What To Wear: Street Chic For The Summer Sunshine
GreenBook: Eco-Luxe City Guide to London
Headed to London? Make sure to skim through our eco-luxe city guide to see where to stay, where to shop and what to do. Cheerio!
TweetJeffrey Campbell for Convert
Jeffrey Campbell partnered with Convert to release a runway ready line of shoes with the eco aesthetic important to so many fashionistas these days. Click through to see the various styles for this exclusive collaboration. We’ve got our eye on the above two styles as statement shoes for summer!
TweetWhat are Sustainable Fibres?
Sustainability is a current hot topic and a word that is often thrown about in regards to fashion, economics, food, development – pretty much anything. But what do we really know about sustainability?
The most common definition of Sustainability is ‘processes and products which meet the needs of today’s society, without compromising resources of the needs of future generations’. To break it down, it means that for something to be sustainable, it needs to be able to continue for a long time, without damaging the environment, society, or becoming too expensive to continue, so that it one day has to stop. For instance, drilling for oil is NOT sustainable, as one day oil resources are going to run out.
So, to fashion. Stylists and designers often showcase their ‘sustainable’ designs, saying that they are made from sustainable fabrics, but what does this actually mean? For a fabric, or fibre, to be sustainable, it needs to be produced without harming the environment, the people involved in producing it, or without costing so much that it one day will not be economically viable to produce it. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to focus on the environmental sustainability of the mentioned fabrics, as the economic and societal impacts of many of these new ‘sustainable fabrics’ are yet unknown.
Many people automatically assume that a ‘sustainable fibre’ is an organic fibre, or a natural one. They will reject any man-made fibres on the ground that they damage the environment. While this is often true, some man-made, or synthetic, fibres can actually be more sustainable than natural ones as they do not use as many resources as the ‘natural fibres’.
In general, the debate over how sustainable natural fibres are surrounds the water and energy consumption during the production of the fibres. Unless the fibres are Organic, then harmful chemicals are often used which not only damage the environment, but are also responsible for thousands of deaths a year. The amount of energy used in turning the cellulose of plants (like cotton or ramie) into a fibre can be huge, and very damaging if the energy source is non renewable. The water consumption of growing natural fibres often leaves others without clean water, and can damage the surrounding soil, making it quickly become infertile.
I’ve put together the pros and cons of a few of the most popular sustainable fibres. Don’t be put out if it feels like I am being highly critical of sustainable fibres. I honestly believe that they are the way forward, as long as these plants and resources are managed carefully.
Cotton
Cotton is a plant which produces little fluffy balls of fibres, which surround the plant’s seeds. This is the fibre that we see spun into fabric and made into clothing. Growing cotton takes a huge amount of water, which would not be used in producing a plastic based or man made fibre. The same is said for the chemical impacts of pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides, which are often used to grow cotton and other natural fibres. Organic materials (check for their certification, don’t just assume anything that says Organic is 100% natural) are guaranteed not to use these chemicals, and so do not damage the environment, or cause water pollution.
Bamboo
You probably know this as either the food of the oh-so-cute Panda, or from furniture manufacturing. However, Bamboo is a fabulous plant which can also be turned into fibres and fabrics. It grows at a rate of up to 6inches a day, and can be grown in close proximity to other plants, so does not need a large area of land per crop. Bamboo doesn’t usually require pesticide or other chemical intervention in its growth, which means that bamboo crops don’t tend to be involved in pollution of water or soil – but just to make sure, try and buy organic where you can! My only qualm with Bamboo fibres, is that in order for them to be produced from the actual bamboo components, it requires a lot of heat energy, water and chemicals. Although the chemicals can be neutralised into harmless salts and other compounds, they use a lot of energy in their production.
Hemp
Before anyone accuses me of supporting drugs – Hemp is NOT the same as Cannabis. Although it comes from the same plant family, it is in no way a narcotic substance. Although often associated with nomadic peoples and, unfortunately, drug users, Hemp is a hugely versatile and safe fabric. Hemp is a plant which can grow in a vast range of climates around the world, making it a widely available family of plant. Hemp, like Bamboo grows very quickly, and is said to be up to 7 times stronger than a cotton fibre – which means when it is recycled it produces a better quality of recycled material than recycled cotton usually does. There are records which show it’s use dating back to 4000BC, which goes to show that it’s a resilient plant! Hemp is a plant which naturally doesn’t attract insects, which means farmers don’t need to use chemicals on their crops, and it also requires little water, which makes it preferable over organic cotton in most cases.
Lyocell (brand name Tencel by Lenzing)
This material is made from wood pulp. It is a durable and absorbent fabric, which makes it very useful in towelling and bags. Like bamboo fibre production, the problem is the chemicals used in the fibre’s production. Although said to biodegrade, there are a lot of chemical’s involved in Lyocell’s production, which are not dissimilar to those used in man made fibres.
Ramie
This is another fibre derived from a plant. It is not widely used in textiles yet, due to the high energy and economic cost of extracting the fibre, and cleaning and preparing it to be used as a fabric. However, it is a fibre derived from plants, which means it is biodegradable.
Recycled polyester/PET
Although the polyester itself is not sustainable as it is made from oil, the recycled fabric makes use of old plastic bottles and bags. So – although the raw material is highly unsustainable, if we could use old plastics and continue to recycle them into new clothes, then perhaps we can make the best of an environmentally damaging fabric. The use of plastics in forming these fibres also prevents the plastics going into landfill – another green bonus!
Seacell
This is a new fibre, made from seaweed and wood pulp. It is biodegradable and a breathable fabric which means it is ideal for underwear or gym clothes. It is said to pass nutrients into the skin, in a similar way to that of having a Seaweed wrap treatment at the gym – although there is not yet any scientific validation of this claim. Personally, I think this is one of my favourite sustainable fibres. As long as the wood pulp comes from either recycled or waste wood (which it normally does), and the removal of seaweed from marine environments is not harmful to the wildlife – it seems to me to be one of the most environmentally sustainable of the fibres available today.
Jute
Growing Jute requires around one tenth of the energy needed to make the equivalent amount of synthetic fibres. It is grown in tropical environments and replies on human labour not chemicals to grow, so as well as being non-polluting, it also helps to employ agricultural labourers, and keeps people employed in a time when synthetic fabric manufacturing is becoming increasingly mechanised. A hectare crop of Jute not only produces around 11tonnes of O2 a year, but also absorbs 15 tonnes of CO2, a small, but notable, Carbon Dioxide sink. Jute is not yet used widely in clothing, but as a tougher fabric, so in handbags, shoes and industrial manufacturing (e.g. insulation). Because it is a natural fibre, it is totally biodegradable, so once you’re done with your Jute bag, you can decompose it. Another favourite!!!
In all, I hope this article has given you a balanced view of sustainable fibres and fabrics. There is a huge amount of great work going on around the world, especially in the fashion and textiles industry, to incorporate these ‘sustainable’ fibres into clothing and apparel. My key tip would be to check the labels of these ‘sustainable’ clothes, and just check to see whether – when made of natural fibre – they are organic or not. Natural fibres, produced with tonnes of pesticides, are often far more damaging to the planet than recycled polyester or certain man made fibres. So, next time you go shopping, just take a few minutes to check the label of your latest find. Is it:
a) Organic?
or
b) A recycled material?
If the answer is yes to either (or both!) then you’re golden.
Happy shopping!
(PS: We left out one up and coming sustainable fibre… can you guess what it is?)
TweetEco-Outfit: Poolside in Mykonos
I haven’t been to Greece for a few years, and this is certainly my first time visiting the islands of the gods so early in their official high season. So, I wasn’t too surprised to find the temperature a tad cooler than I had hoped for. Nonetheless, I packed some warmer layers (coming from London) and was able to sport one of my favorite combos: a sweater with shorts. What Greece currently lacks in the warm weather department (and, ahem, their economic stability…) is more than made up for with the stunning scenery. Here is the breakdown of my poolside eco-outfit:
MONGOLIAN CASHMERE SWEATER, (similar to this one) both from Stewart & Brown, $174. Made with 100% organic cotton and fair trade in Peru.
SHORT SHORT CUTOFFS, (similar to these) both from True Religion, $150. Made in the USA with 100% cotton.
MUGGINS NAIL POLISH, butter LONDON, $14.00. Verifiably 3-free and way less toxic than other brands.
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