Emmy Rossum and Amber Valletta on H&M's Trendy, Eco-Friendly Fashion

“People don't talk about the fact that fashion is the second largest polluter on Earth,” actress Sophia Bush told ELLE.com last night at an event in Los Angeles celebrating the launch of H&M’s new Conscious collection. “And it's a problem and there is no reason for it to be.”

The Conscious collection, available in stores April 10, is the brand’s third as part of its Conscious initiative and was designed in partnership with the Ever Manifesto. All the items are made with sustainable materials like vegetable tanned leather from Sweden and organic silk. The line represents a new trend in the fashion industry that clearly interests celebs: at last night's party actresses like Kate Mara, Emmy Rossum, Camilla Belle and Noomi Rapace modeled looks from the line and offered some advice on what women can do to be more eco-friendly.

“I don't think anybody's perfect and anybody who says they are is probably lying,” Bush admitted. “But I try. I'm looking at where things come from. I try to reduce my shipping if I can. I look at all of that stuff, and if I have the option to buy something that I know has a lower carbon footprint, I do it.”

Rossum, who said the blue gown she selected from the collection, “looks like Dior but is H&M,” shared some easy advice for being more conscious: “Brush your teeth in the shower. Multi-task, then you're saving water. Try to drive a hybrid. Try to carpool. Roll down your windows. Don't use as much AC. And try to recycle. Don't throw out leftovers. Actually eat that salmon that you have left over that you don't want to eat.”

Model Amber Valletta recently signed on as a face of H&M's campaign because she feels this line represents the future of fashion. “The biggest trend that we're going to see that won't go out of style is that clothes and accessories are going to be made in a more responsible way,” Valletta told us. “Not just environmentally, but also the supply chain and the people who are making our clothes will be treated fairly.”

Valleta says raising awareness is the first step to change: “The big thing is a lot of people don't realize that there is a problem,” the model said. “So first, it's our job to start talking about the problem and saying, ‘Look, this is what's going on. It's ugly. No one's to blame, but look. We all need to fix it.’"

"Start by looking at your labels, be conscious of where products are being made," the Revenge actress added. "Look for companies that you hear are trying to do it better. If you can't afford to buy somebody like a Stella McCartney, you can afford to buy H&M.”

 

The women point out that it's key that sustainable clothes still look cool and be wearable, which means it’s on the fashion brands to adopt this trend. “I care that my lifestyle is sustainable, but still reflective of my personal style,” Rossum said. “So it can't be sustainable and recycled and look like dog poo. It still needs to look chic, and it still needs to reflect what I want to reflect.”