How do you know if a brand is ethical?

The country of manufacture

It's important to know that it's often impossible for ready-to-wear brands to find all their raw materials in Western countries. Some eco-responsible materials can only be found in Asia, and therein lies the paradox. However, European countries are developing and producing more eco-responsible materials every year, in response to the pressure exerted by certain brands to increase their share of European EURO MED production and thus become part of an ethical process.

It is therefore important to start by paying more attention to the quality of a product, its durability and the eco-responsibility of its material, so that it lasts over time and avoids over-consumption. Many retailers have favoured fast fashion. Fashion that is consumed quickly, at low prices and with items of average quality. It's hard to be eco-responsible at low prices. Consumers need to be aware of this.

If the brand claims to be ethical, but some of its products are still made in China, check the quality of its finishes, its durability and the eco responsibility of its materials to see if it is part of what is now known as slow fashion. So it's not all about the country, even if certain countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Burma should be avoided as production countries.

Pay attention to the brand's slogans

When a brand starts talking about low prices, inexpensive clothes or fashion for all, there's a good chance that the manufacturing processes are not ethical. It's impossible to achieve such low prices with eco-responsible quality materials and decent working conditions. Production costs are often kept to a minimum.

Conversely, a very high price or a luxury image does not necessarily mean that the brand is ethical. It is not necessarily linked to a social and sustainable commitment. However, price remains a real indicator of whether or not a product is truly eco-responsible.

Keep an eye on the materials used

An ethical brand with a genuine concern for the environment will pay particular attention to the materials used to produce its clothes and accessories. Customer bags made from ecologically managed forests will be appreciated.

Organic or recycled materials demonstrate a genuine concern for environmental issues.

Count the number of collections

Ethical fashion rhymes with responsible fashion, and therefore with measured consumption. Encouraging consumers to buy and discard old clothes is contrary to ethical values. What's more, intensive production means high energy consumption. When a brand offers new products every week, we need to remain vigilant about its intentions.

That's why it's important to choose brands that offer items in limited quantities, in order to make a commitment to the world of today and tomorrow.

An overview of the brand

To sum up, remember that an ethical brand will always be transparent about its manufacturing processes, the composition of its products and the investments it makes. This information is generally easy to find on the Internet. The brand's commitments must be clear, concise and understood by everyone.

It's also important to remember that there's no such thing as perfection, and that it will be difficult for a product to be recycled, organic, handmade, fair trade and produced in Europe all at the same time. However, everything must be clearly identified so that you can make your choice with complete transparency. If you have any further questions, contact the brand in question, who will be able to answer them.

Now that you have all this information, you'll be able to identify an ethical brand, so you can make choices that match your values and your desires.