Add a bit of mindfulness to your mindless Instagram scrolling by popping some sustainability-focussed accounts into your feed.
That may sound like you’re going to get some moralising finger-wagging from a bunch of digital hippies but that’s not the case at all. In fact, some of the world’s coolest brands and most creative thinkers have taken up the sustainability cause and are using Instagram to spread the message.
Buy Me Once
One of the best ways to be more sustainable long-term is to simply buy less stuff and a great way to do that is to buy better stuff. Stuff that lasts longer, that’s tougher, that… you only need to buy once. Well, that’s the idea behind this store that only stocks items that are built to last. All the products are painstakingly researched as well as being beautiful, hard-wearing items in their own right.
The Instagram feed is a continuous flow of the newest items added to the collection, such as this very handsome wallet made from recycled fire hoses. Yes, we want one.
Example post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSr2CjpjXmp/
Depop
While not overtly a ‘sustainable’ brand in its focus, Depop is fast becoming one of the biggest platforms for vintage and pre-owned clothes, especially favoured by the younger generations. Buying anything second hand is sustainable – there’s more than enough stuff that’s already been made, so we don’t need to keep buying new.
One of the best things about following Depop on Instagram though, is keeping up to date with the fashion trends of Generation Z. Or rather, seeing what your old getup from the 90s is going for nowadays.
Example post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGKJIILLDi/
Entry Level Activist
We all want to do something to help change the world for the better, but getting into activism can be overwhelming. It’s hard enough to keep informed of the issues. These are the motivations that lead to the creation of Entry Level Activist, an account that explains and examines questions around brand activism, greenwashing, structural changes and toxic positivity. If you’re ever feeling lost in the world of activism, you can find some answers here.
Example post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIdffRjA1MZ/
Fashion Revolution
Fashion Revolution is a non-profit group that was founded after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster, where a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,134 people.
They campaign to improve the working conditions of garment makers around the world and to create transparency in the supply chain of the fashion industry as a whole. The Instagram account posts regular explainers for how to create a more sustainable industry, what we can do as individuals to help and who we can put pressure on to change their systems. If you have any interest in changing the wasteful nature of fashion, it’s an essential follow.
Example post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2TgJuAu_W/
Venetia La Manna
Venetia is a fair fashion campaigner and podcaster who works to raise awareness of the problems within fast fashion and the benefits of wearing second hand and vintage clothes.
Her feed is mostly a series of ‘fit checks’, in the #ootd (outfit of the day) format but instead, she’s created the #oootd tag (old outfit of the day), where she only wears pre-owned clothes. It’s a great idea that demonstrates how new looks don’t have to come from new clothes.
Example post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLMuEcRsgcz/
So there are five top follows but there’s such a rich seam of great sustainability accounts to follow on the Gram that it doesn’t end there – let us know your favourites.
And of course don’t forget about Akepa’s Instagram – especially if you like nature pictures, which is what we put on there to discuss sustainability instead of B2B agency stuff.
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