5 March 2025
Top English books you should read on the clothing industry and a sustainable lifestyle
- Lifestyle
It is very important to buy fair, eco and locally especially in these uncertain times. By buying sustainable fashion locally you shift budgets from an unethical to an ethical and circular fashion industry. Every purchase, no matter how small, makes all the difference.
More employment
By buying locally you support retailers from around the area and money stays within the local economy. This way you create fair jobs and also ensure that people can keep their jobs.
If 15% of Belgians would buy sustainable clothing, 10,000 new fair jobs could be created in Europe, and around 11,250 employees outside Europe could receive a fair wage.
Clean air
Mobility is one of the biggest culprits for global CO2 emissions. In order to guarantee healthy air for our children, it is important that as few transports take place as possible. On average, a fast fashion garment travels through 5 countries before it ends up in your closet. Sustainable circular brands often work with shorter supply chains. These brands try to keep the number of links between producer and consumer as low as possible so that less greenhouse gases are released into the air.
In addition, local stores also do their bit, several Belgian stores use a cargo bike or a sustainable courier service to deliver your deliveries to your home.
Because of the close cooperation with suppliers, sustainable brands also have control over where and in what circumstances your new garment or jewel is made.
Transition to a circular economy
Sustainable designers and brands contribute to a circular economy by allowing raw materials to circulate as slowly and as locally as possible. Several circular Belgian designers work with local pre-consumer (textile remnants) material or post-consumer (discarded clothing) material. By buying locally, you shift budgets towards a circular economy.
Reducing inequality
Today, inequality in the world is only increasing. Multinationals are getting richer and richer. E‑commerce giants Amazon and Bol generated huge profits during the previous lockdown, despite the many scandals that circulated around poor working conditions and sky-high workloads of their employees in the warehouses.
By buying locally from local retailers, you reduce economic inequality in the world and ensure fair jobs in good working conditions.
In short, the decisions you make with your wallet can have an enormous impact on the world. Together we can give the sustainable fashion industry a boost during this period.
COSH! conducts daily research into brands, trends and new sustainable players in order to give you the right information. Discover local sustainable stores within your style and budget via the COSH! shopping guide.
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Conscious Shopping in times of Corona
