Guest Post By Greta Eagan

Eco-fashion is a term that is not only gaining recognition, but relevance. With 67% of North American consumers stating that they want to know about the socially responsible behavior of the brands whose products they purchase, ethical fashion is no longer just a new PR campaign, but a viable part of the changing DNA of fashion brands (statistic from the SHIFT Report, 2010). Last night, the first of many Source 4 Style Workshops kicked off a conversation and educational presentation on the game changers in the apparel industry.

Eco-fashion industry leader, Summer Rayne Oakes, has been an outspoken eco advocate for years, acting as a role model and spokeswoman for eco-fashion as an eco-model, consultant and author. Now, Oakes, along with business partner Benita Singh, have taken their fashion expertise and created a necessary resource for the evolution of eco- and mainstream fashion, Source 4 Style (S4S).

Launched last month, S4S, is a search and source website for the world’s leading sustainable materials.  Pooling over 1000 textiles with 24 suppliers across 12 different countries, S4S is the first direct sourcing tool for sustainable materials of its kind.

The site itself is incredibly useful and an acting answer to many independent designers’ cries for help in their eco-conscious sourcing. Moreover, S4S is a visible indicator of what many bigger brands are already investing heavily in to privately create. Adhering to the Eco Index from the Outdoor Industry Association, S4S follows a rigid rating system that produces both progressive and cumulative scoring schemes and indicators for each listed material.

This is where things start to get exciting. The apparel industry has been struggling for years to develop a rating system or unified certification that suppliers and brands can subscribe to. Thus far, these efforts have resulted in self-proclaimed and unmonitored company lists as well as some 70 different foundation fueled certifications around the world. With the Eco Index, over 100 brands are contributing to the data driven open collaboration and sourcing to produce a calculated rating system.

The Eco Index identifies six areas in which brands can improve in their eco-initiatives to produce conscious apparel. These areas include:  materials, packaging, manufacturing, transport, use and service, and end of life. By narrowing the focus to these areas, brands can tangibly begin to integrate eco practices. So where should brands begin?

Every brand should start by dissecting their already produced products and inserting them into the Eco Index to see where their ratings lie. Oakes suggests that brands be conservative and opt for the lower rating when details may be unknown, so that brands can compare their improvements more noticeably after greening their efforts.

Once a brand has its ratings, they should be transparent with their consumers and help educate them by posting the information on their website and hang tags. Brands who engage their consumers and invite them along for their environmental education journey will win their consumers’ loyalty and trust.

Additionally, brands are encouraged to take that sentiment one step further to crowd source their customers to see what designs they want, what issues are most important to them and how to help their consumers better understand conscious consumption. Following S4S’s model, brands can even devise editorial tabs to accompany products listed online to give the back story of where the product came from and how it is eco.

Laying the foundation for brands who are committed to eco-fashion integration, the S4S Workshop was informative and insightful. Any brand who is serious about conscious production should be in attendance for the next workshop. In the past year, Eco Index subscriptions have increased by 500%, sending a clear message that eco-fashion integration is not just a passing trend but demand that must be filled.

Workshops are scheduled every six weeks. Check the Source 4 Style website for upcoming events.

About The Author:  Greta Eagan is a trendsetting fashionista with a conscience! A sustainable fashion spokesperson and strategist–she helps promote eco-fashion integration. Greta’s expertise is backed by eight years in the fashion industry with graduate work at the London College of Fashion and a Masters with a specialization in Sustainable Fashion from the University of Buckingham. Greta is the founder of Fashion Me Green, a sustainable fashion awareness project and style service. Read her weekly trending column on Eco Salon. You can also catch up with her on her personal blog, GretaGuide.