Sustainable Fabrics for Sustainable Fashion
List of sustainable fabrics for an environment-friendly lifestyle.
Have you ever looked at your wardrobe and wondered where do these clothes come from, how are they made, where will they go once the use is over?
Piles of clothes lie on our shelves, many of them will not even get worn more than a few times. Either we get bored with them, the size doesn’t fit, or we’re continuously waiting for a special occasion.
What’s the fuss, you might ask?
It’s my money, my wardrobe, my clothes. True, but the fact remains that clothes and apparel are one of the biggest polluters in the world.
The biggest reason for environmental pollution caused by the fashion industry is the fabric used to make clothes.
What fabrics are not sustainable & environmentally friendly?
It all depends on the resources required to make the textile and the impact caused after the use. Below are some fabrics which are not very environmentally friendly.
Polyester: This fabric is partially derived from oil, and hence polyester clothes might take decades or centuries to degrade. Clothes made from polyester also release microplastics during washing.
Cotton: Though it is made from fiber extracted from plants, the humongous amount of water required to manufacture cotton clothes makes it environmentally unfriendly. Moreover, growing cotton often involves using toxic pesticides & fertilizers, which degrades the quality of the soil where it is grown.
Rayon: The fiber itself is biodegradable and non-toxic, but the manufacturing of rayon clothes requires many chemicals, which not only get released to the nearby water bodies from laundry it also causes harm to the factory workers.
Nylon: Like polyester, nylon is also derived from oil, which ends up polluting the landfills. The production of nylon releases greenhouse gases, and it also uses large amounts of water.
Then, what’s the solution? — Sustainable Fashion
The easiest and simplest option is to become conscious about your purchase. Buy only when you need.
If you feel that the purpose of the clothes is over, consider upcycling them for some other use.
The next thing which you can do is donate clothes after use; there are many unfortunate people living across the globe who can use the old clothes.
Finally, when shopping sustainably, consider buying fabrics that will have a longer lifespan than others, consume fewer resources, and do not pollute the environment.
Sustainable Fabrics
What is Sustainable Fabric?
To understand if the textile is sustainable or not, you should look at the following details.
- The source of the fiber — plant-based, animal-based, machine-made
- The resources used to make the clothes — water, pesticides, land usage, energy, forest usage
- The manufacturing process — chemicals usage, water pollution, labor policies, greenhouse gases emissions.
- The durability of the fabric — quality, long-lasting
- The usage — does not release microplastics & chemicals while washing, biodegradable.
Below is the sustainable fabric list, though all the textiles mentioned below are not perfect, I have provided a downside of each of them.
It is up to us what we want to select as they are comparatively much better alternatives than polyesters and nylon.
Hemp
Hemp is a specific type of cannabis plant that doesn’t require too much water & pesticides, and it also replenishes the soil.
Hemp fiber can be spun to different degrees to produce fabric resembling in texture similar to silk. Clothes made with hemp fabric are also anti-bacterial, UV-resistant, and more breathable than traditional fabrics.
Cons: As hemp cultivation is banned in many parts of the world, it can be a little expensive.
Linen
Linen is a natural fiber from the flax plant, which can be grown in areas that are difficult for cultivation. The plants do not require fertilizers and are also used for making oil.
Clothes made with linen have been used for thousands of years. Linen fabric is light and extremely durable.
Cons: Linen fibers take months to grow, treat, and process until they are conducive enough to be woven into clothing which makes them expensive.
Organic Cotton
While normal cotton farming requires intensive use of pesticides and chemicals, organic cotton is produced without any pesticides, fertilizers, or genetically modified seeds (GMOs).
Cons: Cotton cultivation requires a humongous amount of water. It can take more than 2,500 liters of water to produce the cotton needed to make a single t-shirt.
Silk
Silk comes from silkworms when they make their cocoons, which are then collected by hand, boiled, and spun into threads.
Silk was first discovered in China, and like linen, silk is used to make clothes since ancient times.
Cons: Silk is not very animal-friendly as it requires a boiling process that kills silkworms in their cocoons before they’ve developed into moths.
Fortunately, there are companies that make clothes using peace silk, where silkworms are given the time to develop into moths, and their empty cocoons are then collected to create peace silk.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a fast-growing, regenerative crop that doesn’t require fertilization and is often touted as a sustainable garment fabric.
Cons: There are places where forest lands are being cleared to make way for harvesting bamboo.
Wool
Wool is extracted from the skin of sheep, yaks, camels, and other similar animals. As the wool regrows on the animal bodies, it does not impact the health of the animal.
The wool is cleaned and made into yarn which is woven into a fabric. Wool is also compostable, thermo-regulating, and doesn’t shed plastic microfibers.
Cons: Animal agriculture involves deforestation and the release of methane gases. In addition, there are cases of animal abuse in certain regions of the world.
Recycled Plastic fabric
As the name suggests, recycled polyester (rPET) or recycled nylon is a fabric that is made from recycled plastic.
Plastic waste like plastic bottles, fishing nets, and other plastic items are collected to make recycled plastic fabric. Recycled plastic fiber can be made from both post-industrial and post-consumer waste.
Recycled plastic fabric is a great sustainable fabric option to divert plastic from our landfills.
Cons: An issue with recycled plastic fabric is that, like virgin polyester & nylon, it also releases microplastics during washing.
Fruit Fabric
In recent times, a fabric made from fruit extracts and fruit waste is increasingly becoming a sustainable fashion choice.
Fabrics are made using fruits and vegetables like pineapple, orange, grapes, potatoes, etc. Even the clothing supplements like buttons & zips are being made with items like coconut and walnut shells.
The use of fruits and vegetables makes the clothes completely compostable.
Cons: Making apparel using fruits is slow and time-consuming; hence the clothes made with fruits and vegetables can be on the expensive side. There are certain fruit fabrics that need blending with other materials and a high dose of chemicals as well.
Wrapping Up
To reiterate, before buying clothes, make sure there is a need, look thoroughly in your wardrobe, and if you decide to buy the clothes, pick the brands that make clothes using sustainable fabric(s) listed above.
Make sure to check the sustainable fashion brand’s credibility and if the fabric is certified organic and naturally colored.
Put in a comment if you have found any other sustainable fabric or any brand which is into sustainable fashion, helping us become more environmentally friendly.
If you want to know more about it, I have spoken to the founders of few brands that are making & designing clothes using sustainable fabrics. Read the conversation from the link below:
Hemp Fabric: Eccentric is a sustainable fashion brand that makes clothes using hemp.
Fruit Fabric: PECKD is a fully compostable fashion label that designs garments using fabric made from fruits & flower extracts.
Originally published at https://changestarted.com on July 10, 2021.
