Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Foundations of Sustainable Fashion
Foundations of Sustainable Fashion
Knowledge check
Q1. Which of the following best describes the core idea of sustainable fashion?
- A. Producing clothing as cheaply and quickly as possible to meet rising demand
- B. Designing, producing, and consuming clothing in ways that minimize environmental and social harm over the long term ✓
- C. Using only natural fibers regardless of how they are produced
- D. Selling clothing exclusively through luxury brands with limited production runs
Why: Sustainable fashion considers the full lifecycle of clothing, aiming to reduce environmental damage and protect the people involved in making and wearing garments over time, rather than focusing on a single feature like fiber type or price.
Q2. What is the term for the environmental and social costs of a product that are not reflected in its market price?
- A. Opportunity cost
- B. Externality ✓
- C. Brand equity
- D. Marginal revenue
Why: Externalities are costs imposed on third parties or the environment, such as water pollution from dyeing or unsafe factory conditions, that the producer and buyer often do not pay for directly, which is why cheap clothing can appear inexpensive.
Q3. Which phrase describes the fashion model in which clothing is made to be worn a few times and then discarded?
- A. Circular fashion
- B. Slow fashion
- C. Fast fashion ✓
- D. Closed-loop manufacturing
Why: Fast fashion refers to rapid, low-cost production of trend-driven clothing that encourages frequent purchasing and short useful lives, contributing heavily to textile waste and resource use.
Q4. Why is the fashion industry often cited as a significant contributor to environmental problems?
- A. It uses almost no water or energy compared to other industries
- B. It relies on resource-intensive processes such as water-heavy dyeing, synthetic fiber production, and global transport ✓
- C. It produces only biodegradable materials that break down quickly
- D. It has reduced global emissions every year since the 1990s
Why: Textile production involves large volumes of water, chemicals, and fossil-fuel-based materials, along with extensive shipping across global supply chains, all of which add substantial environmental pressure.
Q5. What does the principle of 'circularity' aim to achieve in fashion?
- A. Keeping garments and materials in use for as long as possible through reuse, repair, recycling, and redesign ✓
- B. Producing clothing in circular shapes to reduce fabric waste during cutting
- C. Selling clothing in circular stores arranged around a central display
- D. Ensuring every garment is dyed in the same color palette each season
Why: Circularity seeks to close the loop on materials so that they are continuously cycled back into production instead of ending up as waste, reducing the need for virgin resources and limiting landfill.
Module 2
Module 2: Fibres, Materials and Their Impacts
Fibres, Materials and Their Impacts
Knowledge check
Q1. Which of the following is a natural cellulosic fibre derived from plants?
- A. Polyester
- B. Cotton ✓
- C. Nylon
- D. Acrylic
Why: Cotton is a natural cellulosic fibre harvested from the seed boll of the cotton plant. Polyester, nylon, and acrylic are all synthetic fibres made from petrochemicals.
Q2. What is the main environmental concern associated with conventional polyester production?
- A. It requires large amounts of water for irrigation
- B. It is derived from fossil fuels and sheds microplastics when washed ✓
- C. It is biodegradable within a few months in soil
- D. It causes deforestation of tropical forests
Why: Polyester is a petroleum-based plastic polymer. Its production relies on fossil fuels, and during washing it releases microplastic fibres that can end up in waterways and oceans.
Q3. Which fibre is commonly known for requiring very high amounts of water to grow, often making it a concern in water-stressed regions?
- A. Hemp
- B. Linen
- C. Conventional cotton ✓
- D. Wool
Why: Conventional cotton is a thirsty crop that often relies on heavy irrigation and is grown in some regions already facing water scarcity, such as parts of Central Asia where the Aral Sea shrank due to cotton irrigation.
Q4. What does the term 'regenerated fibre' refer to?
- A. Fibres recycled from post-consumer garments only
- B. Fibres made by dissolving natural cellulose from wood or plant pulp and reforming it into a new fibre ✓
- C. Fibres grown using regenerative agriculture practices
- D. Fibres that never need to be washed
Why: Regenerated fibres such as viscose, lyocell, and modal are made by dissolving cellulose from wood pulp or other plant sources and extruding it into new fibres. This differs from recycled fibres, which come from existing textile waste.
Q5. Why is wool often considered to have a lower environmental impact than some synthetic fibres at the end of life?
- A. Wool never produces any greenhouse gases
- B. Wool is biodegradable and does not release microplastics ✓
- C. Wool can be dyed without any chemicals
- D. Wool garments never need to be replaced
Why: Wool is a natural protein fibre that biodegrades under the right conditions and does not shed microplastics. However, it still has environmental impacts from livestock, such as methane emissions and land use.
Module 3
Module 3: Ethical Supply Chains and Labour Rights
Ethical Supply Chains and Labour Rights
Knowledge check
Q1. What does the term 'supply chain' refer to in the fashion industry?
- A. Only the retail stores where clothing is sold
- B. The full sequence of processes from raw material extraction to the finished garment reaching the consumer
- C. The marketing and advertising campaigns used to promote a brand
- D. The financial accounts a company uses to track its profits
Q2. Which of the following is a core labour right under the International Labour Organization's fundamental principles?
- A. The right to unlimited overtime for higher pay
- B. The freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
- C. The right to set wages without any government oversight
- D. The right to employ workers under the age of 10 in family-owned businesses
Q3. What is a 'living wage'?
- A. The minimum wage set by law in a given country
- B. A wage sufficient to cover a worker's basic needs, such as housing, food, healthcare, and education for their family
- C. A bonus paid to workers only at the end of the year
- D. The wage paid to workers who live on the factory premises
Q4. What is the main purpose of a supplier code of conduct in fashion brands?
- A. To set out the standards on labour rights, safety, and environmental practices that suppliers must meet
- B. To determine the price at which garments are sold to consumers
- C. To regulate the design aesthetics that suppliers may use
- D. To guarantee that products will never go out of stock
Q5. Why are third-party audits sometimes criticised as a tool for ensuring ethical supply chains?
- A. They are always conducted by government agencies with no conflicts of interest
- B. Audits are often announced in advance, and factories may coached workers or hide problems, so they can miss real conditions
- C. They only examine the financial records of brands and never factory conditions
- D. They are prohibited in most countries because they violate privacy laws
Module 4
Module 4: Circular Design and Waste Reduction
Circular Design and Waste Reduction
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the core principle of circular design in fashion?
- A. Producing garments as cheaply and quickly as possible
- B. Designing products so they can be reused, repaired, recycled, or safely returned to nature at the end of their life ✓
- C. Maximizing the number of seasonal collections released each year
- D. Using only single-use packaging to reduce storage costs
Why: Circular design aims to keep materials and products in use for as long as possible, eliminating the idea of waste by designing for reuse, repair, and recycling.
Q2. Which of the following is an example of designing for disassembly?
- A. Gluing all garment components together for a stronger bond
- B. Using mixed-fiber blends that cannot be separated
- C. Using mechanical fasteners or stitching that allows components to be easily separated at end of life ✓
- D. Printing graphics with plastic-based inks directly onto fabric
Why: Designing for disassembly means constructing garments so that parts such as trims, zippers, and fabric panels can be separated and sorted for reuse or recycling.
Q3. What is 'upcycling' in the context of fashion waste reduction?
- A. Shipping old clothing to landfills in higher-income countries
- B. Transforming discarded materials or garments into new products of higher value or quality ✓
- C. Melting synthetic fibers down to produce low-grade industrial fillers
- D. Selling new clothes at premium prices to increase brand status
Why: Upcycling turns waste materials or unwanted garments into new items of equal or greater value, unlike downcycling, which produces lower-quality products.
Q4. Why is a mono-material garment often easier to recycle than a blended one?
- A. Mono-materials are always cheaper to produce than blends
- B. Mono-materials require no dyeing, so they never need processing
- C. Blended fibers are harder to separate and recycle, while single-fiber materials can be processed more efficiently ✓
- D. Mono-materials dissolve completely in water during washing
Why: Recycling systems work best with a single fiber type, since mixed fibers are difficult and costly to separate, which often leads to downcycling or landfill.
Q5. What is a key benefit of offering repair services and clothing care guidance to customers?
- A. It encourages customers to buy more frequently to replace damaged items
- B. It extends the useful life of garments, reducing the demand for new production and the waste it creates ✓
- C. It eliminates the need for any materials to be sourced responsibly
- D. It guarantees that all garments will be recycled at the end of their use
Why: Extending garment lifespan through repair and proper care reduces the environmental impact of constant new production and limits the volume of clothing discarded prematurely.
Module 5
Module 5: Slow Fashion and Consumer Behaviour
Slow Fashion and Consumer Behaviour
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the core idea behind slow fashion?
- A. Producing clothing as quickly as possible to meet rapidly changing trends
- B. Valuing quality, longevity, and mindful consumption over fast, disposable trends
- C. Manufacturing garments entirely by hand without any machinery
- D. Selling clothing only through slow, traditional retail channels
Q2. Which consumer behaviour is most associated with reducing fashion's environmental impact?
- A. Buying new clothes every time a new trend appears
- B. Extending the life of garments through repair, care, and reuse
- C. Purchasing items online to avoid visiting physical stores
- D. Choosing the cheapest option regardless of how it was made
Q3. What is the term for the tendency to buy large quantities of inexpensive clothing that is worn only a few times before being discarded?
- A. Capsule dressing
- B. Upcycling
- C. Fast fashion
- D. Circular sourcing
Q4. Why might a consumer choose a higher-quality, more durable garment over a cheap one?
- A. Cheap garments are always made from recycled materials
- B. Durable garments reduce the frequency of replacement, lowering cost and waste over time
- C. Higher prices guarantee the garment was made by fair-wage workers
- D. Durable garments are always produced locally
Q5. Which practice best illustrates slow fashion consumer behaviour?
- A. Following every new seasonal collection to stay current
- B. Building a small wardrobe of versatile pieces that are worn often and cared for well
- C. Returning items frequently to retailers for refunds
- D. Buying clothes primarily as impulse purchases during sales
Module 6
Module 6: Greenwashing and Responsible Marketing
Greenwashing and Responsible Marketing
Knowledge check
Q1. Which of the following is the most common example of greenwashing in the fashion industry?
- A. A brand publishing a detailed, third-party audited report on its supply chain emissions
- B. A brand launching a 'conscious' collection made from a small percentage of recycled polyester while the rest of its line remains unchanged ✓
- C. A brand obtaining B Corp certification after an independent assessment of its social and environmental performance
- D. A brand disclosing the factories it sources from and the wages paid to workers
Why: Greenwashing occurs when a company makes environmental claims that are misleading or disproportionate to its actual practices. Launching a small eco-friendly collection while the core business stays unchanged presents an overall image of sustainability that the company's operations do not support. The other options describe transparency and verified accountability, which are the opposite of greenwashing.
Q2. What does the term 'vague sustainability claim' refer to?
- A. A claim backed by a specific, measurable figure and a verifiable method
- B. A claim such as 'eco-friendly' or 'green' that lacks clear definition or evidence ✓
- C. A claim certified by an accredited third-party standard
- D. A claim that is legally required to appear on product labels
Why: Vague claims like 'eco-friendly', 'natural', or 'green' sound positive but have no agreed meaning and offer no evidence. Because consumers cannot verify them, they are a common tool in greenwashing. Specific, measurable, and verifiable claims are considered more credible.
Q3. Which certification is generally considered more credible for verifying the organic status of a textile?
- A. A self-declared 'organic' badge created by the brand itself
- B. A certification such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) issued by an independent body ✓
- C. A marketing slogan stating the product is 'naturally grown'
- D. A label stating 'made with care for the planet'
Why: GOTS is an independent, third-party standard that audits the entire supply chain, from raw fiber through processing. Self-declared badges and marketing language are not independently verified, which makes them far less reliable indicators of genuine organic production.
Q4. A brand states that its jacket is 'carbon neutral.' What should a responsible consumer look for to evaluate this claim?
- A. Only the brand's own website description of its climate goals
- B. The methodology used to calculate the claim, whether offsets or reductions were used, and independent verification ✓
- C. The color and design of the product packaging
- D. Whether a celebrity endorses the product
Why: 'Carbon neutral' can mean very different things, from actual emissions reductions to purchasing offsets that may be of uncertain quality. Responsible evaluation requires understanding how the claim was calculated, whether reductions or offsets were relied upon, and whether an independent party verified it. Brand descriptions and visual appeal do not establish accuracy.
Q5. Which of the following marketing practices is considered responsible rather than misleading?
- A. Using images of nature and green imagery to suggest environmental benefits without supporting data
- B. Hiding the environmental impact of a product by focusing only on one minor positive attribute
- C. Clearly stating what has been improved, by how much, over what period, and how progress is measured ✓
- D. Describing a product as 'sustainable' without defining the term or providing supporting evidence
Why: Responsible marketing is specific and substantiated. Stating the improvement, its magnitude, the timeframe, and the measurement method allows consumers to assess the claim. The other options rely on vague imagery, selective focus, or undefined terms, which are characteristic of misleading communication.
Module 7
Module 7: Building a Sustainable Fashion Business
Building a Sustainable Fashion Business
Knowledge check
Q1. Which of the following is the most important first step when starting a sustainable fashion business?
- A. Launching a large marketing campaign to build brand awareness
- B. Defining clear sustainability values and identifying the specific environmental or social problems the brand aims to address
- C. Signing a long-term lease on a large production facility
- D. Hiring a full team of designers before establishing a product concept
Q2. What does the term 'capsule collection' typically refer to in sustainable fashion?
- A. A collection made entirely from recycled plastic bottles
- B. A small, curated set of versatile garments designed to be mixed and matched, reducing overproduction
- C. A collection sold only in a single retail location to limit shipping emissions
- D. A collection produced using only digital printing techniques
Q3. Which business model best reduces the risk of overproduction and unsold inventory?
- A. Mass production with heavy seasonal discounting
- B. Made-to-order or pre-order production
- C. Stockpiling large quantities of fabric in advance
- D. Producing the maximum number of units possible to lower per-unit cost
Q4. What is a 'living wage' in the context of ethical fashion supply chains?
- A. The minimum wage set by law in the country of production
- B. A wage sufficient to cover workers' basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and education for their families
- C. A wage that is equal to the average salary of designers in the company
- D. A bonus paid to workers only when a brand reaches its annual sales target
Q5. Which certification is commonly used to verify that textiles are produced without harmful chemicals and meet strict ecological and social criteria?
- A. ISO 9001 quality management
- B. GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
- C. CE marking
- D. Fair Trade Premium only