6 Awesome Things Happening in Sustainable Fashion rn
From governments cracking down on ultra fast fashion to cities saying no to fast-fashion advertising, there are some genuinely exciting changes happening around the world.
Here are six sustainable fashion updates that have caught our eye lately.
1. France is coming for ultra fast fashion
France is getting serious about ultra fast fashion.
New rules mean brands classified as ultra fast fashion can face hefty penalties on their products, with the maximum increasing over the next few years.
And from 2027, advertising and influencer promotion of qualifying ultra fast fashion products will also be banned.
Less “OMG BUY THIS NOW” and more “maybe you don't actually need another polyester top”.
We're into it.
2. Bristol is saying no to fast-fashion ads
Bristol has become the first UK city to restrict fast-fashion advertising across council-owned spaces, including billboards and bus shelters.
The policy also targets promotions designed to encourage overconsumption, like constant flash sales and Black Friday-style discounts.
Imagine walking to the bus stop without being told you desperately need a new outfit.
Revolutionary.
3. Australia is getting serious about circular fashion
Here at home, Australia's clothing industry is working towards a more circular fashion system through Seamless.
Recent pilots have collected and sorted almost 31 tonnes of clothing, with unusable textiles turned into things like insulation and acoustic panels.
It's a start, but there's still a lot of work to do. Australia sends around 220,000 tonnes of clothing textiles to landfill every year.
Which brings us to our favourite solution…
4. Secondhand fashion is having its moment
Because the most sustainable clothing is often the clothing that already exists.
Buying secondhand keeps clothes in circulation for longer, avoids creating demand for another new garment and gives you the chance to find something a little more interesting than what everyone else is wearing.
Win, win, win.
And yes, we may be biased. But that's exactly why we built OppSpot.
5. Greenwashing is getting harder
“Eco-friendly.” “Conscious.” “Planet positive.”
Sounds nice. But what does it actually mean?
Governments are increasingly cracking down on vague environmental claims and greenwashing, meaning brands will need to back up their sustainability claims with actual evidence.
Because putting a little green leaf on your website doesn't magically make something sustainable.
6. The conversation is changing
Perhaps the biggest change is that we're finally moving beyond:
“What should we buy?”
and towards:
“Do we need to buy something new at all?”
That's a pretty important shift.
Repair it. Rewear it. Swap it. Donate it. Buy secondhand.
And when you do need something new, maybe start with something that's already out there.
So, are things changing?
Absolutely.
There's still a very long way to go, but sustainable fashion is becoming less about asking individual shoppers to make perfect choices and more about changing the systems around fashion.
And that's something worth getting excited about.
In the meantime, we'll be over here giving good secondhand stuff a second life.
Because fashion doesn't always need to be new to be good.