Sustainability Videos to Inspire a More Conscious Lifestyle

Here is a list of my recommended sustainability videos and documentaries that have inspired me. They focus on topics about the fashion industry and its environmental and social impact, the zero waste lifestyle, climate change, and minimalism.

I have learned a lot by watching these videos and films. And they have impacted the way I see all of my purchases. This led me to follow a more conscious lifestyle and to make more sustainable decisions.

Feel free to share in the comment section below the sustainability videos that you watched and that had an impact on you.

The True Cost (documentary)

This is one of the most popular documentaries in the sustainable and ethical fashion community. It brings forward fast fashion’s environmental issues and social injustice.

Changes in the economy, which led to outsourcing and globalization, have greatly impacted the industry and its players. Most fashion companies’ supply chains have shifted to low-cost economies where there are rarely any set labor laws and regulations. This documentary provides basic information about the fashion industry and its consequences, including consumerism, factory disasters and protests turned violent. The filmmakers also interview many people, such as environmentalists, economists, companies’ former managers, factory owners, and workers. Finally, it also features leading influencers who are trying to make a difference and are taking action. You will see interviews with Livia Firth, eco-fashion activist, Lucy Siegle, journalist and author of “To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?”, and Safia Minney, founder of People Tree.

Watching this film made me more aware of what happens behind the scenes. And it has changed my perspective of the clothing industry. It made me realize that there are so many things involved and it’s not that simple. However, this ignited my curiosity and passion to take action.
While most companies only take into consideration the monetary costs, what is the true cost of clothing. Who actually pays the price?

Planet Money Makes a T-shirt (sustainability video series)

This is a series of videos with 5 chapters that shows the “behind the scenes” of making a cotton t-shirt. Each chapter focuses on one topic: cotton, machines, boxes, and some of the stakeholders, meaning the farmers, workers, and you, the consumer. Basically, it showcases the supply chain of one t-shirt. The process is not as simple as people believe – the requirements for and the energy put into producing one t-shirt are plenty. Every time I am faced with a purchase decision, I am reminded of this video and all the work that was put into making that one piece of clothing.

Why I Live a Zero Waste Life (Tedx Talk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg

Lauren Singer is the founder of the blog Trash is For Tossers and of the company Package Free Shop. She is an advocate of the zero waste lifestyle. In this Tedx Talk, young Lauren explains her zero waste journey. She shares her inspirations that made her start and decide to pursue this lifestyle. Additionally, she mentions the initial steps she took, discoveries about her old and new lifestyle, the benefits that she gains, and her suggestions for you. She now feels more in control of the products she chooses to put in her body.

Two Adults, Two Kids, Zero Waste (Tedx Talk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSUmo-40pqA

Bea Johnson is the founder of the blog and author of the book “Zero Waste Home.” Since 2008, she and her family have adopted the zero waste lifestyle. In this Tedx Talk, she shares her experience of trying different sustainable alternatives. Safe to say, they weren’t always successful. She went through trials and errors to finally find a balance that works for her and her family. To have a sustainable household and lifestyle in the the long run, she follows the 5 Rs pyramid *in order*:

1. REFUSE what we do not need (no to freebies, single use plastics, junk mail);
2. REDUCE what we do need – also known as the decluttering process;
3. REUSE, meaning swap anything that is disposable for a reusable alternative;
4. RECYCLE what we cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse – “zero waste does not mean recycling more, but recycling less thanks to waste prevention in the first place”;
5. ROT/Compost the rest.

The best thing about this lifestyle is voluntary simplicity – it has made time for what matters most, a life based on experiences instead of things, based on being instead of having.

Bea Johnson

More sustainability videos and documentaries:

• Zero Waste is not recycling more, but less – Tedx Talk about zero waste living, presented by Bea Johnson.
• Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things -Documentary on minimalist living, produced and directed by Matt d’Avella who also has a playlist on minimalism on YouTube.
• Before the Flood – Documentary on climate change, presented by National Geographic and featuring Leonardo DiCaprio.
• River Blue – Documentary on the environmental impact of the fashion/textile industry, presented by international river conservationist, Mark Angelo.
• From Sex Worker to Seamstress: The High Cost of Cheap Clothes – Short Vice documentary on garment workers in Cambodia, presented by VICE founder Suroosh Alvi.
• “Udita“ Arise – Documentary on female garment workers in sweatshops in Bangladesh, produced by Rainbow Collective and OpenVizor.
• Unravel – Short documentary on where the castoff clothes from the West end up in the East and an intriguing perspective of the garment recyclers in India, produced and directed by Meghna Gupta.
• The Disarming Case to Act Right Now on Climate Change – Ted Talk about the climate crisis, presented by Greta Thunberg.
• The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It – Ted Talk about the importance of having conversations on climate change, even with non-believers, presented by Katharine Hayhoe.
• 5 Transformational Policies for a Prosperous and Sustainable World – Ted Talk linking the sustainable development goals with planetary boundaries giving rise to actionable policies, presented by Johan Rockstrom.

Each of these sustainability videos and films, whether about sustainability in the fashion world or a zero waste and conscious lifestyle, has made me a more conscious consumer. They have provided information, tools, and tips, and made me more curious about the products and clothes I buy. They have inspired me to follow a greener lifestyle and follow minimal and slow fashion.

If there are some videos and/or documentaries that you think should be on the list, don’t forget to comment below! After watching them myself, I will make sure to add it to this!

**If you prefer podcasts, take a look at this article on 6 sustainability podcasts that you will want to listen to now.
**If you prefer reading, check out my list of sustainability books that I read and have yet to read.

Last update: May 2020