed vanity, and better for the world as we work to protect our precious environment.