Eco-fashion, which means sustainable eco-friendly fashion, has been a hot topic in the fashion industry in recent years. In order to reduce the impact on the environment in the manufacturing and processing of clothing, companies have devised and implemented eco-friendly fashion strategies to manufacture clothing using recycled plastic, plastic bottles, and organic cotton. How big a change has the companies’ efforts to make eco-friendly fashion now.
Marci Jarov, founder and CEO of Eco Fashion Corporation, who attended the global startup event ‘South Summit Madrid 2025’ held in Madrid, Spain from the 4th to the 6th (local time) on the 5th, said in an interview with the Mail Business MK Biz Review held locally, “The size of the global eco-friendly fashion market in the entire fashion industry is still at the level of ‘infanthood’,” stressing that eco-friendly fashion should be more active. CEO Jarov is a person who devised and trademarked the term “ecofashion” in 1995, long before the concept of eco-friendly and sustainable fashion became public and popular. Since then, he has taken the lead in producing and distributing eco-friendly fashion by establishing North America’s first eco-friendly fashion and lifestyle brand “Under the Canopy” and participating in creating “GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), a global organic textile standard.
Founded in 2019 by CEO Zarov, EcoFashion is a B2B platform company for eco-friendly fashion manufacturing. Eco-fashion allows you to do everything from clothing material conception to eco-friendly certification.
In an interview, CEO Jarov said, “People’s interest in eco-friendly fashion has been around for a long time, but the reason it has become a trend recently is that it has reached a tipping point.” He cited △ government policy on eco-friendly fashion △ consumer demand for corporate responsibility and transparency △ corporate risk mitigation strategies due to climate change as factors spreading. The following is the question and answer.
-Were people interested in eco-fashion even before you came up with the term eco-fashion in 1995.
▷The term eco-fashion was devised in 1995 and the reason for trademark registration is to fundamentally change the fashion and textile industries. For change, a new industrial model has been established around health, well-being, and sustainability. People thought I was out of my mind at the time. Before the term eco-fashion was coined, there were no supply chains using organic or circular textile materials. At that time, the fashion industry’s concept of certification was limited to social standards such as ‘no child labor’. Historically, there was no concept of eco-friendly fashion because fashion is related to appearance.
I have been building a supply chain for the eco-friendly fashion industry for many years. One of the efforts to do this was establishing a non-profit organization called Textile Exchange in 2002 (currently, Textile Exchange has more than 600 brands, retailers, suppliers, etc.). Textile Exchange allows farmers and suppliers as well as large companies to come together to bring about change in the global textile industry.
-The reason why I felt that eco-friendly fashion was necessary.
▷ Working, I learned that cotton is one of the dirtiest crops in agriculture where the worst toxins have been sprayed. Since then, we have looked at whether organic and organic crops are mixed and recycled. He argued to the officials, thinking, “If it is not organic or sustainable cotton, it cannot be harvested.”
People need to be aware of not only what they consume but also what touches their personal skin. The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Therefore, what touches the skin is very important.
-Then, did you replace cotton with other materials when making eco-friendly fashion manufacturing.
▷ It is not a replacement for cotton. It has established a strategy not to use genetically modified (GMO) cotton added with chemicals that contribute to the destruction of the ecosystem. 70% of the fashion industry’s impact on society and the environment comes from textiles and materials. It is beneficial to everyone if recycled cotton, sustainable fiber, etc. are used in factories.
-What is the current share of eco-friendly fashion in the entire fashion industry.
▷According to a survey conducted by US market research firm ‘Coherent Market Insights’, the global eco-friendly fashion market is expected to reach $33 billion by 2030. Compared to the entire fashion and textile industry, which is valued at between $2.5 trillion and $3. trillion, eco-friendly fashion is still in its infancy.
-How much people’s perception of eco-friendly fashion has changed.
▷Now everyone is aware of the concept of sustainable eco-friendly fashion. Previously, they had to explain the concept of eco-fashion to fashion industry-related officials such as suppliers and persuade them why it was important. Now, the fashion industry as a whole is trying to work for eco-friendly fashion and become meaningful to consumers. Retailers and brands are approaching consumers as meaningful, while also calling on factories and supply chains to introduce eco-friendly methods.
When I began my journey for eco-fashion, I informed my supply chain about the concept of eco-fashion and strategized for it. But this is not all. The concept of eco-friendly fashion was spread and educated to consumers. I’m still working on this. The words that persuade factory and farm officials to open up to eco-friendly fashion are ‘there is a market’. After all, what they want is business.
[Madrid researcher Yoon Sunyoung]
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