B2/C1Environment & Society

Sustainable Fashion?

Explore the environmental impact of fast fashion, learn key vocabulary, and discuss what it means to consume responsibly.

01 · Warm-Up

Before You Watch

Match each image to the correct expression by dragging the labels. After checking, you will see word forms and an example sentence from the video.

garmentsorder things off the internetincinerate / incinerationsustainablelaundry cyclewardrobe

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02 · Video

Can Fashion Ever Be Sustainable?

Watch the BBC Ideas video and think about the key arguments made for and against sustainable fashion.

02B · True / False

First Watch: True or False?

Watch the video once and decide whether each statement is True or False. You can check your answers after.

The speaker thinks it is currently possible to be 100% sustainable when it comes to fashion.

Fast fashion releases new collections every single week.

Social media reduces the desire for new clothing by showing too many similar outfits.

Buying cheap clothing is always a good financial decision in the long run.

Discarded garments often end up in landfill or are incinerated.

All companies that promote sustainability are genuinely committed to it.

The cost of sustainable fibres is expected to fall as they become more popular.

According to the video, washing clothes more often is recommended to keep them in good condition.

03 · Video Gap Fill

Fill in the Missing Words

Watch the video and fill in the missing words.

1.I don't know if it's ever going to be completely possible to be 100% sustainable, but I think you can off by not ordering as many clothes off the internet. No one needs that many clothes.

2.Fast fashion can be described as clothes that come out every single week in to satisfy the consumer's needs and wants. And as we're finding out, it's incredibly bad for the environment.

3.The problem with fast fashion is that we live in a world of Instagram, where there are just images every second of the day being onto your feed. I think that when it comes to clothes, this creates excitement in the consumer, where they constantly need more.

4.Always wanting cheaper, more affordable, and more rapid turnaround types of clothing. Something might be as cheap, but if it lasts only 25% of the time, it's a false economy.

5.Garments are made with lower quality, which means that they're worn less and ultimately thrown into landfill or incineration. All of this is very bad for the dwindling natural resources on this planet.

6.A lot of companies are jumping on that bandwagon because it makes them look good and makes the consumer that they're doing something good when they buy a product as well.

7.The fashion industry has been very irresponsible in the pursuit of always having new looks and new and celebrating obsolescence, some might argue.

8.Increasingly, as their popularity , the actual cost of the fiber and manufacture will come in line with other traditional fibers.

9.The opportunity now lies with us to do the same and become global leaders in responsible and fashion too.

10.First of all, think about it. Do you want it, or do you actually need it? Try to between those different states of mind.

11.Wash your clothes less often. The average laundry releases thousands of tiny plastic fragments into the waterways.

12.This might actually prompt more creative explorations of the space, leading to more responsible, accountable types of design and consumption, potentially into the or the virtual.

13.The fantastic thing about the problem with clothing is that we're all part of the problem, but we're also all part of the .

04 · Vocabulary

Key Expressions

Term	Polish	Example	Notes
sustainable	zrównoważony	Sustainable fashion seeks to minimise the environmental impact of the industry.	collocates with: fashion, development, future, wardrobe
reduce impact	zmniejszyć wpływ	What we can do is actually radically reduce the impact that it's having.	also: mitigate impact, minimise impact
profit-driven	nastawiony na zysk	A very much profit-driven fashion industry always wants cheaper, more affordable clothing.	compound adjective; hyphenated before a noun
dwindling resources	kurczące się zasoby	All of this is very bad for the dwindling natural resources on this planet.	dwindle (v) = to become gradually less
obsolescence	przestarzałość	The fashion industry has been irresponsible in celebrating obsolescence.	planned obsolescence = deliberate strategy to make products outdated
buzzword	modne słowo	Being sustainable is a real buzzword right now.	informal; often implies the word is overused or hollow
jump on the bandwagon	przyłączyć się do mody	A lot of companies are jumping on that bandwagon because it makes them look good.	often implies doing something for superficial reasons
accountable	odpowiedzialny (przed kimś)	Brands must be accountable for their practices, embracing transparency.	accountable for sth / to sb; noun: accountability
discern between	rozróżniać między	Consumers are encouraged to discern between wants and needs before making a purchase.	more formal than 'tell the difference between'
compromise on sth	iść na kompromis w czymś	Dressing sustainably does not mean that you have to compromise on style.	compromise on quality / style / price
in the pursuit of	w dążeniu do	The fashion industry has been irresponsible in the pursuit of always having new looks.	formal; also: in pursuit of (without 'the')
prompt	skłaniać / zachęcać	This might actually prompt more creative explorations of the space.	prompt sb to do sth; also used as adj (= on time) and noun (= a cue)

05 · Collocations

Collocations in Context

Choose the correct collocation to complete each sentence. Use the options provided.

1.Many brands claim to be eco-friendly, but they are really just jumping on the _________ without making any real changes to their supply chain.

2.The continued production of fast fashion is putting enormous pressure on the planet's _________ natural resources.

3.You can dress stylishly and ethically — there is no need to _________ style when building a sustainable wardrobe.

4.Fashion companies must be held _________ for the environmental damage caused by their production methods.

5.Buying cheap clothing that falls apart quickly is not a bargain — it is a _________ .

6.The industry has been irresponsible in the _________ constant new looks, celebrating obsolescence at the expense of the environment.

7.Before buying something new, try to _________ what you genuinely need and what you simply want.

8.A single _________ can release thousands of tiny plastic fragments into the waterways.

05 · Word Formation

Reading Gap Fill

Use the word in brackets to form a word that fits each gap. The base word is shown in brackets after each gap.

1.Sustainable fashion seeks to the environmental impact of the profit-driven fashion industry, which often prioritizes (MINIMUM)

2. and rapid production over ethics. With large amounts of visual content pumped into the internet, consumers are prompted to purchase more garments, fueling fast fashion's cycle of (AFFORD)

3. . This relentless pursuit of new trends leads to vast amounts of clothing being discarded—thrown away into landfill or incineration—further straining our dwindling resources. (OBSOLETE)

4.To combat this, brands must be for their practices, embracing transparency and responsible production methods. Consumers are encouraged to discern between wants and needs, (ACCOUNT)

5. before making a purchase. (DIFFER)

6.By cultivating sustainable wardrobes and reducing laundry cycles—which release microplastics into waterways—we can mitigate harm without compromising on style. (ENVIRONMENT)

7.By jumping on the sustainability bandwagon not just as a buzzword but as a genuine , both producers and (COMMIT)

8. can prompt a significant shift towards a more sustainable future. (CONSUME)

06 · Discussion

Let's Talk

Discuss the following questions with a partner or in small groups. Try to use the vocabulary from this lesson.

1What is sustainable fashion and why has it become such a buzzword recently?
2How can we reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry without compromising on style?
3What are some practical ways to shop sustainably on a budget?
4Do you think fast fashion will ever disappear? Why or why not?
5How can we use fashion as a tool for positive social and environmental change?
6What are some ways to extend the lifecycle of our clothing, such as through repair and upcycling?
7How can we raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and ethics in fashion?
8Do you think companies that 'jump on the sustainability bandwagon' are genuinely committed or just greenwashing?