10 Sustainability Terms You Need to Know
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If you're trying to find your footing and do your part when it comes to preserving our planet, it may be a little overwhelming at first to get all of the terminologies down. Leading a sustainable lifestyle doesn't have to be super intimidating or overly complicated, though. While words like "biodegradable" and "carbon footprint" are constantly being thrown around in discussions surrounding the environment, you may not know what exactly it all means. That's why we reached out to Carry Somers, founder of Fashion Revolution, Lea D’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global, and Dr. Chamu Kuppuswamy, Senior Lecturer at Hertfordshire Law School, to break down the terms so we can have a better understanding of our impact on the planet.
So, if you’re just starting your eco-friendly journey and aren’t sure how to navigate all the information out there, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn what these sustainability terms mean, plus, when and how they play into our day-to-day lives.
Sustainable
This is probably the most recognized and important word on this list.
To be sustainable means you prioritize the use of natural and renewable resources rather than contributing excess amounts of waste from things like coal, gas, and oil, that can impact future generations.
Per the United Nations, renewable resources that help our environment include:
Solar energy: converts light into electricity with panels facing the sun.
Wind energy: creates energy from moving air using large wind turbines.
Geothermal energy: uses heat from Earth's interior as an energy source
Hydropower: uses water from reservoirs and rivers to provide drinking water, hydrate plant crops, control floods and droughts, help with navigation, and create energy by being pumped into a generator through a pipe.
Ocean energy: waves and currents that produce electricity or heat
Bioenergy: uses wood, charcoal, and dung to produce heat, power, and agricultural crops.
Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is a term used to describe the number of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide, to support human activity like driving a car or using electricity.
"When we breathe, we release carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. This is essential for our survival, so although this activity releases a greenhouse gas, it is unavoidable," says Dr. Kuppuswamy, who explains that other types of consumption like driving cars are not as essential. "Driving a car requires the consumption of petrol or diesel, when this liquid burns, it releases greenhouse gases. This is counted as part of each person's carbon footprint. So, the sum total of all the activities that one does, which lead to the release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, is known as the carbon footprint."
There are a number of resources available to help you calculate your personal carbon footprint. Most times, your footprint is divided into at least three categories: home energy, transportation, and waste.
The Environmental Protection Agency offers an accurate carbon footprint calculator through a spreadsheet while sites like Footprint Calculator offer a more visual and interactive experience.
Ethical Fashion
According to The Green Hub, ethical fashion is a design and manufacturing method that cares for people and communities. This method typically considers human rights, animal welfare, and environmental impacts at every stage of the design process.
"Ethical fashion is often seen as focusing more on the social component of fashion, ensuring good working conditions, fair wages, no forced labor, modern slavery, or child labor throughout the supply chain," says Somers, who explains that ethical fashion takes account of the people who make our clothes, our ecosystems, and the creatures that live in them.
Some examples of ethical fashion brands include Reformation and Girlfriend Collective. Ethical brands like these also ensure employees are paid fairly and work in safe environments.
Biodegradable
If you want to get literal, "bio" means life, and "degrade" means to break down. When something is biodegradable, it breaks down to its basic components and blends back in with the earth when microorganisms, fungi, or bacteria consume them. Plant-based products are more likely to be biodegradable as they break down into carbon dioxide, water, and other natural minerals. Such products mix back into the earth without leaving any toxins behind.
"Every material will biodegrade, given enough time (even centuries!)," Dr. Kuppuswamy explains. "There is no time limit for biodegradation, and no testing is done to ensure that the product is free from dangerous toxins. Ideally, biodegradable material will break down quickly and safely, however not every product advertised as biodegradable meets these criteria."
D'Auriol warns that marketing products as biodegradable, recyclable, or compostable have legally been banned in California because there is "no standardized definition for how long or in what conditions it will take 'biodegradable' materials to break down." She also explains that products made with Oxo-degradable plastics aren't fit for long-term reuse and are actually fossil fuel-based, which isn't sustainable as they're broken down into microplastics — "the most harmful form of plastic," according to D'Auriol.
For more information on national policies and legislation regarding environmental labeling, visit BPI, the United States' advocacy organization for compostable packaging.
Compostable
If a product is compostable, its organic waste that can be recycled and eventually repurposed. However, these products don't always break down naturally in a landfill.
"Compostable products have undergone strict testing to ensure that they break down within a specific time frame and do not release anything harmful into the environment. Biodegradable products have no such requirements, meaning that they may not be as beneficial as they first appear," says Dr. Kuppuswamy, who explains that compostable packaging products will:
Break down within the time needed by the composting environment
Not release harmful residue as they decompose
Create healthy compost that enriches the soil
Most times, waste is collected in a more controlled setting within industrial compost facilities to ensure it breaks down properly. Compostable waste takes much longer to break down if in a landfill, especially if it's air-locked with no oxygen. According to D'Auriol, these facilities aren't widely available, and compostable plastics should be treated within them since they have to pass certain tests to be properly discarded.
The only way to properly compost products is to send them to these facilities — find your nearest one here. If there isn't a facility in your area, the only way to discard the product would be to throw it away in the trash.
Biobased
Per the United States Department of Agriculture, biobased products are made from raw materials like "plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials." Some examples include clothing made from milk, wood, or coffee grounds, disposable tableware made from leaves, and water bottles made from plants.
D'Auriol tells Seventeen that biobased products are "at least partly made from plant-based materials," but they could still be a hybrid with petroleum-based plastics. "There is also no assurance as to whether the product is compostable, recyclable, or neither," she explains.
Upcycling
You've heard about recycling. Now it's time to learn about upcycling, or giving products a second life and new function. If you've ever revamped a pair of old jeans because they just don't fit your vibe anymore, congratulations — you've participated in upcycling.
You can also clean out old beauty packaging once it's empty and use it to store reusable makeup remover rounds or makeup brushes. Upcycling is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to switch to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Fair Trade
According to the sustainable apparel brand Good On You, fair trade refers to the general movement of organizations aiming to reduce poverty and promote sustainability. These organizations participate in fair trade by using a just and transparent supply chain for production.
"Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade," Somers says. "It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers."
However, Somers warns that "fair trade" and "fairtrade" are not the same terms. "Fairtrade is a labeling system, whereas the term 'Fair Trade' can theoretically be used by anyone, so make sure you do your research before buying," she explains.
Fairtrade is a term used to describe a brand or product that meets certain standards that have been certified and labeled by an independent organization. Good On You states that these standards come with goals to support producers in underdeveloped countries, protect workers’ rights, preserve the environment, and promote sustainability.
But, what does this have to do with sustainability? Dr. Kuppuswamy explains that farmers and workers in developing countries are creating most of the products we buy and that they should be receiving a "fair deal" for their work.
"Often, the trade system is skewed such that those that put all that effort aren't rewarded properly. The money that we pay for a product is distributed to many people who enable the product to reach us, and these are what enable the supply chain of the product," Dr. Kuppuswamy says. "When the supply chain benefits more than the producers — the farmers and workers — that creates inequality. This can be remedied through fair trade. Ensuring that the farmers and workers in developing countries receive a fair deal for their work."
Greenwashing
If you've ever questioned a brand's statements surrounding its sustainability practices, you likely experienced greenwashing as a consumer. D'Auriol defines greenwashing as the misrepresentation of information to falsely indicate environmentally responsible practices or behavior.
"While it is often a tool exploited by marketing teams to mislead consumers looking for sustainable choices, greenwashing can also be unintentional and result from a genuine desire to do good without the proper education and resources to make the best decision," D'Auriol explains.
So, how can you tell if a brand is actually greenwashing? D'Auriol suggests learning language about sustainability so you can make conscious choices (✅ We're technically doing that right now!).
"Look at the words and visuals that brands are using... and make sure they are actually explaining how they are being 'green' or 'sustainable,'" D'Auriol suggests. "If there is no more in-depth information available on the meaningful actions the company is taking, I would assume this is greenwashing." She also recommends conducting research on terms and certifications that you'd find on product labels to see if they are backed by credible institutions like the USDA.
Slow Fashion
You might have heard the term fast fashion being tossed around the internet for some time. Fast fashion is a design, manufacturing, and marketing method focused on rapidly producing high volumes of clothing to keep up with trends. Products of fast fashion are usually made with low-quality materials so the price point can be lower for consumers.
Slow fashion, on the other hand, is the opposite of fast fashion. Instead, the slow fashion design, manufacturing, and marketing method produce high-quality clothing and accessories that are thoughtfully made. These products are typically made with the intention to be easily repaired or used for a long time. Somers explains that it's a "holistic, intentional approach" that encapsulates both ethical and sustainable standards.
"Garments are generally of high quality, made on a small scale. Slow fashion brands encourage their customers to buy less and make their clothes last longer," Somers tells Seventeen. Dr. Kuppuswamy adds that the slow fashion movement aims to reduce "startling" rates at which clothes are produced.
"Slow fashion wants to slow down our rate of consumption of fashion from the current rates of fast fashion – runaway consumption that sees us buying more and wasting more," Dr. Kuppuswamy says. "It also refers to overproduction from the business side. If fashion changes in the shop fronts every 2 weeks, then this stimulates buying of the new fashion every two weeks, and the rate at which we move from one line of clothes to another is startling."
Thrift stores, consignment stores, and brands like Big Bud Press and Boyish Jeans contribute to the slow fashion movement.
For more information on the best sustainable options out there, check out Seventeen's Sustainable Style Awards.
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