Can a dictionary make sustainability simpler?
A new guide aims to bring clarity to sustainability in fashion but it has to be available to everyone, from designers to customers
When the world was grappling with covid-19 five years ago, many in the fashion world vowed to be more eco-conscious, and careful about their consumption. “Sustainability" became a buzzword and inevitably, it was overused, even abused. But at least people were talking about it. Now, it seems that conversation has disappeared.
Perhaps one of the reasons the eco-conscious lifestyle has slipped off the radar is that to truly understand it, you need to do a deep study across subjects. It’s not just about buying less or repeating outfits. There is so much more to sustainability, including understanding biomimicry, doughnut economics and mono materials. It can be intimidating. That’s what makes The Sustainable Fashion Dictionary, which goes from A for Agri-Waste Textiles to Z for Zero-Emission Fashion Factories, an important fashion book. It was released last month during the Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India) annual showcase.
Almost 200 phrases have been decoded in the dictionary, curated by Darshana Gajare, head of sustainability at Lakmé Fashion Week, for anyone to understand.
For example, “kala cotton" is explained as “a genetically pure, indigenous cotton variety from India, known for its resilience and low water needs. Grown without pesticides, it produces a strong, coarse and stretchable fiber, making it ideal for handwoven textiles and denim."
Ocean plastic recycling is defined as “the innovative process of transforming plastic waste collected from oceans into wearable garments, footwear and accessories. This approach not only addresses the pervasive issue of marine pollution but also offers eco-friendly alternatives to traditional textiles."
The book is accessible and informative. It ends with a section titled “Villains" and includes fashion terms like hide waste, pollution, and exploitation.
At its core, the book’s idea is to give designers, students, marketers, buyers, consumers and anyone curious about fashion one shared reference point, something Indian fashion has sorely lacked. In the West, there are glossaries, but here, there haven’t been any such initiatives in the recent past.
“We noticed a real gap," says Jaspreet Chandok, the group vice president of Reliance Brands and head of Lakmé Fashion Week. “Everyone was talking about sustainability, but very few truly understood what the terms meant. The same words were being used differently, which led to confusion and became a barrier to progress."
In the foreword Orsola De Castro, author of Loved Clothes Last and co-founder of not-for-profit platform Fashion Revolution, writes, “Sustainability doesn’t have to be about great big sweeping changes. It can be about small incremental commitments carried on over time. Of course, the bigger the brand the bigger the impact and the bigger the responsibility, but what really matters is to keep oneself rigorously informed, to have strong guardianship principles and the commitment to follow through, with transparency and honesty."
It is a thoughtfully produced book, printed on recycled denim and cotton waste, and intended to build basic sustainability literacy. The book was reviewed by Karishma Shahani, creative director-founder of the handicraft-led Ka-Sha brand, and Kriti Srivastava, head of educational Initiatives, Fashion Revolution India, among others.
Designer Anjali Patel Mehta of Verandah, India’s first Butterfly Mark-certified luxury brand (the certificate indicates the recipient meets high standards of sustainability), says, “I wish this was there a decade ago when I started. I would have saved a good five years (in learning and understanding sustainability)."
Yet what’s concerning is that most designers and retailers I reached out to for independent feedback on the book had not even heard of the dictionary.
Chandok clarifies, “The first print run was shared with industry stakeholders, designers, educators, sustainability advocates, and partners who can amplify its use. We also plan to make it available digitally to ensure wider reach and accessibility across India and beyond."
According to Aria Parikh of Ensemble, one of India’s leading multi-designer stores, the book “feels like a first step toward making the industry more aware, and becoming a trade tool for industry professionals, as long as it’s actually circulated." Parikh is clear about who needs it most: “Consumers."
Why? “People vote with their wallets. If consumers are more aware and know what to look for, it will force changes in production."
She also sees its potential to expose greenwashing. The dictionary highlights how certain terms have been “co-opted as marketing jargon because there has been no clear definition. Most brands genuinely operating sustainably rarely highlight it as much as the ones using it as a buzzword," she adds.
Like most dictionaries, The Sustainable Fashion Dictionary will need updates. Patel Mehta was surprised to see the Butterfly Mark missing from the dictionary.
“For a Version 1, this is incredible," says Parikh. “But I would love to see more versions, perhaps one for consumers, one for producers. Sometimes fashion as an industry can be critical. It doesn’t have to be perfect. And if we keep waiting for perfect definitions, there may not be a planet left to save."
The Sustainable Dictionary may not answer every question, and it shouldn’t be expected to. But it signals that the industry is finally willing to move from buzzwords to shared language and shared responsibility. If nothing else, it gives us a clearer starting point. As we head into 2026, perhaps clarity is what fashion needs—fewer claims, more meaning, and fewer slogans and more structure.
Sujata Assomull is a journalist, author and mindful fashion advocate.
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