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We dream of a good life for our children. We want them to receive a good education, grow up in a good environment, and live a happy life. However, our children's future is influenced not only by what we offer them, but also by our choices. Choosing sustainable clothing for them is also one of the important questions that will determine the future of our planet and, thus, that of our most precious fellow human beings.

So what is sustainable children's clothing? Sustainable children's clothing is actually a part of sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion is a movement that aims to minimize the undesirable impacts of fast fashion. While the fashion industry is one of the most developed sectors in the world, it is also one of the most environmentally damaging. Approximately 8% of all global carbon emissions and 20% of wastewater come from the fashion sector, and this sector is expected to cause a 50% increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 [1].

The fast fashion approach adopted by many global brands is one of the main reasons exacerbating the sector's negative environmental impact. Fast fashion is a term used by the apparel industry to mass-produce and copy the latest fashion trends and high-fashion designs at low cost and quickly deliver them to retail stores when demand is highest. Fast fashion aims to maximize profit share by making maximum use of labor, capital, and natural resources. Instead of presenting new collections only at the beginning of the season, brands launch a new collection almost every seven days and encourage consumption with discounts. So, what are the negative environmental impacts of fast fashion?

WATER CONSUMPTION:

The fashion industry is responsible for an annual water consumption of 79 trillion liters and contributes to approximately 20% of industrial wastewater [2]. Cotton also plays a significant role in this consumption. The production of 1 kilogram of cotton requires 10,000 liters of water. In other words, the production of a cotton T-shirt consumes approximately 2,700 liters of water [3]. Choosing organic cotton in clothing production reduces this water consumption by approximately 91% [4].

TEXTILE WASTE:

92 million tons of textile waste are generated each year due to fast-paced fashion and constantly changing trends [5]. Most garments that cannot be sold during the season and are no longer available because they are out of fashion are destroyed. Controlled production by brands and the recycling of unused or out-of-season clothing can be an effective way to prevent this waste.

CARBON EMISSIONS:

The clothing industry ranks second in carbon emissions, behind the petroleum industry, which ranks first. From cotton production to delivery of the finished product to the store, approximately 3,781 liters of water are used to produce a pair of jeans. This equates to approximately 33.4 kilograms of carbon emissions [6].

UNFAIR WORKING CONDITIONS:

Worldwide, around 75 million people work in the fast fashion industry [7]. Due to cheap labor and a lack of supervision, these workers are usually selected from developing countries and employed at very low wages, long working hours, and under unhealthy conditions.

Sustainable fashion, on the other hand, aims to minimize all the environmental and social damage caused by fast fashion by applying concepts such as fairness, sustainability, and recycling at every stage from production to marketing and distribution. Clothing brands that embrace an ethical and sustainable approach to fashion seek to reverse the damage caused by fast fashion through the following strategies:

• Use of organic cotton in the production phase
• Creating fair working conditions for employees
• Use of non-toxic dyes
• Designing seasonal collections
• Production of clothing on pre-order
• Recycling and remarketing of used clothing
• Avoiding plastic packaging

Sustainable children's clothing brands also adopt the ethical understanding of sustainable fashion, dreaming of a sustainable future for both the little ones and the environment by consciously using our planet's resources, choosing organic materials and creating fair working conditions.

As a GOTS-certified brand, we also believe in the importance of sustainability in fashion. First of all, we prefer to use organic cotton in our products to avoid artificial pesticides and fertilizers used in cotton production. These chemicals pollute the environment by leaching into the soil and water, and can harm the health of farmers and those who wear clothes made from this cotton. In contrast, organic cotton production uses only natural fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, organic cotton does not harm the environment or human health. As mentioned above, organic cotton also significantly reduces water consumption. It also uses 62% less energy, emits 46% less CO2, and causes 26% less soil erosion [8].

In addition to using organic cotton, we are on the path to becoming a sustainable children's clothing brand by creating fair and safe working conditions for our employees, developing an environmentally and people-focused social responsibility project, and working with pre-orders to avoid overproduction. We know that the secret to a bright future for our children lies in sustainability... and it's up to us to support it.

[ 1 ] https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/water/water-14-01073/article_deploy/water-14-01073.pdf?version=1648528212

[ 2 ] https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/water/water-14-01073/article_deploy/water-14-01073.pdf?version=1648528212

[3] https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/clothing/cotton-farming-water-consumption

[4]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/organic-cotton

[5]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340635670_The_environmental_price_of_fast_fashion

[6]

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente

[7]

https://www.solidaritycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Garment-Textile-Industry-Fact-Sheet.8.2019.pdf

[8]

https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/clothing/cotton-farming-water-consumption