The cost of buying sustainable fashion apparel is seemingly higher than one could imagine. It is classified in the luxury category. The essence of fashion is considered sustainable and ethical if it is environmentally friendly, meaning its use and production must be safe for the environment.
Unless you are buying second-hand, sustainable fashion products come expensive. As per estimated figures, about 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are from the fashion industry.
If brands take proper care of all the production costs, will it result in affordable prices? Well, let’s find out!
- A safer working environment
The brands prefer to produce locally as this is the only way to reduce the carbon footprint through transport if outsourcing is done in a different country, cheap labor, and a simple search for excellent craftsmanship.
It is true that when you see an unreasonably cheap piece of clothing, it directly implies that someone in the production line is getting a low wage. One of the main reasons sustainable fashion clothing is expensive is the ethical brands that ensure involvement in producing an item to receive fair wages and work in safe environments.
- Slow fashion is affordable
The sustainable fashion idea for brands is not to make quick money through irresponsible production. Sustainable fashion also prioritizes the planet’s welfare, which is why these brands strive to make slow fashion. Indeed, if clothes last longer, fashion’s impact on the environment will be less than fast fashion.
Long-lasting fashion demands good craftsmanship. These fashion items are not rushed and come with every detail to increase longevity. Such talented and skilled workers must be remunerated accordingly, and it costs more to produce sustainable fashion than fast fashion.
- Vegan materials are costly
We have been using animal products like fur and leather for a long time. It has led to the extinction of many animals and birds, but now is the time to bring a change. Recently, the producers of vegan fashion have come up with many plant-based alternatives to leather. But the problem is that sustainable fashion is comparatively costlier. The costs will come down eventually with continuous support from the vegan fashion industry. Until then, sustainable (vegan) fashion materials were still not economical.
- Pay for talent
As a thumb rule, the bigger the fashion conglomerate, the lower wages are paid to the workers, and the CEOs end up getting higher salaries. If we talk about fashion brands, you will pay more for the privilege of wearing branded clothes.
The fast-fashion brands have fashion designers who work hard to create styles representing the brand. Even though they significantly contribute to the brands, these designers usually have a lower pay scale.
Luckily, this does not happen in the sustainable fashion industry, as every worker is paid according to their skills and talents. This increases the price of clothing and becomes less economical than fast fashion.
- Beyond wages
Fair labor is not just about the wages paid; it is also essential to check on factories to ensure that the safety standards and labor conditions promised are being put into practice. Generally speaking, workers must work safely if they are given fundamental rights like eight-hour days, weekends off, sick time, vacation time, and bereavement time.
Ethical fashion brands whose production teams work abroad tend to spend more money on inspectors who pay surprise visits to factories overseas to learn how workers are being treated. Businesses end up getting this cost on them too.
- Large companies, more considerable savings
Economies of scale is a term used to refer to the savings of buying in bulk. The more you buy, the cheaper something is. Big brands pay less for materials (even sustainable ones) than smaller clothing manufacturers.
Larger companies can produce more by spreading the cost of a product over more significant amounts of goods. In short, the smaller the business is, the higher the price, which is why ethical fashion is not economical.
- Cost of materials
Fabrics like acrylic, nylon, and polyester are made from the byproducts of coal and petroleum. These are known to be the cheapest and most disastrous fabrics available in the market for manufacturing clothes.
Cotton is another common thread used for cloth manufacturing. You will be surprised to know that it is not environment friendly as it sucks up tons of water, is heavily sprayed with pesticides, and is often made from unnatural GMO seeds. However, like the fabrics mentioned earlier, cotton clothes’ mass-production costs are lower than Earth-friendly fibers like hemp.
Turning hemp into fabric is time-consuming and requires more labor. We can say the same for linen and eco-friendly bamboo.
Sustainable fashion is an excellent idea despite being slow and costly because it produces thoughtfully designed and high-quality clothes. They use non-polluting raw materials and zero-waste production facilities. Even though the sustainable fashion business is not economical enough, you won’t leave your carbon footprints behind and contribute a bit to the environment if you can afford it.