The clothing and textile industry has been getting a lot of negative press in the past few years – and with good reason. The textile industry creates massive amounts of pollution at every step from of the way throughout the entire life of a fabric.
Natural fabrics such as cotton produce staggering amounts of pollution and water waste just to grow the plant. The same goes for the processing of the raw materials, and the processing of the fabric after it’s been woven. Synthetics aren’t any better. Then there is the added carbon footprint if the purchaser uses toxic bleaches and/or detergents, and add that to the energy that goes into washing and drying the item. From there, it tends to end up in a landfill – according to the EPA, only around 15 percent of textiles are recycled.
To add insult to injury, Wal-Mart and H&M were both recently caught destroying and throwing away unworn clothing in New York City. This is hugely wasteful – New York City alone throws 386 million pounds of clothing into the waste stream each year. It also comes during a bitterly cold winter when thousands of homeless don’t have adequate clothing. I understand that they were trying to protect their business, but, really people? It’s okay though, H&M recently announced that their spring line was going to feature eco-fashion – clothing made from recycled and organic fabrics.
Indeed, there has in recent years been an upward trend in the demand for clothing made from organic materials, or clothing that was grown and created in more sustainable manners (i.e., bamboo fabrics). Even Wal-Mart hopped on the organic textiles bandwagon.
There are also businesses stepping up to reduce some of that waste. Wearable Collections is promoting their clothing recycling efforts to set up drop-off bins, which they pick up free of charge and take the clothing away to be recycled.
And there are companies that are taking the next step toward sustainability. In the UK, for example, they have created a “Sustainable Clothing Action Plan” where they are making huge efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing industry. They have even developed a Carbon Reduction Label to show consumers exactly how much of a carbon footprint the garment or textile has – including the personal contributions of the buyer.
Sustainable, or Eco-Fashion, takes into account how traditional textile production practices like “washing wool, separating flax fibers from stalks, tanning leather, bleaching, dying, printing and finishing consume large amounts of water and energy, use toxic chemicals and produce effluents that can pollute air, water and soil," according to an article from the UN News Center.
Some of the fashion industry has also stepped up to promote environmental causes. Designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Manish Arora, Bora Aksu, and Thakoon have teamed up with the UN to put on a EcoChic Geneva 2010, a fashion show that will serve as a call to action against dwindling biodiversity across the globe as well as continue to promote eco-fashion. Set to premier January 20-21, the show will also feature the clothing of sustainable fashion companies like Edun, Noir, Ciel, and Kumvana Gomani.
Through this fashion show, designers hope to promote eco-fashion while also calling for action against biodiversity loss. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 22 percent of all known mammals, and 70 percent of plant species are at the brink of extinction.
Hopefully the clothing industry will continue to support environmental causes while changing their own practices.
