Animal welfare, one of the key ethical concerns of the industry, refers to the treatment of animals involved in the fashion supply chain. For many years, activists have been calling public attention to the unlawful killing and widespread mistreatment of animals across the fur, leather, exotic leather, down feather, mohair, angora, silk and wool industries. The animals whose skin, fur or feathers are used to make fashion products frequently suffer severe mistreatment and cruel handling practices such as kicking or being dragged by their body parts, tails, horns or ears. While animal welfare is a critical concern in countries with insufficient animal welfare legislation, including India and China who provide the majority of the supplies, cruel practices are also reported in countries where legislation with regards to humane treatment of animals is much more advanced. The demands and profitability of the trade are reflected in the existence of large-scale factory farming, where animals are kept in crowded areas or battery cages without enough air circulation or daylight, and are slaughtered by methods such as gassing or electrocution. In some instances, animals are reported to be skinned alive. Live plucking is a widespread practice because feathers can regrow, and so keeping animals alive increases profit. Wild animals required for the leather and fur trades are often caught in painful traps that break their body parts and leave them suffering for hours before they are finally killed. Animal injuries during shearing for the mohair and wool trade are common, as laborers tend to be paid by volume rather than by the hour. Quick work results in cuts and careless handling of sheep. The controversial practice of mulesing, a painful removal of flesh around the buttocks to protect sheep against the parasite flystrike, is still widely performed in Australia and is often carried out without the use of anesthetics. Conde Nast

Biodegradable materials are materials that can be reduced to simpler substances or can completely break down to minerals through natural processes catalyzed by microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. It is important to note that a material’s potential for biodegradability does not guarantee that it will always biodegrade, as biodegradation is a natural process that depends on suitable environmental conditions such as temperature, nutrient sources, pH and oxygen levels. In addition, biodegradability also requires that all inputs, including dyes, washes or other chemicals used in the production are also biodegradable; this includes anything that may leave chemical traces or prevent a material from decomposing. There are three main types of biodegradable fibers: 1. natural fibers, including wool, cotton, silk, hemp and linen as well as cellulose-based fibers such as modal, viscose and lyocell; 2. synthetic fibers that are bio-based, including polylactic acid (PLA) plastics, cellulose acetate and aliphatic polyesters; 3. polyesters that are produced by microorganisms, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), usually created through bacterial fermentation. The terms ‘biodegradable’ and ‘compostable’ are often used interchangeably. However, while exact definitions vary, biodegradability generally refers to natural decomposition while compostability relies on managed processes of decomposition, such as industrial composting. Conde Nast

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth. In fashion, it’s often discussed in the context of the industry’s practices that cause biodiversity loss, such as destructive raw material sourcing that leads to soil degradation and habitat loss, and much more. It’s a complex subject involving many of the other sustainability issues listed in this glossary. Good On You

Quantity of greenhouse gas emissions expressed in tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 ). WRAP

The removal of vegetable matter from wool fibre using acid solution. These are usually very burry wools, from which the vegetable fault cannot economically be removed by mechanical methods. This is followed by baking and crushing to remove the dissolved vegetable matter AWTA

Uses chemical processes to break down textile waste to a molecular level. The different outputs of chemical recycling offer multiple points of re-entry into the fashion supply chain and allow for a more versatile product range than mechanical recycling. Chemical recycling is also thought to increase the purity of the output products in comparison to mechanical recycling. Fashion for Good

The term ‘chemicals’ here refers to artificially made substances that are produced by or used in reactions that change atoms or molecules. While chemicals vary in their impact, production of fashion products relies heavily on the use of chemicals that cause considerable environmental damage, including decreased soil fertility and water pollution, which are also responsible for serious health hazards. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are used in production of natural materials such as cotton for protection from insects, molds and weeds, and to increase yields. Chemicals are also needed to process fibers into yarns and yarns into fabric. Dyes, surface treatments, performance enhancing coatings and treatments, application of water and stain repellents and flame retardants are all chemical-intensive stages of textile production. Considerable health risks are involved for those handling these chemicals, often in conditions without sufficient health and safety measures. Despite gradual improvements, use of hazardous chemicals is still a widespread practice among world-leading brands.(1) In addition, substances used at different stages of production often remain in textiles and their gradual release in the use stage poses further dangers to human and environmental health. Conde Nast

If a product is Circular, it means that it can be recycled to the same value as its original materials. In other words: The product is designed to be recycled, there is a system in place to make sure of that, and the result is one of equal value. Circularity should take into account the entire lifecycle of a product and center on a system of create, use, and recycle, rather than create, use, and dispose. It should also consider growth (of fibers, to create material objects), production, design, sourcing, transportation, storage, marketing, sale, disposal of the product, and care for those working within the cycle at all stages. Highsnobiety

An alternative to the traditional linear economy (make, use and dispose). Under a circular economy, products, components and materials are kept in use for as long as possible to extract the maximum value, after their usable life, they are reused, repaired or recycled. WRAP

This means keeping material within its product cycle. In its purest form this would mean turning a product back into the same product, for example, turning a branded T-shirt into another T-shirt from that brand. However, closed loop recycling can be flexible enough to allow for fibre created from recycling one brand’s textiles to make another brand’s textiles; the sentiment is retaining material within the industry/product type. WRAP

Enables a product to be taken apart in such a way that allows components and materials to be reused, remade, or recycled. WRAP

The ability of a physical product to remain functional and relevant over time when faced with the challenges of normal operation. This can relate to physical properties or emotional characteristics to do with appearance. It applies to a product over multiple owners and acknowledges repair and other services as a means to increase overall durability. WRAP

Fossil fuels are fuels generated from fossilized hydrocarbon deposits such as remains of plants and other organisms. Fossil fuels include coal, crude oil and natural gas. All of these, because of their origins, have a high carbon content. Extraction, transport and burning of fossil fuels all generate harmful levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs)and emissions (especially CO2) that significantly contribute to global warming and climate crisis. In addition, a high proportion of these emissions are absorbed by the global oceans, which results in acidification of seawater and also has damaging effects on the biodiversity of marine ecosystems as well as on coastal communities. Conde Nast

Fertilizer, natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that improve growth and productiveness of plants. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace chemical elements taken from the soil by previous crops. Britannica

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a full product standard to verify and track recycled raw materials through the supply chain. It also includes processing criteria to prevent the use of potentially hazardous chemicals, and verifies positive social or environmental production at the facilities. The GRS uses the chain of custody requirements of the Content Claim Standard (CCS). Textile Exchange

Greenhouse gas emissions are all the various gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere that contribute to a greenhouse effect by trapping heat and preventing it from leaving the atmosphere. The result is global warming and climate change. Key examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapour, and methane—they’re created by agriculture and burning fossil fuels, amongst other things. Good on You

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) defines human rights as "rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status". Human rights include the right to life, equality before the law, freedom of expression, economic, social, and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education, and the rights to development and self-determination. They are universal and inalienable, interdependent and indivisible, equal and non-discriminatory. Apart from rights, they also comprise obligations. States have the obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of their citizens, whereas individuals are obliged to respect the human rights of others. Human rights are protected and enforced by a series of international treaties, of which all states have ratified at least one and 80% of the states have ratified four or more. Some fundamental human rights are protected by universally valid international legislation such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) of 1948 that emerged as a result of the atrocities of the Second World War.(1-4) Fashion has a multi-faceted relationship with human rights, regarding employment practices and the narratives of fashion, which either uphold or deny universal rights, equality and equity. Conde Nast

A systematic set of procedures for evaluating the environmental impact of products throughout its life cycle. WRAP

The concept of localism draws attention to the power of local responses to the wider global issues. Localism emphasizes the value of geographical closeness and the need to nurture the informal forces rooted in regional traditions which can help local communities and natural systems to flourish in the face of global, mainly profit-driven economic decisions. In the context of fashion, localism stands in contrast to the global fashion system, by offering a decentralized version of making, using and caring for textiles and clothing. Personal contact here removes the distance between designers, producers and users, which enables richer ways of understanding materials and conditions of production by drawing on “local stories, myriad dress practices, and fewer goods”. Conde Nast

A well-established and widely used process for recycling textiles into new yarns. It employs physical processing techniques, including the shredding of textile into smaller pieces, to recycle pre- and post-consumer textiles into new recycled yarns, which can then be re-entered into the fashion supply chain. Fashion for Good

Modular garments are defined as clothing items that can be dis/assembled into multiple parts without having to sew individual parts together. Instead, different parts (e.g., sleeves, collar) can be zipped or buttoned on to the main body. Modular garments have increasingly gained attention as a sustainable design strategy, as they (modular garments) have the potential to extend the lifetime of garments by exchanging modules and thus, also revolutionise business models and the way consumers shop. Zhang, et al.

A practice to inhibit fly strike widely used in Australia that involves cutting off wrinkled flesh from the crutch area. Controversial, and illegal in some parts of the world. Named after Mr Mules. The Natural Fibre

Natural materials fall into two large categories: cellulose- or plant-based (e.g. cotton, hemp, linen) and protein- or animal-based (e.g. wool, silk, leather, down). While they often tend to be labeled as the "good" and preferable alternative to synthetic materials, social and environmental impacts of all materials vary in relation to where they come from and how they are produced. For example, cotton is a crop with high requirements of water use to increase crop yields and fiber length, which is highly problematic because it is largely grown in areas that already suffer from water scarcity. Conventionally grown cotton, (as opposed to genetically modified (GM) crops, organic cotton or Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton), also relies on heavy use of insecticides and pesticides. Animal-based materials including wool, leather, silk or down need careful consideration in terms of animal welfare, land use and intensive treatments with chemicals. The traceability of the supply chain, the selection of the right material for the right application, manufacturing processes, distribution, laundering and maintenance practices during use, and also how fashion products are disposed of at their end of life must all come into the equation. Material sustainability is therefore complex and always context dependent. Conde Nast

This means taking or giving inputs from/to another industry or product. For example, taking the plastic packaging from garment bags and turning it into new garments would count as open loop recycling. WRAP

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a practice that deals with the safety, health, welfare and wellbeing of people when they are at work. Providing a safe working environment for staff is a legal responsibility for companies in Britain and OHS requires both the prevention and treatment of any health issues that staff may experience during or because of their work. Britsafe