Many people fail to consider climate change and environmental pollution when shopping for clothes, yet fabric manufacturing contributes up to 8% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, and textile dyeing ranks second in polluting our waters.
Some clothing trends are sustainable while others are deeply concerning.
Clothing that Pollutes
Fast fashion describes the lucrative-but-environmentally-costly “make-buy-trash” cycle. Based on cheap, synthetic, plastic fibers such as nylon and polyester, fast fashion drives the fossil fuel industry and contributes to heavy carbon emissions. Manufactured to excess and sold cheaply, this apparel is meant to maximize sales and profits. The fossil fuel industry is betting on the continued steep increase of synthetic fabric production.
Synthetic clothes shed fibers heavily in every wash cycle, accounting for about a third of the global microplastic pollution. Microplastics are known to bind toxins that accumulate in marine organisms and are perhaps most burdensome to larger predator fish.
In short, fast fashion offers us no bargains.
Embrace slow fashion and a circular economy
Green, sustainable, ethically sourced clothing is the smarter choice, and the offerings of major clothing manufacturers increasingly include sustainable choices. Shop thoughtfully for timeless styles and durable fabrics, with the goal of owning “for keeps.” Meanwhile, prolong the life of the clothing you now have to reduce the environmental cost of replacing them. Ways to extend apparel life include mending, altering, and repurposing, as well as giving away, donating, and selling or exchanging. As a last resort, a fabric recycling center will convert worn-out clothes into new, useful materials (e.g., playground surfaces).
A circular economy is vital for sustainability because it reduces material use, relies on materials and products that are less resource intensive, and repurposes “waste” for new materials and products. By these standards, extending the life of clothing is circular.
Fabrics For a Sustainable Closet
Organic linen from flax or hemp is top tier for sustainability. Flax plants can thrive without fertilizers, irrigation, or herbicides and pesticides, and when so grown, are labeled “organic” or “GOTS” (Global Organic Textile Standard). Flax plants even help our climate by taking up several tons of CO2 per hectare yearly and improving soil quality. Linen cloth from flax or hemp is compostable and naturally comes in earth tones, eliminating the need for polluting dyes. It is durable, breathable, and minimizes body odor.
Organic cotton is also very Earth friendly. It is grown without the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that go into traditionally farmed cotton. On organic farms, water recycling saves about 90% of the roughly 700 gallons of water used per conventional T-shirt.
When shopping, it’s useful to be familiar with some more organic and eco-friendly cotton labels, such as Organic Content Standard (OCS), Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Fair Trade, and Blue Sign (indicating safe chemistry).
Recycled cotton, because it sharply reduces resource investment and waste, ranks high in sustainability.
Rayon/Modal/Tencel/Lyocell—the soft, “slinky” fabrics. Traditional rayon (viscose), though still a large share of this “cellulosic fiber” family, is not sustainable. With a GHG toll exceeding that of traditional cotton or polyester, it is made from tree pulp subjected to harsh polluting chemicals. The deforestation involved accelerates climate change.
Some more recent kinds of rayon, such as Tencel-Lyocell, are sustainable and highly versatile, as well. Made from certified sustainably grown eucalyptus wood pulp (eucalyptus grows rapidly with minimal water needs), Tencel-Lyocell feels luxurious, is comfortable, breathes, stretches with you, wicks moisture, and is fungus resistant, thus reducing body odor. Further, nearly 99% of the chemicals and water used in the “closed loop” manufacture of Tencel-Lyocell are recycled. Along with its eco-conscious cellulosic cousin, Lenzing-Modal, Tencel, like linen, can eventually be disposed of by composting.
Wool fabrics are beautiful, durable, water repellant, insulating, odor and stain resistant, and compostable. One downside, though, is animal cruelty: The tails of young, wool-bearing sheep are docked to prevent fly borne disease and to promote hygiene. Docking is highly painful for lambs, and the Responsible Wool Standard and ZQ certification advise against such practices, but compliance is voluntary. Other downsides of wool farming include soil erosion, water pollution, the risk of desertification when overgrazing is allowed, and methane emissions from the sheep.
Summing It Up
The field of fabrics and fashion is a complex arena of mixed approaches, motives, dangers, and benefits. However, momentum for increased sustainability is also growing. Major clothing and household cloth goods companies increasingly offer fuller arrays of sustainable fabrics, and some take responsibility for products’ extended lives. A growing market for previously worn clothing lengthens the life of apparel. With increasing availability of sustainable choices, we can shape our fabric purchases and related stewardship to benefit the planet.