We have written more about Slow fashion vs Fast fashion | Posted by Sumit chakravarti | 9/Nov/2024
What are sustainable fabrics, and why are they important in today's fashion industry?
The growing awareness of the importance of the environment in the fashion industry has led to the development of sustainable garments and by extension sustainable fabrics. These fabrics are made from organic, recycled, or other forms of bio-based resources, aiming to cause the least damage while promoting just work conditions. Today, where most people are sensitive about making choices that do not harm the environment, sustainable fabrics provide a solution towards a more balanced and moral outlook of the fashion industry.
Benefits of Sustainable Fabrics
Sustainable materials come with a plethora of benefits that are appealing to users, companies and the ecosystem as well. That is why indeed this innovation of sustainable fabrics is disrupting the fashion industry:
Minimized Environmental Impact: Thanks to using less resource, producing less waste and encouraging compostable products, eco-friendly textiles lessen pollution and reduce exploitation of natural resources.
Social or Economic Factors: Companies paying attention to green textile make use of sustainable fabrics tend to support ethical working conditions and fair wages.
Healthier Environment: For the most part, sustainable fabrics are free from toxic components thus helps to avoid pollution of water bodies, air and land.
Key Sustainable Fabrics
Several sustainable fabrics are available today, each offering unique properties and benefits. Let’s explore some of the most popular ones.
Key Sustainable Fabrics
Several sustainable fabrics are available today, each offering unique properties and benefits. Let’s explore some of the most popular ones.
Organic cotton
As organic cotton cultivation does not involve any form of chemical pesticides or genetically modified organisms, it is less harmful to the environment and the people who work in it. It requires less water compared to traditional cotton and is generally less chemical intensive in its processing.
Environmental Benefits: Less water consumption and farming free from pesticides
Physical Benefits: Cuddly, free and easy to breathe, and non-irritating to the skin
Uses: Apparel, linens, and infant care items.
Hemp
Hemp is an elastic, thick material made from the stalk of hemp plant. Its high renewable rate and short water consumption makes it an eco-friendly fabric.
Advantages: Biodegradable, durable and moisture-wicking
Use cases: Fit for t-shirts, purses and bedding
Eco-system: Cultivated in a variety of regions without the excessive use of insecticides.
Tencel (Lyocell)
Tencel, also known as Lyocell, is made from wood pulp, often derived from eucalyptus trees. Its closed-loop manufacturing process recycles 99% of solvents, making it one of the most sustainable choices.
- Benefits: Soft, durable, and biodegradable
- Applications: Activewear, bedding, and casual wear
- Environmental Impact: Minimal water usage and renewable resources
Bamboo Fabrics
Compressed bamboo fabric is a textile made from bamboo-based pulp obtained from fast growing bamboo trees. Within the alternative fiber industries, while a few bamboo processing techniques tend to be eco-unfriendly, the mechanical processing of bamboo is still the most sustainable processing method of all.
Soft, moisture resistant and comes from a biodegradable source
Used in: Garments, Domestic fabrics and embellishments
Environmental concern: It has a fast growth rate and can be produced with minimal water consumption.
Recycled Polyester
Recycled polyester or is made using the waste plastics and thus ensures that these materials do not end up causing waste in landfills or even in the oceans. It possesses strength and capability to draw perspiration away from the body making it suitable for use in garments designed for sport and other active pursuits.
Advantages: Tackles plastic waste, tough and adaptable
Uses: Jackets, active clothes and satchels
Environmental effects: Lessens the use of new polyester
Linen
Even after being woven, the fashion fabric called linen retains its characteristic breathability and strength. It is a fabric grown from flax which has a better waste index. That is because it can be grown on poor soils and only requires low to medium rainfall making it one of the earliest and most ecologically friendly fabrics.
Pros: everlasting, airy, and comfortable
Usage: Active wear, duvets, and other items
Ecological Concerns: Little irrigation required, and low herbicides used
Innovative Sustainable Fabrics
The sustainable fashion industry is constantly evolving with new materials that prioritize eco-friendliness.
- Pinatex (Pineapple Leather): A vegan leather alternative made from pineapple leaves, ideal for accessories.
- Econyl (Regenerated Nylon): Made from waste materials like discarded fishing nets, this fabric is fully recyclable.
- Lab-Grown Leather: Created in labs to mimic traditional leather without the environmental toll of livestock farming.
Certifications for Sustainable Fabrics
If you want to make sure the fabrics you use are of a high standard in sustainability, it is advisable to go for certifications such as:
GOTS: It guarantees organic quality and social responsibility
OEKO-TEX: Certifies fabrics aren’t toxic
Fair Trade: Promotes the ideals of social justice and environmental protection
Cradle to Cradle: Assess sustainability across the entire lifecycle of products
FAQS
Most sustainable fabrics
Environmentally friendly textile materials and processes are sustainable fabrics. Most of ingrain those practices use natural fibers and organic or recycled textures and are made with little water, chemicals, and energy.
Is viscose sustainable fabrics?
Viscose in its conventional form is hardly sustainable, yet innovative alternatives such as Tencel and Ecovero are more environmentally responsible. In selecting viscose, do check if the company has sustainable practices and their certifications as this is key.
Are linen fabrics sustainable?
Definitely, linen based fabrics can be rated as highly green, environmentally friendly. Flax plants, from which linen fabric s made, need less water, sprays and fertilizers than many other agricultural plants. Linen fabrics are also biodegradable, strong and long lasting which allows for years of wearing or usage. Furthermore, farming of flax crops is beneficial to the soil enabling the production of linen fabrics that are perfect for green fashion and home textiles.