After changing my diet and the way I used to buy my groceries to consume in a more sustainable way I began a research about sustainable fashion. I must say that for two years I didn’t buy anything at all.
I’ve noticed two things as time passed by. First I had too many clothes and I really didn’t need half of them. And second I had to find a way to resume all information I accumulated to make things easier. This infography is the result of all these, is not a bible and will eventually change but I hope it might help you as it has helped me.

All we can do before actually buying something new is very important, reuse clothing, sewing old clothes, buying second hand clothes, swap clothing, etc. But sometimes we have to buy “new” and things get tough! Dyeing pollute water, pesticides used for cotton plantations contamine the soil, it takes a huge amount of resources to make clothing (one t-shirt needs 2700 liters of water!), the degradability of synthetic fabrics is becoming a serious problem, the release of microparticles on the washing machines that we eat trough the ocean food chain, etc.
What can de we do about that? each individual action counts, we are millions of people buying clothes. If we adapt our habits to match sustainable fashion we could slow down the natural and human devastation fast fashion causes.
Talking about humans…who makes our clothes? who plowes cotton plantations? who sews our shoes? and most importantly, in which conditions they do all that? Before buying something I inform myself about the politics of the brand regarding production process. To ensure that they do fair-trade or get the closest possible to it. The most immaculate example of a transparent, ethic, and sustainable production process I’ve found so far is https://organiccottoncolours.com/en/. Information is the key to be able to buy in an ethical way.

I also consider animals in my buying decisions. I buy recycled wool or cow and pig leather to avoid the killing. Whether you consider them or not, is important to know that there are brands that have certifications of cruelty free.

Regarding fibers…finding alternative options to plastic fabric petroleum-based is increasingly popular. Also finding natural fibers that requires less natural resources such as bamboo is being investigated. To ensure the shopping I choose recycled natural fibers or synthetic recycled fibers. If I cannot find them I tend to buy “eco” (in the whole supply chain). I usually find mixed fibers on clothing and I always pick the combination that has more quantity of sustainable fabric.

To conclude, find below some links that helped me to write this post and also some links that will broaden your knowledge about the various topics. Many thanks to the authors!

Ecologistasenaccion
www.slowfashionnext.com – marcas ropa sostenible
actividades-mcp.es – Cuidado con lo que metes en la lavadora
El Mundo – Peces adictos al plástico
libresdecontaminanteshormonales.wordpress.com – Microplasticos un peligro
naturalfibres2009 – ¿Porqué fibras naturales?
vueltadetuerca.net – fibras naturales vs sintéticas
www.uco.es – Producción de lana y pieles en el mundo
Esturirafi – moda española sostenible
Undiaeco – fibras naturales
www.fao.org – natural fibres
Esturirafi – certificaciones textiles ecológicas
goodonyou.eco – fashion and water the thirsty industry