Did you know the piece of cloth you are wearing has caused so much of atrocities on the environment and the people involved in producing such a fine piece of fabric? Well I was not aware of it too, until this point of my life!! It will be very untrue if I said I am wearing completely sustainable clothing but it is 100% true I am transitioning and now making informed choices.
Well this is a very deep topic which I can just throw some light on, in this blog. We will cover more details about it in our coming blogs.
WHAT ARE SUSTAINABLE FABRICS?
Sustainable fabrics are those which have the minimum impact on the environment, the health of the farmers and artisans producing the fabrics.
Sustainability in fabrics includes two aspects
The fabric raw material.
The people producing the fabric in factories.
There are Natural fabrics and Man-made chemical laden fabrics. Obviously from the name itself I am sure you know what's the best choice to fit in the Eco-system.
Natural fabrics are the best choice right? But with a need to meet huge demands of fast fashion these natural fabrics are no more produced sustainably!!
Biggest culprit in natural fabrics is conventional cotton which is used in production of maximum of our clothes. In order to produce more cotton to meet the growing demands and make clothing cheaper and profitable to the businesses, these crops are genetically modified and sprayed with tons of harmful pesticides leaving the farmers susceptible to such dangerous diseases and their families so vulnerable to infections and genetic disorders!! To know more how it adds to the environmental disaster you can read further here
Sustainable natural fabrics include Organic cotton, Hemp, Linen, Ahimsa silk, Lyocell etc. To know more on organic cotton you can read at the above link.
These are the fabrics you can choose which fit into the Eco-system.
We will cover in detail about each type of sustainable fabric in our later blogs.. Do hang in!
Chemical or man-made fabrics include - Polyester, Rayon, Nylon, Chiffon etc.. These fabrics are actually produced from petroleum so basically come in the vicious Plastic category!! During every wash cycle in the washing machine or by hand it releases thousands of micro-plastics that escape through the drains and pollute the ground water. This ground water in turn merges to the Sea and ends up in the marine life thus slowly killing them with this poison. The micro-plastics thus ingested by the marine life ends up into our food chain! The whole Eco-system is disrupted due to these man-made intelligent inventions!!
We can buy these fabrics at a much affordable cost but at the cost of ruining the whole Eco-system….
To read more on micro-plastics check the link here
Did you know what is the actual value of your cheap fashionable clothing??
This documentary called the ''The True cost'' will walk you through the whole process...Do watch if interested here:
It is also available on NETFLIX
FAIR-TRADE - IMPORTANT ASPECT OF SUSTAINABLE FABRICS
This is the certification which ensures that the textile industry producing these fabrics pays the standard living wages as set by the Government to their workers. It ensures the people involved are treated fairly. It ensures they have a clean and healthy environment, insurance and proper medical facility. There is no child labor involved.
Hence choosing Fair-trade would be caring for our fellow humans who are helping us get a perfect attire for any occasion!! Even though natural and Fair-trade textiles are slightly more in price it is worth investing in them. Best bet is buy only when needed and reuse, recycle and reduce the pace at which fast fashion is growing!!
To meet the fashion needs we buy more than needed, ultimately to find no place for our clothes in the wardrobes so maximum of the clothes get thrown away leading to almost on an average of 70 pounds per person annually that end up in the landfills!!
A minimalist living is the key to a sustainable living.
CONCLUSION
Eco-friendly fabrics produced under Fair-trade conditions, Minimalist living, Reusing and recycling clothes is the best solution to reduce the burden on our ecosystems.
Textiles can be recycled almost 100%. So please do your bit to save the Planet and the people! Make better choices so we can save each other and the Planet.
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