A reference guide to the terms, certifications, and concepts used in sustainable and ethical fashion.
A
- Artisan fashion
- Clothing and accessories made using traditional craft techniques, often by small-scale producers. Associated with slower production, regional identity, and skill preservation.
- APEO-free
- Free from alkylphenol ethoxylates, a group of surfactants used in textile processing that are toxic to aquatic life. A marker of responsible wet processing.
B
- B Corp
- A certification for businesses meeting verified standards of social and environmental performance. Not textile-specific — assesses company-wide practices rather than individual products.
- Biodegradable
- Capable of being broken down by microorganisms under natural conditions. Many natural fibres are biodegradable; most synthetics are not, or degrade only partially.
- Bluesign
- A certification standard that audits textile manufacturing for responsible chemical use, resource efficiency, and worker safety. Focuses on the production process rather than the fibre source.
- Breathable fabric
- Fabric that allows moisture vapour to pass through, reducing heat build-up. Often conflated with waterproofing — they are distinct properties.
C
- Carbon footprint
- The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product, process, or organisation. In fashion, this includes fibre production, manufacturing, transport, consumer use, and end-of-life disposal.
- Circular economy
- An economic model that aims to eliminate waste by keeping materials in use for as long as possible — through repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.
- Closed-loop recycling
- A recycling process where material is recovered and reprocessed into the same or equivalent product, rather than downcycled into lower-grade applications.
- Conscious fashion
- A loosely defined term for clothing choices made with awareness of their social and environmental impact. Has no regulated definition.
- Conventional cotton
- Cotton grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. Accounts for around 2.5 percent of global agricultural land but uses 16 percent of all insecticides.
D
- Deadstock fabric
- Surplus fabric left over from fashion production. Using deadstock reduces waste from existing material but does not address the overproduction that created the surplus.
- Downcycling
- Recycling into a lower-grade material or product. Common in textile recycling — fibres are often shredded for insulation or cleaning rags rather than remade into garments.
- Durable water repellency (DWR)
- A chemical finish applied to outerwear to cause water to bead off. Traditional DWR contains PFAS (forever chemicals); the industry is moving toward fluorine-free alternatives.
E
- Econyl
- A brand of regenerated nylon made from recovered waste materials including fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial plastic. Can be recycled repeatedly without quality loss.
- Ethical fashion
- Fashion that considers the social impact of production — fair wages, safe conditions, worker rights — alongside (or in place of) environmental factors.
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
- A policy approach that makes producers responsible for a product’s end-of-life management. Being introduced for textiles in several European jurisdictions.
F
- Fair Trade
- A certification and movement ensuring producers in lower-income countries receive fair prices and that labour standards meet defined criteria. For cotton, it covers the farming stage.
- Fast fashion
- A production model characterised by rapid turnover of trend-led styles, low prices, and high volume. Associated with disposability, overconsumption, and poor labour conditions.
- Fibreshed
- The geographic region within which fibre can be grown or raised, processed, and made into clothing — an analogue to the food concept of foodshed. Associated with locally sourced natural fibres.
G
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
- The leading organic textile certification. Covers the entire supply chain from farm to finished product, including social criteria. Requires at least 70 percent certified organic fibre.
- Greenwashing
- Misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company practice. Common in fashion: unsubstantiated ‘eco’ labels, selective disclosure, and vague language.
H
- Hemp
- A bast fibre crop that grows rapidly, requires minimal water and pesticides, and improves soil health. Historically underused in fashion due to regulatory restrictions on cannabis cultivation.
L
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)
- A method for evaluating the environmental impact of a product across its entire life — raw material extraction, production, transport, use, and disposal.
- Linen
- Fabric made from flax fibre. One of the oldest textiles in continuous use. Durable, breathable, and biodegradable. Requires less water and pesticide than cotton.
- Lyocell (Tencel)
- A semi-synthetic fibre derived from wood pulp, produced in a closed-loop solvent process that recovers and reuses 99 percent of the chemical solvent. More sustainable than conventional viscose.
M
- Microplastics
- Tiny plastic particles shed by synthetic textiles during washing. Enter waterways and the food chain. A significant environmental concern associated with polyester and nylon clothing.
- Modal
- A semi-synthetic fibre made from beechwood pulp. Softer than regular viscose and often produced using a more closed process, though this varies by manufacturer.
O
- Organic cotton
- Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers. Requires GOTS or OCS (Organic Content Standard) certification to use the term credibly.
- Oeko-Tex Standard 100
- Tests finished textiles for harmful substances. Widely used but does not verify environmental impact or labour conditions during production.
- Overconsumption
- The purchase and use of more goods than needed. A driver of fashion’s environmental impact. Increasingly addressed by brands promoting repair, rental, and resale.
P
- PFAS
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as ‘forever chemicals’. Used in DWR finishes on outerwear. Persistent in the environment and associated with health risks; the industry is phasing them out.
- Post-consumer recycled (PCR)
- Material recycled from products that have been used and discarded by consumers — as opposed to pre-consumer waste from manufacturing offcuts.
- Pre-consumer recycled
- Material recycled from manufacturing waste — cutting room offcuts, rejected fabric. Does not address the waste created by consumption.
R
- Recycled polyester (rPET)
- Polyester made from recycled PET plastic, typically post-consumer bottles or recovered textile waste. Uses less energy than virgin polyester but still sheds microplastics.
- Regenerative agriculture
- Farming practices designed to restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and sequester carbon. Applied to natural fibre crops including cotton, wool, and hemp.
- Rental fashion
- A model in which garments are hired for short-term use rather than purchased. Aimed at reducing the demand for new production, particularly for occasion wear.
S
- Slow fashion
- A philosophy and movement countering fast fashion’s pace. Emphasises quality over quantity, longer garment life, and awareness of the full social and environmental cost of clothing.
- Supply chain transparency
- Disclosure of information about where and how a product is made — including factories, subcontractors, and raw material sources. An indicator of accountability, if not of standards.
T
- Tencel
- Brand name for lyocell produced by Lenzing AG. See Lyocell.
- Textile-to-textile recycling
- The process of recovering fibre from old clothing to make new fabric. Technically challenging and still at limited scale, but growing. Brands including H&M and Patagonia have invested in this technology.
- Traceability
- The ability to follow a product or material through all stages of its supply chain. Distinct from transparency — a brand can be transparent about tier-1 factories without full traceability to the farm.
U
- Upcycling
- Converting discarded materials or products into something of higher value or quality — distinct from recycling, which typically involves reprocessing. In fashion: reconstructing old garments into new designs.
V
- Vegan fashion
- Clothing and accessories free from animal-derived materials. Does not necessarily align with broader sustainability criteria — synthetic alternatives may have higher environmental impact.
- Viscose (rayon)
- A semi-synthetic fibre from wood pulp. Can be sourced from sustainably managed forests and produced responsibly, but conventional production involves toxic chemicals and is frequently linked to ancient forest destruction.
W
- Waterless dyeing
- Dyeing techniques that use little or no water, such as supercritical CO2 dyeing. Addresses one of fashion manufacturing’s major resource uses.
- Wool
- A natural, renewable, and biodegradable fibre. Environmental and welfare impact varies significantly by farming practice. Certifications include the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and ZQ Merino.