What materials are used to make clothing greatly influence its sustainability. Fabrics (materials) are some of the oldest technologies of humankind but they waste too much resources into creating clothes, shoes, and accessories we put on.
1-cotton
Cotton represents a kind of fiber that is linked to high quality clothes and can be found in various garments like jeans and T-shirts, being gentle, easy and comfy. But if it is mixed with non-organic components, there is no chance it would be influenced by biodegradation. Nonetheless, in some cases the amount of water required for its proper growth exceeds all belief, and the pesticides used in its cultivation make up the largest part of sales among all insecticides while child slavery and forced labor are known to be connected with it most often when it comes to GMO and other types of traditional cotton.The process of turning cotton balls into soft or shiny coloured cloth uses a vast array of chemical processes for treating, dyeing, printing, and finishing.
2-Denim
What is the deal with denim? Known to be among the most drought tolerant crops on earth, cotton is what denim comes from. With 11%, cotton occupies over 2.4% of global agricultural space yet more than uses 11% of the world’s pesticides. Some of which are highly toxic and tend to create hazardous working conditions for the farmers who grow it for clothes. The look of ‘distressed’ denim, however, is obtained through sandblasting, an approach that is surrounded by controversy.he process poses significant health risks to workers as the fine dust particles can lodge themselves in people’s lungs.
3-Linen
“The history of line fabric as a fashionable item is tied with the fact that it is environmentally safe, durable as well as attractive. The textile is mite resistant; hence a solution for allergy sufferers who need to make clothes by their own hands at home. Do you happen to know that line garments dry very quickly? This quality is the most beneficial especially if you live in a hot climate zone or if it’s summer period. But when you wear something made from it, you will never stink, unlike the stuff sewed with synthetics! And what is most interesting – the material becomes more soft washing it.”
4-Rayon
Viscose is extracted from rapidly regenerating trees’ wood pulp called “cellulose” like eucalyptus, beech, and pine, on the other hand from time to time certain plants such as soy, bamboo, or sugar cane. To achieve this, cellulose is dissolved in some fluid and then spun into fibers after which threads can be produced from them. It is important to note tho that viscose, albeit being plant based fiber, face two major hiccups.One reason for this is that it occupies a fairly high position among the materials used in making garments, following cotton, and polyester, which are placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Viscose production involves a huge amount of wood pulp due to overconsumption propelled by fast fashion just as much as would be needed in producing paper.Thus, today, it ranks among the primary drivers behind massive deforestation in regions such as Indonesia, Canada, and the Amazon.To cap it all up, when viscose is being manufactured, untreated waste materials from it end up getting released into rivers hence damaging both aquatic habitats as well human lives and livelihoods.
5-Leather
From James Dean to Prada, punk to corporate world, leather is the garment everyone has come to associate with being fashionable. But the fact that they have been around for quite long or that they could be matched with anything does not make leather clothes a good ethical choice; a less good ethical choice. Leather is made from the skins of some animals, with cattle providing the most and pigs, goats, sheep, crocodiles, snakes, sting rays, seals, emus, deer, fish, kangaroos, horses, cats, and dogs completing the rest.”Apart from injuring animal rights; negative repercussions are also experienced on both the environment and individuals’ welfare while using animal skin tanning. It uses more water and land than any other thing; while using harmful chemicals such as chromium 6, which ends up inside workers’ bodies or sinks through into rivers during tanning process.
Depending on your personal ethics, go for second hand or recycled leather or avoid it altogether.
6-silk
The long threads that make up a silkworm’s inner cocoon produces silk. The silkworm releases saliva to protect itself until it is ready to change. Harvesting raw silk threads are then combined in to commercial form. During extraction, the silkworm is killed.. It has been reported that there is also child slavery in India where sources should be verified.
It is possible to find less lethal alternatives to the silk-making process. Ahimsa silk, also known as “peace silk”, allows the moth to evacuate the cocoon before it is boiled. Some silks that fall under the Ahimsa umbrella include “Eri silk” and “Tussar silk”. Unfortunately, peace silk isn’t necessarily much better for the environment.
When it comes to buying silk or its alternatives, check sources to ensure that you don’t buy into exploitation or environmental destruction.
7-Wool
Sheep wool, a fiber that can breathe and is produced by sheep, is an example of a sustainable raw material that repels stains and sometimes decomposes. Nonetheless, the ecological and animal welfare results of wool manufacture are grave. There has been some debate surrounding mulesing of sheep (removing part of the skin to prevent flystrike is usually performed without anesthesia). In such cases, it is advisable not to buy wool from mulesed sheep.
Land clearing and degradation may increase as a result of industrial livestock farming on a large scale, although more holistic methods of managing these animals for grazing purposes have become more popular and are more likely to be supported. But there are no many places that practice these holistic management methods for their livestock. Biodegradability of such wool is also lost if it is blended with synthetic fibers or superwashed (which implies infused with plastic).
Wool does last well, and so it’s always worth looking out for pre-loved or vintage wool items to ensure the garment gets a longer, useful life.
8-Velvet
The word “velvet” refers to the structure of the fabric, not the actual fibre or material used. You can recognise velvet thanks to its short pile, raised loops, tufts of yarn that cover its surface. Velvet can be woven from any type of yarn. While in the past it was traditionally woven from silk, today cheaper materials are commonly used alone or in combination, such as cotton, linen, wool, or synthetic fibres. The fashion industry, and especially fast fashion retailers, mostly replace silk or other plant-based materials with polyester.If you really want a velvet item in your wardrobe, we recommend shopping second hand, in order not to increase the use of new plastics or silk. Alternatively, try and look for velvet made out of a modal rayon which is made from more sustainably harvested beech trees and better processing methods.