Okay, so Earth Day has passed and I know most of you took part in the events to demonstrate your concern for the environment. The way you celebrated the event may have been different depending on where you lived or stayed during that time (you may have been taking a vacation in Italy and attended the concert) However, it’s not only during Earth Day that you can show it. Recycling, energy-saving methods, waste segregation - these are but the most common practices people do everyday. Instead, why not show your love for mother nature with clothes!
You might have seen clothes that are labeled as “environment-friendly” in stores. But what, exactly, makes them different from the others? As you might have guessed, it’s the fabric! Just growing your regular cotton requires a huge amount of insecticide and water. The production of the fabric itself produces chemicals that are harmful to the environment.
So how can a certain material be considered environment-friendly?
- First, renewability. The shorter the time the resource can be renewed, the better.
- Second, the amount of resources that are needed to produce the material - of course, lesser is better.
- Third, the amount of space required to produce it.
- And fourth, the amount of chemicals required for processing to make it available in the market.
With those factors in mind, here are three examples of fabrics that are considered as environment friendly:
Hemp - No, not marijuana. Ha ha. Hemp is easily the one with the most potential for being environment-friendly. The crop grows very quickly and requires less care than the other crops used to make fabric. It can also grow with just the normal amount of rainfall instead of artificial methods like, say, irrigation. Hemp has the natural property of being mold and rot resistant so imagine that on your clothes! (Left picture taken from http://www.simpleshoes.com/ecosneaks/)
Wool - I’m sure when somebody says wool, the word “sheep” immediately comes into mind. True enough, wool is the fiber acquired from the hair of sheep, goats, and other domestic animals. With that in mind, insecticides are out of the question since the fabric comes from animals, not plants. However, there are a few downsides to it. Animals, of course, secrete waste material - and while grazing, may go into bodies of water like rivers. Second, the material needs to be bleached to make it white which requires the use of chemicals that are potentially harmful to the environment. (Right picture taken from http://www.marcjacobs.com)
Linen - Linen is made from flax and is one of the oldest produced fabrics in the world. The plant requires minimal fertilizer and pesticides, so that’s a good thing. The fabric is soft, flexible, and it is also stronger than cotton. Depending on the method used for harvesting and processing, it may or may not be environmental friendly. Of course, if the natural methods are used it’s definitely environment-friendly. (Left picture taken from http://www.underthecanopy.com).
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