Library Search: Costume &amp; Performance Design: Sustainability Resources

Sustainability Research

The textile and fashion industries are amongst the most polluting on the planet, with problems caused by globalised fast fashion, wasteful consumption practices and unethical supply chains. Researching sustainability and learning about the material aspects of garment production, as well as understanding how systems based approaches such as the ‘cradle-to-cradle’ paradigm might lead to more sustainable practices.

The Library can provide access to a number of books, articles and databases useful to the study of sustainable, circular and ethical fashion and textiles.

Databases & Research Tools

GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, renewable energy, recycling, and more.

JSTOR Sustainability Collection
Discover a wide range of journals, ebooks, and research reports in the field of sustainability, covering research on environmental stresses and their impact on society.
Katharine Hamnett Sustainable Fabric Archive
UAL digital archive of over 1000 textile samples from fashion designer Katharine Hamnett, representing her research into sustainable fabrics.
Condé Nast Sustainability Glossary
Develop your sustainability literacy with this glossary from the publishers of Vogue.

Theatre & Sustainability

Theatre Green Book
Free resource on UK theatres, bringing together theatre-makers and sustainability experts to create a common standard for making theatre sustainably.

EduSeries

EduSeries by The Sustainable Angle provides tools and resources about the significant environmental impacts of materials, the commercially-available sustainable material alternatives and emerging innovations. Contact the Library for the password to this resource.

Featured Documentary

Riverblue (2017) examines the destruction of our rivers caused by the manufacture of blue jeans, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.

Academic Journals

International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles
The world's first ongoing subscription journal dedicated to the area of sustainability and ethics in the fashion and textiles industry.

Sustainability
Open access journal dedicated to the environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability of human beings. A special issue in 2022 focussed on "Sustainable Fashion and Textile Recycling".

Indexes & Reports

Business of Fashion: Sustainability Gap
The BoF Sustainability Index report benchmarks 15 of the industry’s biggest companies against ambitious environmental and social goals and finds fashion is falling short.
Centre for Sustainable Fashion
Based at London College of Fashion, CSF undertake projects and provides resources, contributing to sustainability research, education and knowledge exchange with industry.
Fashion Transparency Index
A review of 250 of the world's largest brands and retailers ranked according to what information they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts, in their operations and supply chain.
WRAP - Textiles
Initiatives and resources on textile sustainability from WRAP, a climate action NGO established in the UK in 2000.

Costume & Performance Design: Sustainability Resources