Created in March 2023, Ethica — Sustainable Fashion Hub is a digital platform that aims to be one of the pillars of fashion transformation, innovating it one word at a time.
Welcome to Ethica — Sustainable Fashion Hub, an innovative digital platform that has been redefining the standards of the fashion industry in Portugal since its creation in March 2023.
Founded by Mariana Silva, with the clear objective of being a beacon of change and progress; and with a commitment to promoting transparency at all stages of the chain of production, sale and disposal of garments, while educating and informing both consumers and industry professionals, the Hub understands that its mission is the recognition of communication as a vital force for the sustainability of the fashion textile industry.
At Ethica, employees demystify the often obscure concepts of this sector, simplifying information that is often hidden by brands.
“Our goal is to empower consumers with the knowledge necessary to make conscious and responsible choices regarding fashion, while empowering brands with the communication skills essential to highlight their sustainable practices,” says Mariana.
Mariana Silva is a journalist, Master in Fashion Branding and Design, sustainability research assistant at the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, and her passion for the fashion industry dates back to the creation of her first independent blog, M's Journal, where she had the opportunity to work with several Portuguese and international brands in the sector.
Her first contact with sustainability occurred in 2020, when she returned after six months immersed in a student exchange program. Faced with the giant clothes closet waiting for her at home, Mariana decided to organize a second-hand clothing market in her homeland, Leiria (Portugal), and sold a large part of her pieces. That year, she began an education journey related to the sustainability of the fashion industry and, since then, she has never stopped.
We spoke with Mariana to understand the hub's main movements and its future prospects. Check out the interview below:
What was the initial reason for creating the Hub? What made you want to develop something related to sustainability and fashion?
When I finished my master's thesis in mid-2022, I felt that I had a wealth of relevant information in my hands and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. I studied sustainable fashion communication strategies, namely what would later be known in the European Union as the Digital Product Passport, and I realized the power of information and communication in making more conscious and, consequently, more sustainable decisions. When developing Ethica — Sustainable Fashion Hub, I didn't want to create a platform that would tell citizens what to choose; our goal is, instead, to provide the necessary data so that each person can make the best possible choice within their possibilities, preferences and lifestyle. Education is one of the most important weapons in promoting a more sustainable society and, in fashion, this change is urgent. Ethica is based in Portugal, a country that is beginning to become known as an oasis of sustainable textile production - but the reality is not that simple. Even in Portugal, where there are several environmental and social protection rules, there is a lot of room for improvement, whether in increasing salaries or revising production volumes. More informed citizens will be able to demand real and effective changes. And Ethica is just one piece in this complex mechanism of struggle for a more just world from a climatic and social point of view.
What are the main technological challenges that Ethica has faced since its creation?
While not a technological challenge Per se, it is impossible not to highlight the current problem of disinformation, especially that which is transmitted on social networks. Even our team, which has been working on these issues for several years, sometimes has difficulty distinguishing what is reliable information and what is mere speculation. And the spread of artificial intelligence is not facilitating this reality. For example, it is often said that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global global carbon emissions. This number is cited by important entities, such as the European Union and the United Nations, but no one knows what its origin is or how it was calculated. Overall, there is an enormous lack of information in every sector of the industry. Brands don't know (or don't want to say) how much they produce, how they produce, where they produce... And that makes our task nearly impossible, which is to ensure that the data we share is as secure as possible, based on verifiable scientific evidence and widely accepted by the community. It would be expected that, by this time, these challenges had already been overcome, that there would already be technology to overcome them, right? But, given the current scenario, we are still far from that.
What are the Hub's objectives for the coming years? What impact would you like to achieve?
For the coming years, we want to expand the type of audience we reach. We are preparing educational content for a younger age group, which is not yet present on social networks - where we communicate mostly - so that the desire for change takes place as soon as possible. We also want to offer more informative content to brands and communication professionals in the fashion industry, since they are also responsible for informing their consumers and must take this responsibility seriously. When I wrote my master's thesis, I realized that most of the citizens I interviewed contacted, for the first time, the word “sustainability” in an advertisement, and this is a reality that concerns me personally. But in general, it is possible to define the impact we want to achieve in one word: empowerment. If a person feels more empowered in their choice of clothing because they saw a publication on our platform, which helped them to understand which brands or forms of consumption are in line with their values, then we will know that our mission is being successful.
