The 5 Pillars This Entrepreneur Used to Build a Sustainable Fashion BrandSAIL label founder Jaewoo Ahn, on vital qualities a truly responsible fashion house will employ to brighten the future for both its workers and the planet.

These days, hundreds of brands, companies and organizations are focused on sustainability. That's great news in many respects, to be sure. However, the term's seeming iniquitousness also leads to confusion and questions about what makes something truly sustainable.

In fashion, for example, sustainability has become increasingly important, not least because that industry,according to the United Nations, is among the most polluting in the world; depending upon metrics, it can be ranked as the second most polluting, just after the oil sector. But how can one determine which labels are sincere in their environmental mission given the "greenwashing" in the industry — in which companies make claims that are misleading or unsubstantiated.