Who Says Your Clothes Are Eco-Friendly? That Depends
With 55 million pounds of pesticides sprayed on clothes yearly, the EPA considers seven of the top 15 of these pesticides used on cotton in the United States as “possible,” “likely,” “probable,” or “known” to cause cancer in humans.
Thanks to various agencies safeguarding what we wear, “Eco-Friendly” clothing is being subjected to many production standards much like the green building industry from organizations like the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the International Market for Sustainable Apparel (registry required) and the Organic Trade Association.
Which organization do you trust to set the standard for accountability? The jury’s still out.
One thing we know is that as the green movement proves it’s not just a trend, designers, buyers and shoppers will want proof of purchase so they can put their own green towards sustainable lines – and not feel so gullible. Until we have one standard to go by here are a few things you can do:
Do your homework. Many times we just accept that an item is organic without doing some research. A garment can be organic but still have a large carbon footprint.
Learn about different eco-fabrics that are available. Organic cotton and wool, tencel, soy and modal are some of the more popular choices.
Email the designers. Realize there are many ways designers can up the ante on eco-conscious production methods by recycling and using alternative energy at their design houses, implementing fair-trade practices and using natural dyes. Many of these eco-friendly designers are accessible through their websites.
Buy locally-sourced. Support your local designers and artists who use less fuel to get their goods to local stores. Not only will you help to sustain a small business, you’ll feel better knowing exactly where your goods came from.
Now that you have all this helpful information, what do you plan on doing with it?
Editor’s note: Please welcome our new fashion writer, Amy DuFault. You can learn about Amy here.
Image: ontwerpplus
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11 Comments
January 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Fantastic Amy! Look forward to reading more wonderful articles
January 5th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Thanks for the suggestions. I look forward to more of your articles!
January 5th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Very informative post, Amy. Good work.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Yes, this is all very true, as an eco designer myself, I know the importance of accountability.
We produce all of our garments in Portland, Oregon, and use many locally reused fabrics as well as domestic organic cotton.
http://www.emilykatz.com
January 5th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
This is such important information for consumers today… thank you for the great article!
I’m a jewelry designer based in Portland, OR… If you’re interested in knowing one of the ways that jewelry can be made sustainably, visit akvintage.com!!
January 5th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Great article. Good points, makes me think and makes me a little scared about what is in my clothes and who is making them!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Wow, thank you for that information….scary but necessary. My skin has always been sensitive to the sizing in clothes….this is a whole new level of concern. of course i would much rather support local artists….would love to know find a list of Cape Cod designers.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Well, what do I plan on doing about it?
I like to knit and have seen some soy and bamboo yarns on the internet. Not sure exactly where they’re made. But, I guess, that’s for me to find out.
Elly
January 10th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Thank you for this informative article! It’s nice to learn the details of a trend that’s here to stay. Your suggestions are very do-able.
February 25th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
This is such an important topic. Just as everything ‘organic’ that you eat ‘aint necessarily so” the same is true for what you put on your back. To me this is a process. From being aware to making decisions to changing your lifestyle. As a designer of Elegant Ethical Apparel, I am on this journey as well. I think every step is an important one. Thanks for this article.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Thanks Idia’Dega for being a great designer!
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