Source: Money Crashers
Photo Source: Unsplash, Henry Be
What sets sustainable clothing apart from today’s cheap “fast fashion” is it’s both planet-friendly and worker-friendly. Sustainable clothes are also durable enough in most cases to last for many seasons. They’re often made from eco-friendly fabrics, which can include reused or recycled material. Most sustainable clothing companies pay their workers a fair wage and provide decent working conditions.
Eco-Friendly Fibers
Natural fabrics, such as cotton, aren’t always greener than synthetic fabrics like polyester. Conventional methods of growing cotton use vast amounts of fertilizer and pesticides, which are often highly toxic. It’s possible to grow cotton without these chemicals, but even organic cotton consumes large amounts of water.
The greenest fabrics are made from renewable fibers that are easy to grow or produce. They require limited water and energy to produce, and many are recyclable.
The environmental sites Go Climate Neutral and Trusted Clothes both offer detailed analyses of which fabrics are most eco-friendly. Their top choices include:
Linen. Made from flax – which needs far less water, fertilizer, and pesticides than cotton – linen requires little energy to manufacture. It’s also easy to compost or recycle into paper.
Hemp. Hemp also doesn’t need much fertilizer or pesticides. And, as the selection at Bulk Hemp Warehouse shows, it can be made into a wide variety of fabrics, such as canvas, denim, twill, jersey, and fleece. Hemp growing used to be illegal in many states, but the 2018 Farm Bill made it legal across the U.S.
Bamboo. Bamboo has both pros and cons as a sustainable fiber. This fast-growing plant uses almost no pesticides. It produces soft fabrics that are easy to care for. However, turning its fibers into fabric often requires toxic chemicals.
Lyocell. Commonly sold under the brand name Tencel, this fabric is made from wood pulp — typically eucalyptus wood, which grows quickly with little water and chemicals. Unlike rayon, another wood-based fabric, lyocell doesn’t produce a lot of pollution. As a bonus, the fabric is naturally wrinkle-resistant, so it’s easy to care for.
Alpaca. A mammal native to Peru that looks similar to a llama, the alpaca has long hair that produces beautifully soft fibers. Alpacas are hardy creatures that don’t eat or drink much and can stay healthy without antibiotics. Alpaca wool is more eco-conscious than cashmere, which comes from a type of Asian goat. Heavy breeding of cashmere goats has led to severe overgrazing in Mongolia, slowly turning much of the country into desert.
Organic Wool. Some sheep farms use toxic pesticides on their pastures or treat the animals with toxic dips. Organic sheep farms avoid these harmful chemicals. They keep both the sheep and pastures healthy by using the animals’ manure to nourish the soil.
Silk. Produced by caterpillars known as silkworms, this natural fabric is lightweight and durable. At the end of its life, it breaks down naturally. Commonly used for evening wear, it also makes surprisingly warm thermal underwear. Many ethical vegetarians avoid silk because producing it usually involves killing the silkworms. However, peace silk, also known as vegan silk, is a cruelty-free alternative.
In addition to fiber choice, our clothing and accessories are designed with longevity in mind unlike more disposable ready to wear clothing not made to last. Keeping clothing in the wear cycle longer than disposable or most ready to wear puts these items in the disposable arena much faster than clothing made to be worn over time.
Why is buying sustainable fashion important to you?
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