The criteria used by Eco Fashion World to assess and discuss sustainable fashion brands and products. These reflect the full range of considerations in responsible production — not a single checklist, but an interconnected set of factors.
Where does the raw material come from, and how was it produced? For natural fibres: is there evidence of organic or regenerative growing practices? For synthetics: is post-consumer recycled content used? For wood-based fibres: is the source certified (FSC, PEFC)?
What to look for: certified organic or regenerative natural fibres; recycled content from post-consumer sources; closed-loop processes for man-made fibres; documentation of fibre origin beyond brand claims.
Who makes the clothes, and under what conditions? This includes wages relative to living wage benchmarks, working hours, freedom of association, and physical safety of production facilities.
What to look for: fair wage policies with named living wage benchmarks; factory auditing by credible third parties; supply chain disclosure beyond tier 1; memberships in organisations such as the Fair Labor Association or Ethical Trading Initiative.
Textile manufacturing is one of the world’s largest sources of industrial water pollution. Dyeing and finishing processes use thousands of chemicals, many of which are hazardous to workers and ecosystems.
What to look for: bluesign system certification; Oeko-Tex 100 certification on finished products; ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) programme commitment; elimination of PFAS in DWR finishes; wastewater treatment at production facilities.
Cotton cultivation and wet textile processing are among the most water-intensive activities in manufacturing. Brands operating in water-stressed regions face particular scrutiny.
What to look for: reporting on water consumption; use of waterless or low-water dyeing processes; sourcing cotton from regions without significant water stress; investment in water recycling at facilities.
The fashion industry produces an estimated 4-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (estimates vary by methodology). Both production and consumer use contribute.
What to look for: scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions reporting; science-based targets aligned with 1.5°C pathways; transition away from coal in supply chain energy; avoidance of low-quality offsetting as a substitute for reduction.
A garment that lasts twice as long has, broadly, half the per-wear environmental impact. Design for longevity is one of the most direct interventions available to brands.
What to look for: use of durable materials and construction techniques; availability of spare parts (buttons, zips); repair services offered by the brand; guarantee or warranty terms; resistance to following micro-trend cycles.
Most clothing ends up in landfill or incineration. Brands taking responsibility for what happens to their products at end of life represent a meaningful step toward circularity.
What to look for: take-back and recycling programmes; use of mono-fibres or materials designed for recyclability; partnership with textile-to-textile recyclers; avoidance of laminated, blended, or composite materials that cannot be separated for recycling.
Claims about sustainability cannot be evaluated without information. Brands that disclose specific data — percentages, certification numbers, supplier names — are more credible than those offering only adjectives.
What to look for: named suppliers at tier 1 and ideally tier 2+; quantified targets with baselines and timelines; third-party verification of key claims; public progress reporting; participation in transparency indices such as the Fashion Transparency Index.
A sustainable product line within a predominantly conventional brand has a different weight than a brand where sustainability is the core operating model. The criteria consider how much of a company’s total output meets higher standards, and whether the direction of travel is credible.
For brands using wool, leather, silk, down, or other animal-derived materials, welfare standards at farm and processing level matter.
What to look for: Responsible Wool Standard (RWS); ZQ Merino certification; Responsible Down Standard (RDS); supply chain auditing for live-plucking or mulesing.