As we introduced in our previous post, with this episode inspired by World Changing, our random stop in the book finds a section titled How to Buy Better Clothes. The book suggests that for many of our immediate needs “we already have the power to make responsible choices.” By and large we have access to organic food products, a growing selection of energy efficient electronics and appliances, hybrid vehicles, public transportation, and other decision points that are more favorable to the environment. But an area seriously lacking in equal options is clothing. Even some of the better options are just marginally better. World Changing recommends keeping an eye out for products with these traits: sweatshop-free labor, organic or renewable fibers, organic cotton, modal and lyocell, bamboo fiber, merino wool, hemp, and recyclable/compostable end-of-life options. We don’t have room to cover all eight, but we'll discuss two.
- Organic Cotton - Along with corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice, cotton is one of the largest crops in this country and is approx. five percent of all crops grown annually. According the the Organic Cotton Trade Association, organic cotton is growing in popularity, but still only represents two percent of all U.S. cotton. Similar to organic food production, what sets it apart from conventional practices is related to lack of petroleum based pesticide use and environmentally favorable soil conservation. Products that may be labeled green cotton go further to include harvesting, treatment, and fabric production methods that forego caustic bleaching and other chemical treatments. Yet even with these improved farming strategies, one major problem still exists with cotton even in its organic variant - water needed to grow the crop. Cotton is one of the thirstiest crops grown in large scale. To see an example of the toll extreme irrigation efforts can inflict, take a look at what’s left of the Aral Sea. The two rivers that once fed this body of water were diverted to grow cotton in the desert and have practically drained it. But growing is just one part of the embodied water equation. Roughly forty-five percent of the total water used to make your favorite pair of jeans is related to production of the raw material. Another ten percent is used during fabric processing and product manufacturing. Forty-five percent of the embodied water comes from washing after purchase. We consumers play an equal role in how we use and maintain cotton products. To read more about cotton, check out this other Greenwala blog titled The Dark Little Fluffy Secret That Your T-Shirt Doesn’t Want You To Know.
- Recyclable/Compostable End-of-Life Options - I personally love this idea. Every year you can find more stories of clothing companies initiating end-of-life programs that allow consumers to return products to the manufacturer. Patagonia and Nike are both examples. But more interestingly are small independent start-ups with business models where repurposed or reclaimed waste is their raw material. Check out this blog titled Fabric Trash Into Fashion Treasure with an example.
There are greener options available, but unfortunately fewer than there should be. Just today I purchased some Simple Shoes made from hemp, reclaimed bicycle inner tubes, repurposed car tires, and recycled PET laces all for $70. So some companies are figuring out how to use alternative material sourcing that is better for the environment at very reasonable prices. Let’s hope the trend continues. What can we do to help it along? Please let me know of cool examples that you know of. I would love to check them out.
Written by Kevin O’Donnell, fundamentalist, at thread collaborative. To read more, please visit our web site here.
Richard Baron
said on October 19, 2009
The eco-friendly fashion is relatively a new trend. This trend is not just about protecting the environment, but also about keeping the consumer healthy and comfortable and making sure that people who are creating the clothes work in clean, safe environments. It is very important that eco-friendly clothes are made of organic materials. Now the first thing that would come to mind would be cotton. Cotton is actually great if it is organic cotton. That is cotton that is grown without any use of pesticides and insecticides, unlike the regular cotton that is grown and processed with a use of a huge amount of pesticides and chemicals. The organic cotton is good for you, the environment and of course for people who produce this cotton, since they don’t have to breathe in all the chemicals all day long. Of course, there are other materials that are used in green fashion such as hemp, linen, and organic wool.
Oh I do remember another thing from watching reality shows with my wife, on Fashion Show in introduction each contestant said that something is a new black, well I guess it would be accurate to say that slowly green (and I don’t mean the color) is becoming the new black. Celebrities such as Cate Blanchett are leading the way and many famous designers such as Oscar de la Renta are venturing into the green fashion territory. Now that I know a little more about the trend I hope it continues. After all it is great to know that there are clothes that are good for you and the environment.
Now, for those who might wonder if my wife found what she was looking for she sure did. My wife found a site http://www.luxgreenliving.com
which she really liked. The clothes on the site looked pretty, fashionable yet practical, and were at very reasonable prices. So if you are looking to try some eco-friendly fashions made out of organic cotton try this site. At this point they only sell female clothing, so guys might have to look somewhere else, but if you are looking for a nice gift for your wife or girlfriend I recommend you take a look.
thread collaborative
said on October 19, 2009
Thanks for the comment and the good info. I too love Project Runway. I'm no fashion expert, but I do know there are some companies doing great things with hemp and bamboo, both are more environmentally favorable to cotton. They're not high fashion, but check out Simple Shoes. They offer a great line of incredibly comfortable casual shoes made with reclaimed tires, laces made from recycled PET, hemp, organic cotton, recycled leather, and much more. They are doing some very interesting things.