Ever wondered what impact your clothing is having on the environment? Not only does fabric production affect our earth, but it costs animals too. Choosing fabrics that make the least ecological impact can save valuable energy and keep dangerous chemicals out of the earth, air and water. And how you clean them counts, too.
CAREFUL
Purchase well-made clothing and textiles that will last a long time. A wide selection of cheap, trendy items are available, but these will likely fall apart after a couple of seasons. Classics will outlive fads, and favouring them over disposable options helps to conserve resources.
MORE CAREFUL
Try shopping at vintage and secondhand stores. Give things that you no longer need to friends or charities. Reuse items that can’t be passed along – make T-shirts into rags or transform old sheets into children’s costumes.
Original Article - Martha Stewart
MOST CAREFUL
If you’re concerned about the chemicals used to make fabrics, look for organic versions of natural fibres, such as cotton, linen and wool. Purchase items that are natural dyes and are open about how they make their clothing and linens.
FABRICATIONS
Cotton
Cotton is an affordable option for your favourite clothes and linens. But despite its wholesome image, most cotton comes at a high cost to the environment. Conventional cotton occupies only 3% of the world’s farmland but is sprayed with 25% of all insecticides, posing a particular threat to farm workers. Making fabric also involves using a great deal of chemicals, including dyes and textile finishing (such as wrinkle-free, flame-retardant, and stain-resistant treatments).
Alternatives
• Purchase untreated, organic cotton
• To qualify as organic, the cotton plants cannot be treated with hazardous fertilizers, insecticides or other pesticides
• Save energy by machine washing your cotton clothes & linens on a low temperature setting and line dry instead of using the dryer
Linen
Plant-based fabrics such as linen, hemp and bamboo can be more sustainable than conventional cotton. Flax, the plant used to make linen, requires less irrigation and fewer pesticides than cotton. Linen is predominantly a smart fabric choice. Choose linens that are unbleached and undyed (or coloured with natural dyes).
Wool & Silk
Although wool is a natural material that breathes easily, there are downsides to its production. Sheep emit methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. Also, sheep are dipped in insecticide baths to control parasites – a process that contaminates soil.
Silk can be more eco-friendly, but it takes large amounts of water and chemicals to clean the strands and remove a natural coating from the fibres. Bleach and dyes are also used to create the finished product.
Alternatives
• Choose naturally dyed wool and silk wherever possible
• Look for organic wool and ahimsa or soy silk for sustainable fabrics
Nylon, Polyester, Rayon & Acetate
Nylon and polyester are made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource, and are not biodegradable. Rayon and acetate are manufactured from wood pulp, of which processing into fabrics requires a heavy dose of toxic chemicals. That said, man-made fabrics can last longer than natural and delicate ones.
Alternatives
• Buy good quality synthetics that you’ll wear frequently
• Wash them on low temperature settings and line dry
• Some polyester is now being made of recycled fabric or even plastic bottles
• Or try Ingeo, a fabric made from plant sugars
1 comments:
Organic cotton clothing sales are growing from year to year. In one year alone, the sales of organic children's cotton clothing grew more than 50%. When shopping for a gift for that precious new baby boy, organic cotton clothing is the perfect choice. Not only will you be helping the environment, you will also be giving a gift that any parent would love.
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