Today is World Earth Day and, after more than a year of living on a planet that has been rocked by a pandemic, it seems more urgent than ever to pay attention to the climate crisis. According to the UN's World Meteorological Organization, not only has global warming got worse - 2020 was an unprecedented year for extreme weather, plus the global mean temperature is up to 1.8C higher than pre-industrial conditions - but the impact on millions of people, societies and economies has also been intensified because of coronavirus.
The fashion industry is becoming more aware of its role in the climate crisis, although there is still a long way to go to achieving true transparency (which, no doubt, will be reflected in this year's Fashion Revolution Index when it's published in July). But some brands are trying to be part of the solution, making ambitious drives towards sustainably-sourced materials or committing themselves to charitable initiatives that are much more than just marketing spin. Because as well as championing brands who are celebrating World Earth Day, it's also important to think about the other 364 days of the year.
The BFC is launching its first Institute of Positive Fashion, a global event hosted digitally that will debate important issues facing the fashion industry ahead of November's United Nations Climate Change Conference, which this year will be hosted in Glasgow.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Mulberry is launching its pioneering manifesto for the future, Made to Last, with six key actions that will transform the business to a regenerative model by 2030. These include a hyper-local, hyper-transparent 'farm to finished' supply chain - later this year, the brand will be launching its first locally-made 'farm to finished' handbags using the world's lowest carbon leather - as well as commitments to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, and being a genuine living wage employer by working with its network of suppliers to ensure they're achieving the same.
Superdry has pledged to be a 100% organic cotton brand by 2025, as part of Grow Future Thinking, its sustainability initiative that also includes achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and ensuring that 100% of packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. And then there are brands who have sustainability built into their DNA. Mayamiko, the sustainable brand famously worn by Meghan Markle, makes all its clothes in a solar-powered workshop in Malawi. Not only are its collections seasonless to encourage the idea of longevity, but all 'waste' from the cutting room is salvaged and turned into scrunchies, headbands or 'Positive Pads', reusable sanitary towels that are designed for girls and women who would otherwise struggle to access feminine hygiene products every month.
At Stella McCartney HQ, every day is World Earth Day. But for 2021, the designer is throwing her support behind Greenpeace, asking customers to sign the organisation's petition to end the meat industry's destruction of the Amazon, and designing a special capsule, Stella x Greenpeace, of four organic cotton sweatshirts and tees.
Another thing to remember is that, as always, buying nothing will always be the most sustainable option. If we could all do more of that, then we would really have something to celebrate.
SHOP: The Most Mindful Buys For World Earth Day 2021
1 of 20Baum Und Pferdgarten, Asayo Dress, £199
Baum Und Pferdgarten's 'Und Earth' collection is made using more mindful materials, including organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles, and €4 of each purchase will go towards Green Transition Denmark, a member of the umbrella organisation Clear Air Europe.
2 of 20Whering
Whering, the app that helps you digitise your wardrobe for 'a lifetime of zen', has a whole host of fun partnerships for World Earth Day. Collaborating with companies such as Ecologi, CoGo, Guppyfriend and Re-Fashion to address issues like reforestation, carbon emissions, water pollution and waste, it will get you thinking about sustainable fashion like you never have before.
3 of 20DeMellier, The Earth Tote, £185
DeMellier's pleasingly smart tote bag is the fruit of its charitable initiative 7 Women, 7 Causes. Each of these women has partnered with Mireia Llusia-Lindh, DeMellier's founder, to co-design a tote bag where 100% of profits will support a cause that is close to their hearts. 'The Earth Tote' is a collaboration with creative director Angela Fink, with 100% of the profits going towards No More Plastic, a non-profit foundation that generates awareness about plastic pollution.
4 of 20Mother of Pearl x Onloan
Proving its position as an industry front-runner when it comes to sustainability, Mother of Pearl is making its first foray into the world of renting with Onloan. Together they've created The Full Circle, and it's a partnership that allows customers to both rent garments - prices start from £69 to rent two garments and sizes go up to 16 - and buy them if the road test turns out to be particularly successful. Speaking about this two-step approach to shopping, which they've called 'Try Before You Buy', Onloan's creative director, Natalie Hasseck, says: 'This is super cool because it means we're switching impulse purchase behaviour to something that is more considered and slower.' Amy Powney, Mother of Pearl's creative director, agrees, adding: 'By renting you are able to enjoy items that signify a moment in your life or mood but may not have a place in your forever wardrobe.'
5 of 20Rotaro
Rotaro, the fashion rental platform, has a long-standing partnership with Ecologi, the tree-planting organisation that works to fund the world's best carbon-offsetting solutions, but this time it's going a step further. For World Earth Day 2021, Rotaro is partnering with them to plant an entire forest. 'We are passionate about reforesting over-harvested farmlands and rewilding the UK. This year has really emphasised how essential thriving local ecosystems and outdoor spaces are and we want to protect that for generations going forward,' said Georgie Hyatt, co-founder of Rotaro.
6 of 20Frame, Le Oversized Denim Jacket, £385
Available as of World Earth Day, Frame is launching a pocket-sized denim collection, comprising of two pairs of jeans and one jacket, that have been made using the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Jeans Redesign. What this means is the pieces have been designed with circularity in mind (i.e. the idea of a garment that can be made, broken down and remade into something new in a closed loop system where nothing is wasted) with 100% cotton, post-consumer recycled materials and easy-to-remove raw metal hardware.
7 of 20Eastpak, Resist Waste Padded Pak'r, £45
Eastpak's new collection for World Earth Day, Resist Waste, takes the brand's made-to-last credentials and pushes them even further by using repurposed, recycled and responsibly-sourced materials.
8 of 20Kitty Joyas, Solid Stacked Ring in Gold Vermeil, £249
Kitty Joyas's new ring collection, launching on Thursday, is founded on two sustainable principles: it's entirely made-to-order and uses recycled metals. 10% of all sales from the collection will also be going to the Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity.
9 of 20Aspinal Of London, Bee Keyring, £45
Aspinal of London has made impressive strides towards a more mindful approach to manufacturing in the build up to World Earth Day 2021. The hero product from its new collection, the limited-edition London Tote, is made from upcycled canvas, responsibly-sourced (and metal-free) leather, and recycled thread, while this sweet keyring celebrates its new charity partner, the South Downs National Trust, with £4.50 from each sold going towards the planting of a local wildflower meadow, within the grounds of Aspinal HQ, to help support the livelihood of local bees and butterflies.
10 of 20BITE Studios, 5-6 Boyfriend Shirt Crinkled, £330
BITE, the luxury sustainable brand from Sweden, prides itself on the fact that 95% of the materials it uses are either organic, recycled or low impact. Celebrating World Earth Day, the brand will be donating 20% of all online sales this week to Cool Earth, an organisation that works with rainforest communities to stop deforestation.
11 of 20Tomorrow, Flowers Tee By Elena Cremona, £35
Tomorrow believes in thoughtful design as a tool for advocacy and activism, collaborating with artists and non-profit organisations to support ongoing social and environmental issues by giving each a 50% share of the profits. For Earth Day, it has a new collection designed with The Earth Issue's head of photography Elena Cremona, Stand For Trees, that will be supporting the organisation of the same name, working to help forest communities around the world keep their forests standing and individuals to offset their own emissions.
12 of 20Rails, The Classic Crew Love Your Planet, £81
To celebrate Earth Month, Rails is partnering with the Surfrider Foundation, which campaigns against fossil fuel extraction in Los Angeles, on a 100% recycled cotton T-shirt, with 25% of proceeds going straight to the organisation.
13 of 20Allbirds, Women's Wool Runners, £95
Last year, Allbirds became the first fashion brand to label all its products with a carbon output. To celebrate Earth Day, it's open-sourcing a version of its Carbon Footprint Calculator - for other brands to use entirely free of charge - to help drive the fashion industry towards transparency and, ultimately, a greener future.
14 of 20Choose Earth, T-shirt Natural, £25
Putting a twist on Choose Love, the refugee charity's name and famous slogan, the organisation has partnered with Earthrise, a climate crisis media company, to launch a new campaign for Earth Day, Choose Earth, to support the indigenous communities of Brazil. Its range of organic cotton tees and totes, stamped with the iconic slogan, will be giving 100% of its profits to the cause.
15 of 20ESSĒN THE LABEL, The Foundation Flat, £286
For World Earth Day, ESSĒN THE LABEL has partnered with another pre-order brand, Linden Cook, to make a pair of leather flats with a difference. Not only can you choose whether or not to add a gold ankle chain, but customers can also share details about their feet (such as width, arch and height) so that the shoe can be customised perfectly. What both brands are choosing to celebrate is that made-to-order and pre-order fashion are some of the most sustainable ways to shop, reducing waste and highlighting the fashion industry's problem with overproduction.
16 of 20Baukjen, Linde Dress, Rent For £25
Renting instead of buying is a brilliant way to be more mindful about your clothing consumption. Baukjen has just jumped on the rental bandwagon, allowing customers to borrow its clothes in two-week slots for as little as £15 for a blouse and £25 for a dress. The brand has also partnered with Eden Reforestation Projects, planting one tree for every order placed online today.
17 of 20Depop
For the third episode of Let's Talk, Depop's video series on YouTube, Bimini Bom Boulash, María Isabel, Arlo Parks and Lime Cordiale tackled the question, "What does Earth Day even mean?' Tune in to hear them share their personal sustainability practices and their relationships to fashion in 2021.
18 of 20Lee Jeans, Breese In Dark Joni, £75
For World Earth 2021, Lee Jeans has renewed its commitment to growing the number of low-impact pieces and processes in its range. By 2025, it will use renewable energy to power 100% of all owned and operated facilities, will utilise 50% sustainable synthetics, will source 100% sustainably-grown or recycled cotton, and increased dyed product from Indigood, its patented foam-dyeing method that reduces the water, energy and chemicals required in traditional denim dyeing methods, every year.
19 of 20Wires Glasses, Half Moon, £165
Wires Glasses makes opticals and sunglasses using mindful materials - the lenses are 60% nylon and 40% bio polyamide made from the castor oil plant, for example - and for every pair bought this week, a tree will be planted.
20 of 20UGG, Neumel Natural Boot, £145
In honour of World Earth Day, UGG has announced four key commitments focused on restoring the planet, including land regeneration (200,000 acres in 2021; 1,000,000 acres by 2025); its first-ever repair programme that will restore customers' favourite shoes to like-new condition; sourcing 100% wood-based products from responsible forests by partnering with Canopy; and, finally, joining the Transparency Pledge.