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Overconsumption is a mode of excessive consumption, that outpaces both the real needs of people and the capacity of the global ecosystems to regenerate. The rates of fashion consumption in the Global North have been on the rise since the 1950s, followed by similar developments in emerging economies such as India and China. Yet, fashion consumption has especially accelerated since the 1990s with the introduction of the fast fashion model. High turnover of fashion products is now a widespread practice across many areas of the world and research shows that garments are often used for less than a season. It is estimated that the number of times a garment is worn before disposal has decreased by a worldwide average of 36% percent within the last two decades.

Large quantities of valuable clothes are regularly discarded and because only a small fraction can be recycled, most are destined for incineration or end up in landfills. Apart from the alarming volumes of waste, the “endless cycles of desire and disappointment” linked to fast turnovers of styles have also potentially negative effects on the well-being of fashion users.

Greater transparency from brands is required for us to know if they are following through on their sustainability commitments. This means companies must disclose information across their entire supply chains, including social and environmental policies. While campaign group Fashion Revolution produces an annual Fashion Transparency Index, it’s important to remember that brands that are more transparent aren’t necessarily more sustainable.

Transparency is a requirement for companies to take full responsibility for their entire supply chains and act on their accountability for the social and environmental practices at all stages of manufacturing of their products. The fashion industry now relies on complex global supply networks that are notoriously difficult to trace, but as the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster highlighted, monitoring and improving each step that leads to the delivery of final products is a moral obligation. Rana Plaza gave rise to the worldwide movement Fashion Revolution with its Who Made My Clothes campaign, and the annual publication of their Fashion Transparency Index that reviews the world’s largest brands and retailers in terms of the volume and character of data they disclose about their human rights and environmental policy practice and impacts.

Ethical trade refers to the actions taken by companies and advocacy groups to ensure that workers’ rights, including working hours, health and safety, freedom of association and fair wages, are met across all business operations. For fashion brands, ethical trade requires identifying problems and ensuring decent working conditions for workers across their entire

While the words “sustainable” and “ethical” are often used interchangeably, ethical trade refers specifically to the way the people across the fashion supply chain are treated—from those growing the raw materials to those working directly for a fashion company. For a brand to be operating ethically, workers’ rights—such as maximum working hours, health and safety, freedom of association and fair wages—must be adhered to.