Choosing sustainable fabrics is a critical step in making eco-friendly fashion. Thankfully, there are many options when it comes to green textiles.
The rates of many standard fabrics on their environmental impact. However, it isn’t accurate to call any one material “the most sustainable.”
For example, wool scored poorly, as it requires animal agriculture and uses chemically intensive dyes.
Reduced Carbon Footprint
Fabric production is one of the most significant carbon footprint-producing industries, responsible for four percent of human-made global emissions. This includes the cultivation of the fibers and plants used to make them and the transportation, manufacturing, and disposal of garments at the end of their lifecycle.
Choosing a sustainable fabric can drastically reduce this impact. For instance, dry processing methods, such as pressing and dyeing with pressurized CO2, can significantly reduce the production process’s water usage, energy consumption, and chemical pollution.
Other sustainable fabrics include recycled cotton, hemp, linen, sustainably produced viscose, and lyocell. These fabrics require less water, toxic chemicals, and pesticides than traditional synthetic materials.
In addition to reducing a garment’s environmental impact during its manufacture, brands can also lower their footprint by increasing the lifespan of their products. This can be achieved by lowering washing temperatures and frequency and avoiding tumble drying, which can prevent the release of microplastics into our oceans and waterways. It is widely used to assess a fabric’s sustainability, fails to account for these factors and, therefore, can be misleading.
Reduced Water Consumption
Unlike synthetic fabrics, sustainable fabrics cause less environmental damage during design, production, and disposal. They usually use natural or recycled materials requiring little chemical treatment and consume significantly less water.
Despite the popularity of animal-derived wool, it’s a highly resource-intensive fiber. Recycled yarn, however, reduces these issues while remaining warm and comfortable. Hemp, organic cotton, and Tencel (made from sustainably produced wood pulp) are environmentally sound fibers.
The clothing industry uses enough water yearly to fill two million Olympic-sized pools, and companies dump toxic dye waste into our oceans. This wastewater contaminates rivers and lakes, directly damaging biodiversity with immediate toxicity and indirectly polluting underground aquifers.
To combat this issue, some rank twenty-eight common textiles in six categories: greenhouse gas emissions, human toxicity, eco-toxicity, energy, and water consumption. These metrics do not address ethical concerns, though. For example, the bamboo used in some products is harvested from a natural shoot that proliferates and does not need fertilization or irrigation. This is much better than conventional cotton, which uses massive amounts of water and chemicals to process.
Reduced Waste
Discarded clothing accounts for a large portion of the textile waste in landfills, contributing to environmental pollution. The decomposition of these fabrics contaminates soil and water, releases harmful gases into the air, and contributes to global warming.
Sustainable fabrics cause less environmental damage during design, manufacturing, and disposal. These fabrics are typically made from natural or recycled materials, and even synthetic fabric options are often more environmentally friendly than traditional fabrics.
In addition to their lower environmental footprint, many of the fibers used in sustainable fabrics are also harvested and produced using sustainable methods. These fabrics can be composted in a community or municipal composting program, thereby diverting waste from landfills and supporting the circular economy.
Several types of sustainable fabrics are available today, including pinatas (a vegan leather made from pineapple leaves), lyocell (made from wood pulp and the by-product of coffee production), and Econyl, a regenerated nylon produced from ocean plastic and landfill waste. These and other sustainable fabrics are good for brands looking to improve their sustainability profile and increase brand trust among consumers.
Increased Product Lifespan
Consumers’ desire to lead greener lifestyles has extended beyond just recycling as they become more aware of their impact on the planet. One of the easiest ways to improve your environmental impact is to choose sustainable fabrics for your clothing.
The fabric production process is one of the most polluting industries and can cause many health concerns – including exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins. This includes bleaching, dyeing with carcinogenic dyes, and chemical processing.
Many lands are cleared to grow fiber crops, leading to deforestation in some of the world’s endangered forests. This is especially true in Indonesia, where more forest was cut down for fiber crop production than for logging and palm oil production.
You can opt for organic or recycled fabrics made from plant-based or non-synthetic fibers to reduce this impact. Some of the most sustainable materials on the market are cotton, hemp, and linen. They require less water and fewer pesticides than other textiles, which can significantly impact the environment. Another popular choice is lyocell, which comes from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees that don’t need a lot of water or pesticides to grow.
Increased Comfort
Using eco-friendly fabrics reduces carbon emissions, water consumption, and waste. It also reduces the use of harmful chemicals and toxins in production. The clothing industry is responsible for 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, which can be reduced by choosing sustainable fabrics.
The resulting garments made from sustainable fabrics are typically softer and more comfortable than their synthetic counterparts. They are also breathable and hypoallergenic, which makes them ideal for sensitive skin. They are also made to last longer and can be recycled or swapped online for a new look after years of wear.
More sustainable fabrics include hemp, bamboo, and other fast-growing, regenerative plants. They do not need pesticides to grow, which significantly lowers their environmental impact. Wool is another sustainable option as it uses fewer resources and produces fewer toxic chemicals. However, it can be harder to wash and can cause abrasions. Polyester, however, is a highly poisonous fabric that requires excessive amounts of water in its production and can take up to 200 years to biodegrade.