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Loading...Tips for More Eco-Friendly Clothing
- The Nature Conservancy
- May 3, 2012
- 10:36 am
- 48 comments
Some of the environmental impacts of clothes production include:
- Energy: agricultural energy for natural fibers, mining/processing for synthetic ones, production and processing of the fabric and finished product, and shipping between the various factories involved.
- Toxic chemicals: pesticides whether synthetic or organic, dyes and bleaches, chemical processing for fibers like bamboo or rayon, etc.
- Land/natural resources: natural fibers can require large areas for production, synthetic ones typically require petrochemicals
- Water: mostly irrigation of cotton, although all fabrics require some water use during production
Ideally, any “eco-friendly” clothing would have low scores on all these environmental impacts and consumers would have easy choices. But the reality is not so simple.
Take cotton as an example. Although cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop in the world, even switching to organic isn’t a “slam dunk.” While organic cotton does mean less use of toxic pesticides, it can also sometimes result in more water usage, generally has to be shipped farther (since most organic cotton is grown overseas), and may require more land. To complicate things further, the word organic means different things on different labels, and organic cotton may still be dyed with toxic heavy metals (as many other fabrics are).
The trick is that sometimes organic cotton is great—for instance, if it is rain-fed, locally sourced and processed. But sometimes it has a bigger impact than conventional cotton. By the same token, many emerging “green fibers” have a catch of some kind: bamboo is fast growing and needs relatively little pesticide or fertilizer, but on the other hand bamboo clothing is just a kind of rayon and the production process involves toxic chemicals.
Read more: Beauty, Eco-friendly tips, Fashion, Green, bamboo, clothesline, cotton, eco-friendly clothing, front-loading washer, Gaiam, Global Organic Textile Standards, green clothes, green wardrobe, hemp, Jon Fisher, organic cotton, phosphate-free detergent, rayon, The Nature Conservancy, toxic chemicals, used clothing, ventless dryer
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
people are talking
I could move there now! :) smile
Well Wow! Thanks for sharing.
Definitly gonna try some,thanks.
I am both a cat person and a dog person - having both is WONDERFUL - especially if they are from res…
Some interesting ideas.... thank you for sharing!
48 comments
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Ploughcroft
Thanks.
Those interested in this topic might want to read about a new labeling scheme that measures how green various clothing options are: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443570904577547610634945308.html
Tips for More Eco-Friendly Clothing
Beauty and Fashion
Eco Fashion World
http://www.ecofashionworld.com/
The washing machine doesn't have to be a front-loader these days, but it should be energy star complaint. Buying an energy efficient washer does help. Drying racks also are more gentle on clothes than dryers are, so you get two energy savings with them - you don't use a dryer and your clothes need replacing less often.
Thank you what a great article. I will use your tips wisely :)
Side loaders aren't that great and can cost you more money to repair in the long run, side loaders are known to break down, and a rotten fungus grows inside the machine making your clothes stink.. the other tips are good :)
Thanks for this article. Seems like it's a no win situation when it comes to clothing. Fashion dictates how we should dress, which is the trend etc. Again, it points to excessive consumerism. It is possible to do without a clothes dryer- I've done it for decades ,so do some friends who have limited space. The younger generation are growing up with a pile of clothes, a lot more than they really need.what message do they get from this custom?
use soapnuts to wash! they work great (although not in cold water) and are completely natural (although they are grown overseas and must be shipped - still less harmful for mother earth than synthetic detergents)
Choose sustainable materials for one's clothing such as Bamboo and Hemp and re-purpose old clothing in to new re-useable items when clothing has become worn. Great suggestions though
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