Condé Nast Develops Sustainable Fashion Index Showcasing Key Eco Fashion Terms

Developed by mass media company Condé Nast, whose publications include Vogue, Vanity Fair and Tatler, alongside the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) in London and sustainability researchers around the world, The Sustainable Fashion Glossary is a new index of the key sustainability terms and topics emerging in the world of fashion. 

The Glossary is an easy-to-use guide containing over 250 terms and keywords that are being used in the sustainable fashion industry. The compilation is divided into different categories, from materials to production, consumption habits and aftercare practices. It is also broken down into four key themes, including the climate emergency, the environmental footprint of fashion, the social, cultural and economic impacts of fashion and the key elements of sustainable fashion. 

Over time, the Glossary will be regularly updated to reflect new definitions, debates and trends within the sustainable fashion world with the overall aim of strengthening “sustainability literacy”. It is now available online, free of charge and open to all to use. 

Commenting on the launch of the new Glossary, professor of fashion design for sustainability and the director of CSF, Dilys Williams, described the resource as a “vital glossary of terms, a trusted reference point, regarding fashion as a means to exemplify our interdependence with nature and each other.” 

Sarah Needham, the knowledge exchange manager at CSF, added that in order to move the conversation about sustainability in fashion forward, “it is critical that we are clear in our understanding and use of the terms included in the Glossary and in relation to sustainability”. 

“For that debate about how to make fashion more sustainable, our industry needs a shared language and a set of scientifically curated definitions we can all refer to,” said Wolfgang Blau, global COO and president of international at Condé Nast, in agreement with Needham. 

This isn’t the first time for Condé Nast to make a statement about sustainability, especially as the green rhetoric in the fashion industry reaches an all-time high in response to consumer demand. In January, Vogue Italia ditched traditional photos in their monthly issue for illustrated covers, which were intended to highlight the environmental cost of photoshoots. 

It followed Vogue International’s global mission statement released last December, penned by the 26 editors of the global magazine’s regional editions, pledging to celebrate diversity and community and to “preserve the planet for future generations”, which came shortly after the influential fashion magazine went in search for a Global Sustainability Director to promote green initiatives across the industry. 

Lead image courtesy of Condé Nast / designed by Green Queen Media.