You love the idea of sustainable fashion, but you’re not sure where to start. I get it—it’s a lot to take in! I have rounded up some of the best documentaries about sustainable fashion for you to watch. From the rise of ethical fashion to the history of sustainability in fashion, these films are a great place to start if you want to learn more about how the fashion industry is changing its ways.
Sustainable fashion documentaries list
Check out these sustainable fashion documentaries! And then tell me what other films you think I should add to the list!
The True Cost (2015)
This film follows the lives of garment workers who make clothing for international brands like H&M and Zara, and it explores the human costs of fast fashion. It also looks at consumer habits in countries like China and India and discusses how these countries’ economies depend on cheap labor from factories overseas rather than developing their own manufacturing industries domestically.
Watch The True Cost if you want to find out the side B of fast fashion and learn about the people and the natural ecosystems that shoulder the burden of cheap fast fashion.
Catwalk to Creation (2019)
This documentary goes through the journey of two sustainably made garments. One is made of natural and renewable fibers, and the other is a next-gen solution free from ancient and endangered forests. It follows the supply chain of each garment. And it also focuses on the environmental elements of fibers and fabrics used to make the two garments.
Watch Catwalk to Creation if you want to know everything about the supply chain of a sustainably made garment, and also get to know the designers behind it.
Udita (Rise Up) (2015)
This film covers five years in the lives of Bangladeshi garment workers from 2010 and the years after the tragedies as the fight for unionization and garment worker rights continues.
Watch Udita (Rise Up) if you are curious about what happened in Bangladesh in 2010 and the struggle of garment workers.
Fashionscapes (2021)
This five-part docu-series takes an investigative look at fashion supply chains and offers sustainable solutions.
This series will take you on a trip around the world from the role of Mayan artisans in Guatemala, to the wool production in Tasmania, and the diamond supply chain in Botswana.
Watch Fashionscapes if you want to see all about fashion supply chains around the world and find out sustainable solutions to some of the most harmful impacts of fashion.
Made in Africa (2020)
This short film is created by the founder of a Senegalese brand called Tongoro. It offers the opportunity to watch in first person the foundations of this made in Africa brand that embraces the generational culture and craftspeople.
Watch Made in Africa if you are curious about how fashion brands in Africa work and what takes to build them.
Remake’s ‘Made In’ Series (2016-2020)
Who made my clothes? Is the main question this six-part docu-series answers (or at least tries). It will show you personal stories of garment workers around 6 different countries highlighting labor exploitation in the fashion industry.
Watch Remake´s Made in Series if you want to know more about the people that made your clothes.
Made in Bangladesh (2020)
This film will take you into a journey with a 23-year-old girl who works in a textile factory in Bangladesh. Earning very little and suffering exploitative labor practices in the fashion industry, she starts her own path to empower the women she works with.
Watch Made in Bangladesh if you want to know more about the reality many women and children suffer in the fashion industry.
Unravel (2012)
This short film exposes the reality of the fashion waste and what happens when we discard our clothes. From where they end up to the Indian women who recycle this waste.
Watch Unravel if you would like to know more about the clothing waste crisis, and the journey of discarded clothing.
Last thoughts
If you’re considering going zero waste and reducing your negative impact on the world, these documentaries are a great place to start. Even if you’re not interested in becoming totally waste-free, finding ways to reduce your trash output (even just cutting down on excess plastic) is a positive step towards being more environmentally friendly. But more than that, all of these films will open your eyes to some of the biggest problems facing our planet, and give you a deeper understanding of what it means to be sustainable.
If you want to read more, I suggest you read my post Fast fashion facts that make you rethink your habits. And for more content, you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok.