the lowdown on eco-fabrics
With so many companies touting green products, it’s hard to differentiate between true green initiatives and (truly) good marketing campaigns. To help you wade through some of the hype, we’ve put together a quick guide to green fabrics.
organic cotton
Twenty-five percent of the world’s insecticides are used on conventional cotton. While organic cotton offers an appealing alternative because it’s pesticide free, it’s not without caveats. First, cotton of any kind requires a tremendous amount of water to grow—about 715 gallons per shirt. Second, since the United States is only responsible for about 2 percent of worldwide cotton production, organic cotton is typically grown abroad and shipped overseas, resulting in a pretty hefty carbon footprint. Your best bet is to buy from U.S.-grown sources. Check out Brand of the Free for graphic tees made from cotton in Texas.
bamboo
Bamboo, as a plant, is unbelievably sustainable to grow—it’s the process from farm to fabric that’s laden with chemical treatments. The result? A very small percentage of bamboo fabric can be certified sustainable. There’s a small segment of bamboo fabric production that doesn’t use chemicals, but the process is labor and resource intensive and, therefore, much more costly.
hemp
Hemp is naturally a very sustainable crop that requires little water and typically no chemicals to produce, and yields a much larger harvest than cotton. Since hemp produces a coarser fabric, it’s great for tougher materials like jeans and outerwear. However, because of U.S. restrictions on hemp growth, much like organic cotton, hemp is largely grown overseas.
recycled PET fabric
On the synthetic side, recycled PET fabric, made from post-consumer plastics, is a seriously sustainable contender. In its original form, PET is used to make plastic bottles and polyester. Recycled PET can be made into fiber for nearly anything from carpet to clothing. The fabric feels similar to polyester and works especially well with outdoor wear. Check out Nau for a modern, super sleek line of recycled polyester clothing.
The bottom line? Buy local when possible, buy hemp or organic cotton when it’s not, and think of recycled synthetics as a major part of the solution.
