Sustainable fabrics reduce the fashion industry’s environmental footprint. They prioritize eco-friendly production materials and processes, which minimize water usage and chemical waste. For example, hemp requires no pesticides to grow and returns nutrients to the soil. Lenzing modal is carbon neutral and made with a closed-loop process.
When shopping for clothes, choose ethically sourced down and other sustainable fabrics. Read on for tips for selecting the best sustainable material for your next project.
Linen
Linen is a classic summer favorite, known for its durability and timeless style. It’s also eco-friendly, requiring less water to grow than cotton, and can biodegrade when discarded.
The fiber comes from the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum), which grows well in cool climates and needs minimal fertilizer to thrive. Across its life cycle, the plant helps to sequester and remove CO2 from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate climate change.
When shopping for linen, look for OEKO-TEX or STeP certifications. These independent certifications indicate that the fabric was produced using environmentally friendly methods. Additionally, look for materials that are Fair Trade certified or approved, which means the manufacturer paid fair prices to workers and ensured a safe workplace. These fabrics were dyed using natural pigments, safer for the environment than synthetic chemicals. Finally, choose moth-resistant linen – this will reduce the need for chemical treatment of garments during storage and help preserve the textile’s longevity.
Cotton
Despite being one of the most popular natural fibers, cotton has enormous environmental impacts when not grown sustainably. Conventional cotton farming often uses agrichemicals such as herbicides, insecticides, synthetic fertilizers, and growth regulators that pollute the soil water supply and negatively impact farmers’ health. Additionally, cotton is one of the most water-intensive crops. Rivers surrounding areas of cotton farming often dry up and devastate local ecosystems.
For sustainable fabric options, look for the Global Organic Textile Standard certifications to ensure the textiles are not made from chemically treated fibers. You also want to look for Fair Trade or Fair Wear certification to ensure workers are paid a fair wage and work in safe, hygienic conditions.
A final consideration is whether or not the fabric is recycled, as this can reduce the need for new materials to be produced. Choosing a biodegradable textile is also a good idea, as this can help minimize waste and pollution in landfills. However, if the fabric is not recyclable, choosing a more sustainable natural or synthetic material may be better.