Have you ever thought how huge of an impact our careless attitude towards life and the environment must be having in the long run if not instantly? Shouldn’t we be the ones making our lives easier and harmless for us and our future generations too?
As being the only creature on this planet to be blessed with intellect, conscious living must be taken into consideration by everyone. We want our future generations to be able to meet their own needs.
Sustainability is the latest cry in the fashion industry. The world which was completely taken over by fast-growing fashion in the past few decades is now progressively and cautiously moving towards sustainable fashion. However, the word sustainability should not just be restricted to the fashion industry, it should be brought into practice in every field of life, may it be social or economic practices. For this to happen, people should be made to realize the impacts their actions are having on the planet, thus creating a sense of responsibility for their actions.
Keeping in view the need of the hour, a whole lot of documentaries, podcasts and movies are being made by those who support this cause.
We have prepared for you a detailed list of content that aims to spread awareness about adopting a sustainable way of life, it might be in the form of food that you eat or clothes that you wear. This helps to invoke a sense of responsibility in the viewer.
CLIMATE CHANGE | FOOD PRODUCTION | FASHION |CONSCIOUS MIND | WOMEN INSPIRED | EDUCTAION
1) Minimalism (2016)
The documentary gives an insight into the lives of different minimalists from various aspects. It explores different levels of minimalism by interviewing those who pledge to lead a meaningful life while consuming the least that is possible.
2) Plastic Paradise (2013)
This documentary covers the voyage of a journalist Angela Sun to Midway Atoll aka the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. On her journey to discover one of the most remote yet highly contaminated places. She, while trying to solve this mystery, interviews various scientists, researchers, and influencers on her way and gets to know how grave the situation has become for the place and its inhabitants due to the continuous consumption of disposable plastic.
3) Cowspiracy (2014)
A must-watch for all the environmentalists out there. Cowspiracy is a documentary film that depicts a serious threat that animal agriculture imposes on the environment, claiming it to be the primary source of environmental devastation, that may be in the form of global warming, carbon emission, deforestation, or ocean dead zones. ” Cowspiracy may be the most important film made to inspire saving the planet,” says Louie Psihoyos, the director of an Oscar-winning film.
4) Forks over Knives (2011)
This is one of the movies I was not able to fish till the end. It is for all those who are trying to be practically responsible towards the environment by switching to a plant-based diet. Forks over knives explain how switching from processed animal food to a plant-based diet can eliminate diseases like cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
5) The Game Changers (2019)
If you are looking for scientific proof, why red meat is not good for you. You need t watch this. The Game Changers is a film executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jackie Chan where A UFC fighter’s world is changed upside down when he discovers an elite group of world-renowned athletes and scientists who prove that everything he had been taught about protein was a lie.
6) Down to earth with Zac
This is a series of independent documentaries, I literally watched all series in one day. Zac Effron, a well-known celebrity together with wellness expert Darin Olien goes wandering around in different parts of the world. They aim to explore healthy and sustainable ways of living as they explore what nature holds for them.
7) Earthlings (2005)
The film presented in five chapters sheds light on the total dependence of humans on animals for economic purposes. It brings to light the sufferings that animals have to go through in places like factories, farms, and research laboratories.
8) Our Planet
This state-of-the-art high-definition imagery celebrates the awe-inspiring beauty of the planet earth – from oceans to the desserts, it features everything nature has to offer.
9) Honeyland (2019)
I can’t be more proud of this movie. It was filmed in the heart of my little tiny home country. In North Macedonia in the mountains, there lives a female beekeeper who adopts ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey. This film also emphasizes environmental pollution in various forms because of human negligence.
10) The 11th Hour (2007)
A treat for all the Leonardo Dicaprio fans, the 11th hour, which is also narrated by Dicaprio himself, unveils how human actions are jeopardizing the ecosystem. The film describes how the globe has been brought to the 11th hour by the mankind – 11th hour is the end moment when measures can be taken to slow down and reverse all the damage caused to the planet.
11) The True Cost (2015)
The documentary covers the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse, considered the deadliest garment factory disaster in history. The main purpose of this film is to explore the lives of low-wage workers.
12) River Blue (2017)
Paddler and conservationist Mark Angelo travels around the world in three years to explore the fast fashion industries and uncover their pollution impacts on the globe.
13) Bitter Seeds (2011)
The documentary unveils the reason behind the high suicide rate among Indian farmers due to stress resulting from massive crop failure.
14) The next black
A film about the future of clothing, the next black also highlights the biggest plights faced by the clothing industry today.
15) Fashion’s dirty secrets
Stacey travels around the globe exposing the insatiable greed of the garment industry that uses cheap chemicals that pollute the environment.
16) Rotten (2018-2019)
Rotten is a TV series that describes the real dangers behind the daily food consumption habits of people around the world. It also digs deeper into the underworld production of food and truthfully uncovers the corrupt system and shows how brutally food is being wasted per year all across the globe.
17) Fed Up (2014)
It’s a documentary prepared by filmmaker Stephanie and journalist Katie Couric. This film focuses on a grave issue of the food industry is responsible for health issues and sickness for instance obesity. This film provides evidence that a large quantity of sugar that is generally overlooked in our food consumption is the root cause of this problem.
18) What the Health
This provocative documentary investigates the links among mass food production, government organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and environmental impacts. There are some big claims which health experts are criticizing. However, the documentary makes you think about what you choose to buy and eat and its impact on our world.
19) An Inconvenient Sequel
A decisive ten year follow up by Climate Change activist Al gore.
In 2006 they thought his predictions were crazy. This sustainable documentary looks at how those forecasts have come true and what else we should expect if we don’t improve human activity and take the proper actions. The link among global connectivity and selective political decisions is what makes this film a must-see.
20) There is something in the water (2019)
This is the story of a native Canadian land Nova Scotia, directed by Elliot Page and Ian Daniel. It shows the struggles faced by the crusaders who were actually community activists, how they protected their environment from landfills and pollutants. The story shows a woman who travels to rural areas of the province that are plagued by toxic fallout from all the industrial developments.
21) The Cove (2009)
It’s always fun to watch documentaries that are based on true and inspiring stories. The Cove is a true story of a place in Taiji in Japan, where local fishermen were indulged in the gruesome crime of hunting down and slaughtering poor dolphins for their benefit. Thanks to this film series planned by a dolphin trainer and activist Ric O’ Barry, filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation society itself who unveiled the heinous act of the hunters, risking their own lives for the cause.
22) Chasing Coral (2017)
You must be familiar with coral reefs through your biology lessons. This film revolves around some divers, photographers, and scientists who set on a voyage to discover a mesmerizing underwater world with their main agenda being the discovery of coral reefs and how it is moving towards a fast-paced death. This destruction shows that global warming has not just affected life above the ground but has also had a devastating impact on underwater ecosystems.
23) Mission Blue (2014)
Dr. Sylvia Earle is on a global expedition to explore and protect the marvelous water bodies across the earth and their inhabitants from environmental evils such as pollution, climate change, and over-fishing. The film also offers some glimpses of Sylvia’s personal life and her journey as a marine life explorer.
24) Brave Blue World (2020)
A well-described narration of how the world is going through a water crisis. The documentary with Matt Damon sheds light on the impact that this issue has on third-world countries as well as the developed nations. The crew goes on to discover various remedies and inventions introduced by researchers and organizations of different regions to bring these innovations in the knowledge of all and sundry so that everyone can benefit from them. From reuse to energy generation, the film explores different innovations around the world that help build a future for sustainable water. “Brave Blue World” is meant to inspire and uplift: we can all be part of changing the world and ensuring clean water is accessible for everyone.
25) SeaSpiracy (2021)
A film that has a strong stance against excessive fish consumption and it has proven to be an eye-opener for humans and the threats posed by their careless and selfish behavior towards nature. These threats might be in any form. This film specifically emphasizes the destructive impact on marine life that is being caused by commercial fishing. The documentary seems to be stunning, tragic, and emotional to its audience.
26) Melting ice(2017)
A VR natured short documentary that is an amazingly picturized 3D journey. Melting Ice (narrated by AL Gore) has taken scenes from front lines of climate change. The narrator moves to Greenland to watch some of the glaciers melting and saves those scenes in his camera for the film and gives his audience a chance to see the glaciers melting at an unprecedented pace in order to make them realize the grave situation.
27)Unravel (2012) Runtime: 13 minutes
The film beautifully shows a rather unique perspective on the textile industry in Northern India than that in the west. It takes its viewers on a journey that follows the course our discarded clothes take all the way from the USA to Panipat. This 13 minute short film emphasizes on the tragic reality of waste in the fast fashion industry. The story revolves around a wonderful woman Reshma who works in a textile recycling factory.
28) Evolution of organic (2017)
A crew of spiritual seekers and children of a farmer narrate their stories of how they founded a movement. This brings mankind back to its roots. They decided to reject chemical farming and set out on a mission to find organic alternatives to it, also urging the future generation to do so.
29)The Age of Consequences (2016)
The movie was nominated for Emmys. It unveils how climate change, migration, unrest and conflicts interact with each other to eventually cause overconsumption of resources.
30) Alex James: Slowing Down Fast Fashion (2016)
A movie that goes into fibers and consumer responsibility. Alex James, I’m told, is a famous British musician, who I am too young to know about. I’m not sure why he is talking about Sustainable Fashion, but his movie is informative and a great host for the topic.
31)From Sex Work to Seamstress: The High Cost of Cheap Clothes (2014)
From Sex Worker to Seamstress: The High Cost of Cheap Clothes – YouTube
In 12 minutes, Vice News explores an angle of the fashion industry that I have rarely heard talked about. This video is short enough that compiling it or analyzing it here would ruin its effect. I recommend you watch it.
32) The Clothes We Wear (2020)
If TV-style documentaries aren’t your thing, this might not be for you, but if you are into innovative sleuthing to fact check factories and catch them lying to brands, it is a must-watch. This doc gives us a brief look into factory brand relations that we otherwise wouldn’t see.
33) UDITA or The Machinists (2010)
This documentary film documents the stories of three enthusiastic young females working in the garment factories of Dhaka. It depicts how the workers in garment factories are being exploited in Bangladesh. It emphasizes on the deplorable conditions, the low-wage workers have to live in and the impact of high street fashion on humans.UDITA follows a turbulent five years in the women’s lives at the grassroots of the garment worker’s struggle. From 2010, when organizing in the workplace would lead to beatings, sacking, and arrests, through the tragedies of Tazreen and Rana Plaza, to the present day, when the long fight begins to pay dividends. See this crucial period through the eyes of the unions’ female members, workers, and leaders.
34)The Ugly Truth of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion brands like H&M and Zara are beating out cheap, new outfits every few days, feeding us to shop more than ever before. In this short documentary, Hasan Minhaj explores how our desire to look “fresh to death” is killing the planet.
35) Toxic Beauty
I have added this movie to the list even tho is about fashion and beauty. Released in 2019 and directed by Phyllis Ellis, this is another controversial documentary exposing the lack of regulation and the back of the cosmetic industry’s house and some eye-opening research. Toxic chemicals on cosmetology can bring ovarian cancer, hormone-related issues, breast cancer, infertility… Did you know that they found asbestos in baby powder? If you love cosmetics and makeup, be ready for emotional and a bit of fear-mongering.
36) Before The Flood
Leo made this film; both a political statement and a desperate call to arms. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, the Academy Award-winning actor travels to five continents and the Arctic to witness climate change firsthand. He speaks with the Pope, activists in India, scientists in Greenland, and President Obama. And he urges us to think about how we’re impacting our climate. DiCaprio was determined and focused on releasing this film before the US election. It sends a powerful message to all of us that the future of our planet is a collective human responsibility.
37) More Than Honey
Swiss documentary More Than Honey charts the alarming rate of deaths of bee territories worldwide—from Europe to Australia, to China. It examines the possible reasons for the deaths—a combination of parasites, viruses, pesticides, and stress.
38) Food, Inc.
Food, Inc. focuses on American manufacturing food production. The filmmakers examine how supermarkets and multinational companies control food systems, intending to grow everything “faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper”. The impact of this on our health and the environment will be sure to shock you.
39) Traceable
In our society today, we have gotten more disconnected from the production of our clothes than ever. Back in time, your shirt might have been made at a nearby factory, at the local or even homemade. But today we don’t’ know the hands that created our clothes.In this sustainable fashion documentary, designer Laura Siegel wants to show the world that fashion also should be about supporting and helping those communities who make our clothes.
40) The clothes we wear
This documentary will positively make you think an extra time before you buy a piece of clothes from a brand that claims to be sustainable but in fact, doesn’t seem to do much. Greenwashing is everywhere and this is a great documentary if you want to learn more about it.
41) Prada re-nylon
Prada Re-Nylon – Episode 1 – What We Carry – YouTube
This movie wouldn’t exactly fit as a sustainable fashion documentary, but it is still exciting and informative to watch if you want to learn about Prada’s nylon bags .
It is a bunch of short videos that take the audience behind the scene of Prada’s re-nylon program while providing helpful information to the audience about the fashion industry and how we at the moment are wasting way too many textiles.
You can watch the first episode down below and the rest of the short videos are available at Prada’s own youtube channel.
42) Sweatshop – DEADLY FASHION
This is a reality TV series on Norwegian TV that took three avid fashion consumers to Cambodia to experience by themselves how the cheap clothes they buy are actually made.
43) That Sugar Film
In the vein of Supersize Me, Damon Gameau embarks on an experimental diet that illustrates the impact of added sugars found in foods considered ‘healthy’.
Sugar Film uncovers how dangerous hidden sugars are in foods. We expect to see sugar in ice cream or cookies, but most of us don’t realize is added sugar is found in a wide variety of foods – like dairy-free yogurt, pasta sauce, granola bars and more.
44) Just Eat It
Billions of dollars worth of edible food are tossed into the trash every year by farmers, retailers, and consumers. Filmmakers Jen and Grant decide to stop grocery shopping and only eat foods that would be otherwise thrown away. This film reflects light on our confused quest for ‘perfect-looking produce and makes us reconsider expiry dates. With so many people in North America who are hungry, food waste is a huge problem, and this film inspires us to be part of the solution.
45) He Named Me Malala
This documentary tells Malala Yousafzai life story, a Pakistani girl who the Taliban shot for pursuing girls’ right to an education. Having since gone on to be the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala has even been honored by the United Nations, which celebrates every July 12 as Malala Day. This is her story about championing girls’ education, and it’s hard not to fall in love with her bold and bright spirit.
46) Sustainable
This documentary unpacks the food supply chain from the perspective of those at the start: farmers. Featuring generations of farmers and Chicago-favorite chef Rick Bayless, this documentary on the history of the sustainable food movement evaluates the impact of how we eat in the modern age. If you’re a farm-to-table advocate or want to learn how to make your grocery shopping list more sustainable, check out this award-winning documentary that’s bound to make you care more about the food you’re eating
47) Plastic China
Through the eyes of those who handle its waste, this delicate but moving film is a deep dive into global consumption and culture. We follow the story of a young girl by the name of Yi-Jie, working in a recycling facility and dreaming of attending school.
48) The Future of Energy: Lateral Power to the People
How we can achieve a clean-energy society in a dubious era. Mustering the mettle of all social movements, eco-philosopher Joanna Masey fires back on that question with the age-old rejoinder “Just keep going. There is so much happening on the grassroots level.” This documentary aims to inspire the widescale adoption of renewable power. Note: It is also, alas, currently hard to track down but worth it if you can find it.
49) The Social Dilemma
“The Social Dilemma.” some of Silicon Valley’s most remarkable minds speak out on the Frankensteinian nature of social media that preys on users’ mental health, addiction and now threatens our democracy. One thing’s for sure: after watching this documentary, you’ll want to go into your privacy settings with a fine-toothed comb.
50) I Am Not Your Negro
“I Am Not Your Negro” is a social documentary based on an unfinished book by James Baldwin, the celebrated author of ”Notes of a Native Son.” The film explores racism through the stories of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers, and it’s chocked-full of historical moments on black and white film and peppered with commentary from Baldwin on America’s treatment of African Americans. The year it was released (2016), The New York Times hailed it as one of the 10 best films of the year.
51) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Globally acclaimed, “Crip Camp” is a documentary about a 1971 summer camp (Camp Jened) that was touted as a kind of Woodstock; it became associated with a magical summer that led to disability benefits activism and the fight for approachability law. Emotional and moving, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company were the executive producers on this film, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
52) The Islands and the Whales
A film about descendants of Norse immigrants living on the Faroe Islands who have existed for over a thousand years. Mercury pollution now threatens their livelihood. This beautifully shot and moving documentary explores how pollution affects the far reaches of the planet.
53) The Memory of Fish
This film won Director’s Award for Cinematography at the Woods Hole Film Festival. Fisherman Dick Goin spent decades working to bring salmon back to his home turf on the Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula after dams destroyed their habitat. This quiet documentary, narrated by actress Lili Taylor, is a commentary on the synergy between the natural world and people who embrace their total reliance.
54) The End of the Line
Documentary filmmaker Rupert Murray examines the devastating effect that overfishing has had on the world’s fish populations and argues that drastic action must be taken to reverse these trends.
55) GMO OMG
Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert journeys to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and even agri-giant Monsanto in search of answers about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how they affect our children, the health of our planet, and our freedom of choice.
56) Blackfish
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales
57) Chasing Ice
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
58) Tapped
Examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.
59) Disruption
In the lead up to the largest climate mobilization in history, DISRUPTION weaves together the science, politics and psychology of our collective inaction to address the greatest ecological, social and moral challenge of our time. A who’s who of climate and social justice crusaders delivers a stirring and clarion call for this unique tipping point moment – we’re the first generation to feel the consequences of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it.
60) My Octopus Teacher
After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never before seen bond between human and wild animal.
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