FAIRTRADE certifications have become a key component to ensuring that a product is made ethically, creating a lasting, positive social impact for the people of this planet. Established in 1992, the Fairtrade Foundation continuously strives to heighten the standards of modern production by not only securing living wages, workers’ rights, and safe working conditions for […]
CRUELTY-FREE ensures that no animals were harmed throughout the entire production process of the item. Cruelty-free products have a zero tolerance policy for animal testing and experimentations, whether this refers to testing the final product or testing the ingredients utilized throughout the production process. Cruelty-free products prioritize the wellbeing and health of animals, ensuring their
GREENWASHING is a misleading marketing tactic. It is the promotion of a company or a brand’s dedication to the environment, while that commitment either does not exist or is shallow and ambiguous. Greenwashing prioritizes profit over the planet, and is entirely contradictory to both domestic and international promotions of sustainability, such as the UN’s 17
FAST VS. SLOW manufacturing differences lie in production and in the companies’ values. Fast manufacturing is produced in poor working conditions with no regard to workers’ safety and health and is also made with materials that are extracted through unsustainable methods. Meanwhile, slow manufacturing is produced in an ethical working environment with fair wages, and
VEGAN products are created or produced without the use of any animal ingredients, including zero use of animal substances as well as zero use of substances made by animals. However, unlike the popular assumption, not all “Vegan” products are “Cruelty Free.” Despite the fact that some brands do not utilize any animal ingredients in their products,
TRANSPARENCY refers to a brand’s proper disclosure of the manufacturing systems of a business, therefore allowing retailers full access to understanding the sustainable processes of a brand. Brands that are fully transparent usually have certifications from environmental agencies to attest to their transparency. Transparency is the window that allows consumers to understand and evaluate a
BIODEGRADABLE materials have the capability to decompose over time. Biodegradable products ensure that the environmental footprint of a company is minimized as to reduce unnecessary landfill and permanent waste. Usually, discarded items find their way to landfills and incinerators. There, items either remain in these landfills for thousands of years, or are burnt by incinerators,
DOWNCYCLING describes the process of creating a recycled product that is usually of lower value or functionality than the original item it was repurposed from. Unlike upcycling, the downcycling processes usually break down the virgin materials of the recycled product, creating a new commercial item from these broken down recycled ingredients. The original recycled materials
UPCYCLING Unlike recycling, the upcycling process does not break recycled materials down to their original base ingredients. Instead, upcycling consists of “refashioning” recycled materials into new and better products. Essentially, upcycling involves the repurposing of an old item without use into a new and improved item of greater practicality, value, and quality. By repurposing items
RECYCLING involves repurposing waste into a new good, thereby creating the opportunity to reduce waste production. In today’s manufacturing practices, many companies that are striving to implement more sustainable and ethical practices into their production processes have emphasized the use of recycled ingredients in their commercial products. For example, a myriad of sustainable apparel companies
