Sustainable, Eco-Friendly textiles used in Fashion

It has become more and more apparent that consumers of all ages are at least interested in shopping more sustainably, and carry a sense of awareness and responsibility for the environmental impact of non-biodegradable fabrics. Studies show that the demand has grown substantially for more environmentally-friendly alternatives. The Global Sustainability Study 2021 reveals that we are living within a global paradigm shift of sorts when it comes to how consumers view sustainability. Sustainability is ranked top 5 value driver by 50% of consumers. Buyers are no long thinking of sustainability as an exception or option, it is now the expectation, leaving companies and brands with pressure to adapt. Offering sustainable products or services is a must.

In this post, I will share some common sustainable materials and eco-friendly alternatives used in the fashion apparel and footwear industry.

Pineapple Leather. Pinatex is an invention that uses portions of the pineapple plant as an all-natural raw material to make vegan leather. The pineapple industry harvests about 27.5 million tons of pineapples and generates 76 million tons of waste pineapples leaves that would be burned or left to rot if not recycled.

Pinatex leather is 100% animal free, and is made from recycled pineapple crop. The process simply transforms pineapple leaf fibers, polylactic acid (PLA) and petroleum-based resin into a vegan leather that is durable and can last from three to four years, or longer if cared for properly. This beautiful vegan leather can also be naturally dyed and comes in an array of colors.

Mushroom Fabric. Considerably one of the most sustainable materials to work with is mycelium. Mushroom leather is made from mycelium which is the vegetative part of a fungus. It is an incredibly versatile organic material whose network of filament grows underground, beneath the forest floor. It requires minimal resources, water and electricity to grow. It’s a natural fiber that is lightweight, naturally absorbent, insulating and most of all biodegradable.

Organic Hemp. Hemp is a natural plant fiber from the stems of a cannabis plant. It is carbon positive meaning it converts carbon into usable biomass, as well as being zero waste. Every part of the hemp plant can be used by humans, even the seeds. The plant uses little water to grow and actually replenishes the soil’s health with nutrients. Hemp is extremely versatile, its fibers (similar to cotton) can be used for paper, canvas, clothing and rope. It is biodegradable, lightweight, durable and long-lasting.

Nike Sustainable Materials Range. Nike is leading apparel and footwear companies in North America for its environmental and social performance. The brand is on a journey to “Move to Zero” which is using science to become zero carbon and zero waste by reusing existing plastics, yarns and textiles. Their overall goal is to reduce carbon emissions and their environmental impact, all while creating lasting products.

Nike is pushing the envelope with its materials. Nike Forward is an all-new material that’s made from ultra thin, ultra futuristic needle punched layers. It has 75% reduce carbon footprint than the original knit fleece. The company’s recycled polyester is made from plastic bottles. Nike diverts an annual average of 1 billion plastic bottles from landfills and waterways. This along lowers the company’s carbon emission by up to 30%. Next up, Nike recycles more than 1.5 million pounds of cotton each year. One hundred percent of all cotton used by the company is organic, recycled or BCI. Recycled nylons (made from carpets and used fish nets) are processed and used as yarn. The recycled nylon yarn reduces carbon emissions by 50% compared to virgin nylon. The Space Waste Yarn upper used in the Space Hippie collection includes 75% recycled polyester made from plastic bottles, t-shirts and yarn scraps. The Nike Flyknit is a lightweight fabric engineered from 60% less waste than traditional footwear and contains 6-7 plastic bottles.

Rose Silk (or Sylk). This beautiful fiber is made from the natural waste of rose bushes and stems. I become aware of the usage of this fabric from my research on brands who showed during NYFW and measures they took to be sustainable. I learned that Collina Strada used rose sylk in her ready to wear collection.

Fashion Week can be Sustainable

Sustainable Fashion Month

Fashion Month is upon us, and to no one’s surprise my favorite of them all kicks it off – Copenhagen.  Fashion enthusiast travel to Denmark’s capital for bright colors, fun prints and most importantly a peek at how fashion brands successfully approach sustainability. 

 At first glance Munthe stood out with its clean, crisp color palette of hues of blue, kelly green, mustard and rust. The collection spoke to my love for ease in dressing all while including key wardrobe staples that I gravitate towards.  An all-inclusive band of models (representing all sizes and races) hit the runways adorned in oversized denim, jackets, flowy two-piece sets and hypebeast-esque sneakers.  I am willing to guarantee this collection is a fan favorite because it’s one of my favs for sure.

As we all know, Copenhagen Fashion Week’s organizers are challenging participants to create action plans behind obtaining sustainability in the apparel and textile sector.  The demand is for industry players to realize the negative impact of past practices, and to therefore, proactively change the way we co-exist in the fashion world.  Climate change is taking a toll on our planet.  

Munthe strives towards become a more sustainable brand by complying with the new set of standards by Copenhagen Fashion Week.  The brand’s current collection is 64% “responsibly made” meaning more than 50% of the fabric composition is made from sustainable materials.  Aside from conscious sourcing, Munthe has sustainability requirements integrated into its business strategy, CSR strategy, Code of Conduct, travel, packaging, and purchase policy.  This brand ultimately hopes to become zero waste and attain carbon neutrality within in the next few years.

Global Fashion Summit - Copenhagen Edition

Alliance for a New Era 

This year I had the honored of being invited to the Global Fashion Agenda’s annual summit.  If you have been following for some time, then you know that fashion circularity is something that I am most passionate about.  Over a decade ago, I fell in love for thrifting and shopping pre-loved and vintage items. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how inexpensive such well-made and unique the secondhand clothing was.  Unfortunately, I later realized that not everyone had such an appreciation and fondness for discovering Something New, among others’ Something Old.  Trend led, fast fashion was much more appealing to my counterparts.  Social media and immediate access to what celebrities were wearing on and off duty pushed the masses to covet designer.    

As fashion consumers have become more enthralled in “see now, wear now”; fashion production has ultimately increased sending the global fashion supply chain into overdrive.  Currently the way clothing is mass produced is unsustainable.  Our planet is subjected to increase greenhouse gas emissions, incinerations have increased, and the entire process of manufacturing fabrics and textiles requires copious amounts of water.   

The purpose of the Global Fashion Agenda’s fashion summit is to simply assemble like-minded, change makers and stakeholders into the same room and create solutions and new initiatives that will have positive impact on the planet, as well as forge to achieve net zero within the sector.  Reversing the effects of the negligence caused by the fashion industry requires the formation of alliances through commitment and legislation.

A major takeaway was realizing that simply shipping secondhand clothing to a developing country isn’t offering much service, aid or relief to the people.  As Liz Ricketts of the Or Foundation so vividly explained, that in the global North we consider this redistribution of clothing or textiles as circularity, diversion, charity, or recycling.  When in actuality, 40% of all the 15 million garments of clothing that land on the continent of Africa weekly goes to waste and ends up in landfills.  This idea of waste management doesn’t empower the players of the Global South at all.  The secondhand clothing trade is a one-sided operation of blatant “disaster capitalism” which primarily benefits the Global North through the subsidization of domestic jobs.  Many view importing secondhand clothing into the global South as negligent.  The suppliers of the clothing and textiles are providing low-cost resources and waste management solutions. 

Social manipulators are leveraging the desperation of the citizens, in these parts of the World, who are simply looking to participate in fair trade practices and earn a living wage.  Unfortunately, there isn’t an wholly exhibit of circularity.

Many consider the supply chain power dynamic as linear and believe it doesn’t empower all stakeholders.  Thus, leaving the economy off balance.  As Liz Ricketts said during a panel that “instead of redistributing materials focus on redistributing wealth and power”, which would ensure equity and justice for all.

Moving Forward…

So, it’s safe to say that exporting secondhand clothing to the global South isn’t sustainable or useful, but only acts as a temporary waste management solution for the global North.  Creating a truly circular economy is what will ultimately lead to cleaner, greener Planet with empowered inhabitants. 

Radical redefining would require systemic changes and mindset shifts from all stakeholders, especially industry brands.  Unfortunately, many brands are seeking the cheapest manufacturer to produce their goods, in hopes of gaining a competitive advantage with reduced labor cost and minimal worker labor rights. Being practical, ethical and solution oriented have taken a back seat as many producers are fast-tracking the race to the bottom.   

In fact, brands must begin moving beyond simple ideas such as transparency or traceability, and focus moreso on progressive, tangible selective solutions.  Readjustments will start when alliances are built within supply chains.  One of the standout ERP policy announcements from the event was the OR Foundation and SHEIN partnership.  Because the brand acknowledges that their waste may be ending up in landfills in the global South, SHEIN is donating $50 million USD over the next 5 years for waste management in those affected communities. This is an outstanding way to shift power dynamics and foster real system change through action.   

Other policy and legislative solutions mentioned during the summit included the Paris Agreement for Climate Change Agenda.  This intergovernmental agreement between 197 entities works to limit global greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the rising of global temperatures below 1.5 degrees.  The deal also set the goal of maintaining and publishing greenhouse gas reduction targets and most importantly moving the sector to NetZero carbon emission by 2050.

Closing thoughts on ensuring that the fashion supply chain become sustainable offered solutions for change.  Examples include the idea of brands using digital IDs/passports, supply chain alliances and smart regulations to curb the global greenhouse gas emissions produced by the apparel and footwear sectors.