With so many problems going on these days – climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation, loss of coral reefs & biodiversity, and water scarcity, just to name a few – the fashion industry is not necessarily top of mind for most people as either a problem or solution. Unfortunately, we have got some bad news for you – the clothing industry is dirty and a significant contributor to environmental & human damage. The good news is that sustainable fashion addresses many of these issues in ways you may not expect.
Sustainable fashion brands create fashion in a way that is most considerate of humanity and the environment, reducing the environmental impact wherever possible. The ultimate goal is to have a system that works without leaving a negative footprint. Want to know more? Here are reasons why sustainable fashion matters.
- Saves Natural Resources
A study from 2015 shows that 97% of what goes into making clothes are new resources, with only 3% of them being recycled materials. This adds up to an annual resource input of 98 million tons – including oil to produce synthetic fibers, fertilizers to grow cotton, and an endless list of chemicals needed to dye & finish fabric.
Recycled fibers have proven to be a much more sustainable option, as they reduce pressure on virgin resources and tackle the growing problem of waste management. As a reference, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL® raw material used for our swimwear, 70,000 Barrels of Oil & 57,100 tons of Co2 are saved compared to the production of virgin nylon.
- Reduces Carbon Footprint
The global fashion industry emits a hefty amount of greenhouse gases per year, thus contributing massively and actively to global warming. One of the reasons is that the vast majority of our beloved clothes are petroleum-based and made from fossil fuels, including polyester, acrylic & nylon (check your clothing labels, you may be surprised). These materials require significantly more energy in the production phase than natural or recycled fibers.
Sustainable brands on the other side often use materials from natural or recycled fabrics that require significantly less to no chemical treatment, little water, less energy, and no fertilizers or pesticides to grow. Most organic fabrics such as linen, hemp, organic cotton & TENCEL™ (made from sustainable wood pulp) are even biodegradable. These environmentally-sound fabrics go easy on the planet and are amazing sustainable alternatives.
- Saves Animal Lives
This may not be news for you, but the fashion industry loves to kill for fashion. A common misconception is that leather, for instance, is a by-product of the meat industry. However, this is not always the case. It’s estimated that the leather industry alone is slaughtering and killing over 430 million animals per year. Not going into more detail here as it’s a topic for itself, but if wish to educate yourself more on animal suffering in the fashion industry, follow this link. PETA has a plethora of articles on this topic.
Sustainable fashion brands have started to increasingly embrace the use of cruelty-free alternatives, and there’s one for nearly every piece of fashion materials – polyester made with trash from the oceans (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?), bags created from recycled seatbelts, plant-based compostable sneakers, silk created from yeast, and bio-fabricated vegan wool. But one of the most demanded leather alternatives these days comes from pineapples. The fabric is produced using the leaves of pineapples in the harvesting process, giving by-product waste a new purpose.
