Posh Swaps Blog

There has been a lot of talk lately about sustainable clothes and eco fashion. Every day a new brand emerges that is in some better for the environment than conventional clothing and usually more ethically produced. But with fast fashion and the culture of buying cheaply (and often unethically) made high fashion clothing still highly popular and ‘environmental green washing’ becoming the new in phrase, what really can be done to make clothing more sustainable?

At Posh Swaps we believe that there is no right or wrong way to become more sustainable, anything that we can do, no matter how small is a positive step in the right direction. But there are some things that we can do that are likely to have a more positive effect than others.

1. Buy less clothes - it is quite simple really, the less clothes that we buy, the less environmental damage is caused in their manufacture and the less waste we make. Clothes swapping is a great alternative to buying clothes. It allows you to update your wardrobe without having an impact (or a very minimal impact on the environment)

2. Buy second hand clothes- this is the most eco friendly way to buy clothes. There is no additional carbon footprint (except for transport) associated with buying new clothes. But we understand that you cannot always find exactly what you want second hand and will sometimes need to buy new.

3. Buy quality clothes that will last, where possible in Eco friendly fabrics- fabrics made from recycled materials, probably have the smallest footprint as they do not have to be made from scratch. There is also the benefit of having saved materials that may have otherwise ended up in landfill. Other eco friendly fabrics including organic bamboo, cotton and hemp are all better than their conventional alternatives but still have a carbon footprint associated with their growth and manufacture and contribute to the problem of waste so should always be bought to last.

Finally, in order to ensure that your clothing is really sustainable, you should consider its whole life  cycle:

• Buy clothes to last
• Wash and dry (or clean) in as eco friendly manner as possible
• When you no longer need them recycle by selling or donating to charity.

Posh-swaps.com was at the Southbank Centre in London on Wednesday for the Sustainable Clothing Conference and update of the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap. The conference included entrance to Estethica, London Fashion Week’s sustainable trade show, a reception and address by Environment Minister Dan Norris.The conference brought together over 200 clothing industry representatives to discuss the ethical and environmental impacts of clothing.

One year on from the first sustainable action plan in which Posh Swaps pledged to promote recycling and reuse of clothes by encouraging clothes swapping and buying and selling of second hand clothes as well as other eco fashion and sustainable clothing. A further 40 companies and organisations have signed up to the action plan including British Retail Consortium, Ethical Fashion Forum, Forum for the Future, Levis Strauss, MADE-BY, Cotton Made in Africa, RSPCA, Society of Dyers and Colourists.

Since its creation the SCAP has brought together over 40 organisations, from high street retailers, to designers and textile manufacturers to battle the environmental and ethical impacts of ‘throw away’ fashion.  Some of the biggest names in fashion are working to take actions which will make a significant difference to the environmental footprint and social inequalities which blight some of the consumer fashion supply chain.

Many of the initiatives from the original action plan are now well underway including Tesco’s new sustainable clothing range in collaboration with From Somewhere which will launch this Spring and the Oxfam ‘Clothes Exchange’ partnership with M&S.

There was also the announcement of a £3.5 million fund to be made available over 3 years by the Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (RAGS) fund for bids from organisations who want to make the clothing business more ethical and contribute more strongly to development in poor countries.

picture from Home Green

This week our Green Chic friends have some great posts from the winter olympics to give aways and peace necklaces. More ethical, eco and cruelty free glamour and style than you could ever want.

Factio Magazine is giving away some fab eco-chic gifts from Pottery Barn and West Elm!
Guiltless & Glamorous reports on the fur controversy surrounding the 2010 Winter Olympics..
Home Green loves Canada for making the Olympic metals from recycled metals– Not only are they beautiful but eco-friendly as well!
Posh Swaps checks out some very gorgeous and sustainable Second Hand Style by Captive Studio
Runway To Retail - Chicago designer, Lana Bramlette, hit the jackpot when her “Peace” necklace made the cover of the most recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Shopping and Info is giving away a great Chelsea Messenger bag from Aspinal of London.

Factio Magazine checks out eco-chic store Sofia Vintage. The chic second-hand shop hosted a media friendly affair recently with vintage fashion tips, stylish people watching and flowing cocktails.
Fashion Pulse Daily finds some great ways to shop and help Haiti- from buying flip-flops to grooming products.
Guiltless & Glamorous is disappointed with this year’s cruelty-free red carpet picks at the Grammys…or lack thereof
Home Greenloves clothes made from bamboo because they are fashionable, affordable and sustainably produced Plus, they feel like silk or cashmere- watch out cotton!
Posh Swaps looks at the latest eco fashion designer collection in her post Christopher Raeburn SS10 – recycling at its best
Runway To Retail checks out eco-chic beauty, trying Desert Essence Organics!
Shopping and Info loves this lilac Balenciaga bag for Spring 2010 because it is the hot color of the season AND it is pre owned for 50% off retail.

And here is out weekly round up of the best of green beauty and fashion for the week. Enjoy!

Factio Magazine gets Nicole Kidman’s 2010 SAG Awards “Beach Hair” with eco-friendly product by David Babaii! Find out which one!
Fashion Pulse Daily gets some great V-Day suggestions from renowned stylist Robert Verdi!
Guiltless & Glamorous rounds up the start of the awards season’s cruelty-free red carpet fashions!
Home Green gives you tips on how to switch to a facial thats tough on dirt and easy on the environment
Looking Sharp! discovers Fancy Clothinga new Pittsburgher designing wares with thrift store finds!
My Beauty Bunny asks the question – What are parabens and should we be worried about them?
Posh Swaps talks fashion and sustainability with some useful tips.
Runway To Retail finds out if H&M is Lying About ‘Organic’ Cotton Click Here
Shopping and Info idea for Valentine’s Day Gift ala Angelina Jolie give to charity in the name of your loved one.

The principles of sustainability can be applied to almost anything but for humans, it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of its resouces. Fashion and clothing are well recognised as having a high environmental impact and being unsustainable. Here are just a few ways that you can become a more sustainable shopper when it comes to clothing and fashion:

• Buy clothes to last - choose quality pieces in classic styles that will not go out of fashion quickly.
• Look after clothes- ensure that clothes are washed according to instructions, protect from moths using cedarwood balls and make minor repairs as neccessary.
• Where possible buy second hand clothes or swap clothes.
• Recycle old clothes by selling them, swapping them or donating to charities.
• If you do buy new clothes, opt for sustainable fibres like organic cotton, bamboo and hemp.
• Consider carefully how you wash clothes and the environmental impact. Wash on a low temperature, line dry and use eco detergents where possible.

picture from Shopping and Goodies 

Its great to see so many blogs out there proving that you can be green and look gorgeous and raising awareness of the environmental issues that effect the fashion and beauty industries. Here are just a small selection of this weeks posts from our Green Chic Friends. Enjoy!

College Candy schools Fashion Pulse Daily on the fashion industry’s wasteful ways.
Guiltless & Glamorous continues its Welcome to the New Year series with a run-down of great cruelty-free hair products to introduce to your haircare regime in 2010.
Posh Swaps is excited that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and explains how this is relevant to the fashion industry.
Shopping and Info loves the eco friendly Toms Shoes worn by Julia Roberts.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity as declared by the UN. So what has this got to do with fashion you might ask?

Well fashion as  with many other industries has a significant impact on the environment. From the pollution caused by pesticides used to grow cotton to the disposal of clothing at the end of its life. Natural ecosystems have a very delicate balance. Change just one environmental factor and the balance will collapse having far reaching ecological effects. Biodiversity describes the variety of flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that exist in the world and as ecosystems are destroyed or fragmented so the biodiversity is lost. Ultimately loss of biodiversity has an impact on humans as it provides food sources, shelter, safe guards water and effects CO2 emmissions and global warming.

Events will be taking place around the globe to celebrate biodiversity and explore ways to sustain biodiversity. Specifically for fashion, EcoChic Geneva on 20th and 21st January will begin with a 1.5 day seminar “Redefining Sustainability in the International Agenda” from the perspective of the fashion and cosmetics industries.

An interesting report entitled Well Dressed? and published by the University of Cambridge, Department for Manufacturing in 2006 explores the present and future sustainability of textiles in the United Kingdom. Most of us are probably aware that there are many issues surrounding the sustainability of the textiles industry in the UK but the report gives a really in depth and neutral look at the problems and identify the potential for significant and lasting change.

The report is highly relevant for consumers, media, business, education, government and campaigners and provides balanced evidence based information. Some of the key findings of the report in relation to the recycling of clothes are summarised below:

• The UK’s current behaviour in disposing of used clothing and textiles to landfill is not sustainable as volumes are growing.
• The second hand sector is growing and there is further demand so improved collection and sorting procedures will be beneficial in reducing waste and providing usable clothes to developing countries.
• Recycling is siginificant for materials with high impacts in the production phase.

According to the analysis in order to create change a consumer would:

• Buy second hand clothing and textiles where possible.
• Buy fewer more durable garments and textile products.
• When buying new products, choose those made with least energy and least toxic emmissions, made by workers paid a credible living wage with reasonable employment rights and conditions.
• Lease clothes that would otherwise not be worn to the end of their natural life.
• Extend the life of clothing and textile products through repair.
• Dispose of using clothing and textiles through recycling businesses who would return them for secondhand sale where ever possible but otherwise extract and recycle the yarns or fibres. 

Swapping, buying and selling second hand clothes is a great way of recycling and improving the sustainability of textiles. You can swap, buy and sell your second hand clothes for free on www.posh-swaps.com.

picture from Looking Sharp

With so many people making new years  resolutions, it is a great time to think about how you can green your wardrobe, your beauty regime and your life. Don’t worry it is not as scary as it sounds, there are lots of small changes that you can make and this week our Green Chic friends are showing you how much fun it can be!

Giveaway Alert! Factio Magazine is giving away the Katherine Kwei Joyce-Carry All (as seen on Sienna Miller) and Pop System 40 - Swivel Chair from IQMatics! Sign up today!
Fashion Pulse Daily reviews the latest We Love Colors legwear and quickly becomes obsessed!
Guiltless & Glamorous says to start 2010 out right with her first in a four-part series of posts on cruelty-free product lines to try in the New Year!!
Looking Sharp! checks out The Garbologist’s Wife , a designer creating clothing for the ‘real’ women with up-cycled fabric and vintage finds.
My Beauty Bunny shares her favorite cruelty-free acne scrub!
Posh Swaps is really excited to Celebrate International Day of Swishing with an online swap party, A great way to recycle clothes!
Runway To Retail: We love Clarins Organic Soap so Shop now and get free travel-sizes Toning Lotion and Day Cream with any $30 purchase (valid thru 1/8/10)