For Gen Z, sustainable fashion isn't just about shopping. It's a 'mindset'

Emile Jenkinson-Ramirez, a 24-year-old freelance makeup artist from Ajax, Ont., says about five years ago, she was forced to reexamine her fashion choices after watching a video on YouTube that explored the circumstances of underpaid employees in Bangladesh working in the fashion industry. That was when she realized she needed to be smarter about the clothing she buys.

Nowadays, Jenkinson-Ramirez practises sustainable fashion by shopping for pieces that will last longer from small businesses in her area — some of her favourite brands include Pashion Footwear and the Slo Fashion Company. To her, sustainable fashion is clothing created in an environment with equitable pay and fair working conditions, while keeping its carbon footprint in mind. "I'm happy .

.. this is being talked about more, because people like myself didn't understand the difference [between fast and sustainable fashion] for a long time," she said.

Can fast fashion slow down? It's not that simple Marketplace Why so much recycled clothing is still going in the garbage According to the environmental news site Earth.org, the fashion industry is responsible for eight to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. It takes about 2,600 litres of water to make one cotton shirt and 7,500 litres for a pair of jeans, and Earth.

org says 80 billion pieces of clothes are produced every year, a 4,000 per cent jump from 20 years ago. WATCH | Marketplace: Exposing the secrets of sustainable fashion: Exposing the Secrets of Susta.