0:00:01.708,0:00:03.475
We’re constantly bombarded with media

0:00:03.475,0:00:06.413
that puts pressure on us[br]to buy newer and trendier clothes.

0:00:06.764,0:00:09.415
Just to throw them away[br]when they’re no longer in style.

0:00:09.892,0:00:14.089
An estimated 93 million tons[br]go to landfill or are burned every year.

0:00:14.150,0:00:19.328
“And that’s roughly[br]about a garbage truckload of textiles,

0:00:19.328,0:00:22.192
every second going to landfill.

0:00:22.192,0:00:23.332
Every second!”

0:00:23.449,0:00:26.792
Producing clothes also pollutes[br]our water and churns out CO2.

0:00:26.859,0:00:29.186
The fast fashion model pioneered by Zara

0:00:29.186,0:00:32.619
means that brands are churning out[br]double the amount of clothing per year

0:00:32.619,0:00:34.093
as they did in the early 2000s.

0:00:34.093,0:00:35.995
But companies say that’s about to change

0:00:35.995,0:00:38.362
because we can now[br]buy eco-friendly fast fashion.

0:00:38.431,0:00:41.288
And also recycle our clothes[br]when we don’t want them anymore.

0:00:41.543,0:00:43.020
But can we believe them?

0:00:50.057,0:00:51.921
Inditex, Zara’s parent company,

0:00:51.921,0:00:52.928
and H&M Group

0:00:52.928,0:00:55.452
are two of the biggest[br]fashion retailers in the world,

0:00:55.452,0:00:57.599
and both have collections[br]that claim to reduce

0:00:57.599,0:00:59.628
the environmental impact[br]of making clothes.

0:00:59.628,0:01:01.576
Not only that, but the two fashion giants

0:01:01.576,0:01:04.246
say they are making[br]their entire brands more sustainable.

0:01:05.518,0:01:08.685
Let’s take a look at these promises,[br]starting with the materials.

0:01:08.685,0:01:10.309
[MATERIALS]

0:01:11.031,0:01:15.159
Main materials at Zara & H&M,[br]as well as worldwide, are polyester,

0:01:15.159,0:01:18.761
which accounts for around 52%[br]of total fiber production,

0:01:18.761,0:01:21.374
and cotton, which is around 24%.

0:01:21.500,0:01:23.929
PET is a different name for polyester

0:01:23.929,0:01:26.839
and is the same type of plastic[br]that's found in water bottles.

0:01:27.109,0:01:28.887
Actually,

0:01:28.887,0:01:31.718
60% of PET production goes to textiles,

0:01:31.718,0:01:33.906
and only 30% to water bottles.

0:01:35.313,0:01:37.355
The material is produced from petroleum,

0:01:37.355,0:01:39.167
and the process uses lots of energy

0:01:39.167,0:01:40.517
and releases CO2,

0:01:40.517,0:01:43.670
as well as acids and ammonia[br]into the water supply.

0:01:44.360,0:01:48.968
Recycled polyester uses up to 60%[br]less energy than virgin material

0:01:48.968,0:01:51.070
and can be made from textile scraps

0:01:51.070,0:01:52.336
or plastic trash.

0:01:52.758,0:01:56.873
But inconsistencies in the threads[br]can make it require more dye,

0:01:56.873,0:01:57.876
and experts say

0:01:57.876,0:02:01.699
that polyester fabrics can shed[br]700,000 microplastic fibers

0:02:01.699,0:02:03.062
with every wash,

0:02:03.062,0:02:04.764
which end up in the ocean,

0:02:04.764,0:02:06.226
and also in our food.

0:02:08.495,0:02:13.000
Cotton doesn't have these problems, but is[br]still a chemical and water intensive crop.

0:02:13.000,0:02:15.063
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature,

0:02:15.063,0:02:18.400
it takes 20.000 liters of water to make one kilo of cotton,

0:02:18.400,0:02:21.402
which is enough for one T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

0:02:22.200,0:02:27.405
Also, around 11% of the world’s pesticides[br]are used on cotton fields.

0:02:27.405,0:02:28.700
So is organic cotton better?

0:02:28.700,0:02:32.800
Essentially there's a massive difference[br]between organic cotton and cotton.

0:02:33.200,0:02:37.298
This is Suki, a representative of Fashion[br]Revolution, which is an organization that

0:02:37.298,0:02:41.251
advocates worldwide for transparency and[br]sustainability in the fashion industry.

0:02:42.500,0:02:48.109
“Organic cotton is, in the long term, much[br]better for the farmer that grows it and

0:02:48.109,0:02:53.423
the environment and the soil that produces[br]it, and it's less water intensive and

0:02:53.661,0:02:56.594
doesn't require as much irrigation as such.”

0:02:56.863,0:02:59.157
We requested an interview with H&M about

0:02:59.157,0:03:01.738
the sustainability of their products, but they declined.

0:03:01.738,0:03:02.853
Over email they said:

0:03:02.853,0:03:05.067
We are happy to say that by the end of this year

0:03:05.067,0:03:07.533
all cotton we use will come from sustainable sources.

0:03:07.900,0:03:10.452
Zara also responded only through email,[br]saying:

0:03:10.452,0:03:15.505
In 2019, the Group [Inditex, Zara's parent company] used over

0:03:15.505,0:03:18.293
38,000 tonnes of sustainable cotton in its clothing

0:03:18.650,0:03:20.661
(up 105% from 2018).

0:03:21.742,0:03:23.642
But what does sustainable actually mean?

0:03:23.800,0:03:27.178
There’s no standard definition and it[br]doesn’t equal organic.

0:03:27.600,0:03:32.133
H&M says that sustainable cotton can also[br]mean recycled or cotton that uses less

0:03:32.133,0:03:34.010
pesticides and GMOs.

0:03:37.400,0:03:41.481
Zara portrays its cotton as sustainable[br]but calls it ecologically grown

0:03:41.481,0:03:42.544
instead of organic.

0:03:42.811,0:03:46.952
It claims the cotton uses natural[br]fertilizers and pesticides, and is

0:03:46.952,0:03:52.066
certified by the Organic Content Standard[br]and the Global Organic Textile Standard.

0:03:52.066,0:03:56.909
Which say they control for chemical and[br]water use in the whole production process.

0:03:59.200,0:04:01.494
Terms like ‘conscious’ and ‘ecologically grown’

0:04:01.494,0:04:02.972
are hard to fact-check,

0:04:02.972,0:04:05.443
as well as confusing for the consumer.

0:04:05.443,0:04:10.741
But according to the non-profit Textile[br]Exchange, in 2016 H&M was the second largest

0:04:10.741,0:04:12.841
user of organic cotton in the world.

0:04:12.900,0:04:14.069
Zara was the fourth.

0:04:15.773,0:04:17.562
Let’s focus on synthetics.

0:04:17.562,0:04:21.627
In H&M's sustainable collection, the[br]synthetic clothing has to be at least

0:04:21.627,0:04:23.024
50 percent recycled.

0:04:23.547,0:04:27.258
Zara doesn’t specify their percentage, and[br]their labeling can be confusing.

0:04:27.778,0:04:31.528
This jacket says it’s 100% recycled[br]polyamide, which makes it seem like

0:04:31.528,0:04:33.200
it’s completely recycled.

0:04:33.200,0:04:35.000
But the filling is polyester.

0:04:35.051,0:04:36.402
That’s a different material.

0:04:37.300,0:04:39.433
And this isn’t the only time this happens.

0:04:39.433,0:04:43.700
The percentage recycled statement often[br]doesn’t refer to the whole garment, making

0:04:43.700,0:04:46.798
it look like the item is more recycled[br]than it actually is.

0:04:47.700,0:04:51.662
On the subject of transparent labeling,[br]the Join Life tags are also on the Zara website

0:04:51.662,0:04:54.451
and are stamped by the[br]Forest Stewardship Council.

0:04:54.700,0:04:57.900
This would seem to imply the clothing is[br]certified by this organization.

0:04:58.200,0:05:03.200
The stamp, however, is only referring to[br]the tag, not to the whole clothing item.

0:05:03.921,0:05:05.570
Talk about misleading.

0:05:07.399,0:05:11.719
Zara has committed to sustainable cotton[br]and polyester by 2025.

0:05:11.719,0:05:16.669
H&M says all of their materials will be[br]sustainable by 2030, and for 2019 that

0:05:16.669,0:05:19.253
figure was already at 57%.

0:05:19.700,0:05:23.600
If they stick to these commitments it[br]could mean big changes for the industry.

0:05:23.600,0:05:25.442
But material is only part of the story.

0:05:29.176,0:05:33.714
To find out if that cotton is actually organic or[br]that polyester is actually recycled,

0:05:33.714,0:05:36.200
consumers need to be able to[br]check the production process.

0:05:37.607,0:05:42.195
With an H&M Conscious T-shirt, you can[br]find out in which specific factory it was made,

0:05:42.195,0:05:45.639
so it’s theoretically possible to[br]check the factory’s sustainability.

0:05:46.000,0:05:50.221
Zara only lists how many suppliers it has[br]in one city, but not their names and addresses.

0:05:50.800,0:05:54.926
They were both evaluated by Fashion[br]Revolution, an organization advocating for

0:05:54.926,0:05:57.248
transparency and sustainability in fashion.

0:05:58.000,0:06:03.679
None of the 250 large brands scored over[br]80%, but for 2020 H&M was the highest

0:06:03.679,0:06:07.229
scoring brand, with 73%,[br]so quite transparent.

0:06:07.616,0:06:09.841
Zara scored a 43%.

0:06:09.841,0:06:10.797
Not so much.

0:06:10.882,0:06:12.418
This is important because:

0:06:13.266,0:06:17.826
“Suppliers are one of the few stakeholders with a[br]front row seat to brands’ inner workings.”

0:06:18.820,0:06:22.791
Kim has a background in human rights and[br]was a garment factory manager in Cambodia.

0:06:22.791,0:06:28.891
“They uniquely have access to the information [br]that consumers need to be able to cross check

0:06:28.891,0:06:31.051
brands’ actions against their words.”

0:06:31.329,0:06:33.863
So being able to research suppliers allows people

0:06:33.863,0:06:37.122
to hold brands accountable to their sustainability claims. But...

0:06:37.320,0:06:40.141
“Just because you're transparent, it[br]does not mean you're sustainable.

0:06:40.900,0:06:42.475
It does not mean that at all.

0:06:42.475,0:06:44.197
And that's really, really important.”

0:06:44.872,0:06:50.007
Even for brands who know their whole supply chain,[br]making an eco-friendly garment is hard.

0:06:50.800,0:06:55.657
“Let's pick up a denim. You can see the dyeing[br]is done in a more environmentally responsible way,

0:06:55.657,0:06:58.189
but the cotton is not produced the same.”

0:06:58.803,0:07:02.937
Jessie has worked in different industries[br]from product inspection to purchasing,

0:07:02.937,0:07:05.725
to product development,[br]in both China and Cambodia.

0:07:06.304,0:07:08.286
“Or take another example.

0:07:08.286,0:07:14.077
The whole piece of the clothes is made out[br]of waste, but not dyed in a responsible way.

0:07:14.181,0:07:20.175
So, they're green, but it's different degrees[br]of green or different degrees of less bad.”

0:07:20.551,0:07:23.682
Because an item of clothing is made[br]up of many different materials

0:07:23.682,0:07:28.630
all manufactured in different ways, it’s hard[br]to make each piece less harmful to the environment.

0:07:29.200,0:07:32.932
This is also the reason why recycling[br]clothing is much harder than H&M and Zara

0:07:32.932,0:07:33.853
would seem to claim.

0:07:36.971,0:07:39.015
H&M’s advertisements say that the company

0:07:39.015,0:07:41.303
is working towards a circular future for clothing.

0:07:42.229,0:07:44.099
According to the website, you can bring

0:07:44.099,0:07:47.094
your clothing to any store [br]and it will be resold as second-hand clothing,

0:07:47.094,0:07:50.000
re-used as other textiles, or recycled.

0:07:54.923,0:07:56.707
Zara has a similar campaign.

0:07:56.707,0:08:00.874
It says it partners with different local[br]organizations, which then take over what

0:08:00.874,0:08:01.962
happens to the clothing.

0:08:04.839,0:08:06.563
So what does happen?

0:08:06.563,0:08:11.181
They ARE re-sold, re-used, and recycled,[br]but not in the proportions you might think.

0:08:11.321,0:08:14.421
Over half of donated clothing[br]is sold overseas.

0:08:15.200,0:08:20.300
The rest is mostly turned into industrial[br]material, burned, or goes to landfill.

0:08:22.400,0:08:24.832
Less than one percent of the material in

0:08:24.832,0:08:27.219
used clothing is recycled into new clothing.

0:08:27.219,0:08:29.235
A big reason is lack of technology.

0:08:29.761,0:08:31.942
Remember how many materials were[br]in the jacket?

0:08:32.000,0:08:34.745
Well, they need to come out again[br]to recycle it.

0:08:35.379,0:08:41.846
“Garments that are made from mono[br]materials or can easily be taken apart

0:08:41.846,0:08:48.179
into pieces, can be recycled.”

0:08:48.179,0:08:54.064
Maxi started her career as a certified dressmaker[br]over 10 years ago and has headed product development

0:08:54.064,0:08:55.883
for Hugo Boss and major online retailers.

0:08:56.953,0:09:02.417
“But think about your wardrobe, how many[br]pieces would fulfill these requirements?”

0:09:03.210,0:09:06.986
So giving back clothing is better than[br]throwing it away, but the chances of it

0:09:06.986,0:09:10.241
actually getting recycled are very low.

0:09:11.400,0:09:15.405
H&M and Zara are investing in recycling[br]research, but we looked at their annual

0:09:15.405,0:09:20.423
reports and the amount is 0.5 percent and [br]0.02 percent of their profits, respectively.

0:09:20.700,0:09:24.192
They say returning clothes is circular,[br]which isn’t really true. And even if it were:

0:09:24.192,0:09:27.542
“That's not the solution to our overconsumption.

0:09:28.405,0:09:29.995
Or our overproduction.”

0:09:30.660,0:09:36.261
The problem is that too much clothing is produced,[br]and bought, whether the clothing is eco-friendly or not.

0:09:36.261,0:09:41.189
“Let's just say you're putting one person[br]here who says, you know what, I don't give

0:09:41.189,0:09:44.418
a bleep about anything recycled or organic.

0:09:45.617,0:09:49.780
I will once a year buy a nice pair of pants

0:09:49.780,0:09:53.257
and I don't care about anything, and[br]then there are these people who are saying,

0:09:53.257,0:09:58.153
yes, I'm really aware, I want to do that.[br]I want to commit to the environment.

0:09:58.153,0:10:03.753
And the pair of jeans that I'm going to buy[br]every four weeks will always be sustainable. So.

0:10:04.637,0:10:07.218
Still, this person is better.”

0:10:07.793,0:10:12.397
Buying clothing every four weeks is relatively new.[br]Before the 90s designers made clothes

0:10:12.397,0:10:18.702
for two fashion seasons per year, and now fashion[br]retailers put out clothes in as little as two weeks.

0:10:19.100,0:10:24.753
More clothes mean cheaper prices, lower[br]quality, and more ending up in the landfill or burned.

0:10:26.100,0:10:30.460
But it’s not just big fast fashion brands,[br]it’s the fashion industry in general and

0:10:30.460,0:10:33.948
our desire for constantly changing outfits[br]that need to hit pause.

0:10:35.400,0:10:40.400
“We need to think about how we shop and[br]what we're really calling for.

0:10:42.200,0:10:50.038
But there is a bold step in a number of[br]notable fashion brands and fashion houses

0:10:50.038,0:10:55.886
now going seasonless and hats off to them. [br]It's an important thing to do.”

0:10:56.635,0:11:01.593
The concept doesn’t mean sacrificing style – [br]but instead making clothing to last rather

0:11:01.593,0:11:02.540
than be thrown away.

0:11:03.400,0:11:09.241
“So all in all, what we're trying to do is working [br]with clothing that is not very seasonal, so to say.

0:11:09.241,0:11:13.968
It should be something that you can wear[br]year after year, we want to focus on quality.”

0:11:14.206,0:11:19.146
Karishma is the founder of Ka-Sha, an Indian brand [br]featured in magazines like Forbes and Vogue

0:11:19.146,0:11:21.134
for championing eco-friendly fashion.

0:11:21.312,0:11:26.892
"We try to make products that try to fit into[br]different places depending on who's

0:11:26.892,0:11:30.240
wearing it and how it's worn. So we have a lot of [br]different aspects to our clothing.”

0:11:30.782,0:11:33.006
So what do you do when you[br]want to buy new clothes?

0:11:33.006,0:11:38.769
H&M and Zara say their eco-collections are better[br]for the environment, and they actually are.

0:11:38.769,0:11:41.910
If you want to make sure the whole supply[br]chain is sustainable, there are

0:11:41.910,0:11:46.287
many smaller brands that can account for every[br]step of their production process.

0:11:47.880,0:11:51.799
And buying seasonless instead of trendy[br]clothing means it won’t go out of fashion

0:11:51.799,0:11:52.932
and end up in the trash.

0:11:53.796,0:11:58.743
Because this is a rare industry where[br]consumers actually have a real influence.

0:12:00.500,0:12:05.609
“When I look at the whole picture, I realize [br]maybe only end consumer is the power

0:12:05.609,0:12:13.362
[that] can balance brands and can push them,[br]give them pressure to make some changes.”

0:12:13.917,0:12:17.814
So, ask yourself not only who made[br]your clothes and what they are made of,

0:12:17.814,0:12:22.118
but also, do I need these new clothes?[br]And go from there instead.

0:12:23.749,0:12:28.261
And if you want to see more videos like this, [br]we post about environmental topics every Friday.

0:12:28.300,0:12:30.200
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