17 Eco-Friendly Fabrics
When shopping for clothes, many people shop based on things like comfort or style, but not many people check for clothing’s eco-friendliness.
More and more clothing companies are providing clothes made from eco-friendly fabrics. Demand for these clothes is increasing too. This makes sense given the environmental issues we’re faced with in today’s world.
What Makes a Fabric “Eco-Friendly”?
Eco-friendly fabrics generally have the following characteristics:
- Minimum use of chemicals and pesticides
- Best land manangement practices
- Sustainable farming practices
- Eco-friendly certification (i.e. EU-Eco label certification)
- Animal friendly
- Production adheres to fair trade practices
By purchasing organic, you can be sure that the product was produced without the use of harsh chemicals and pesticides, and is not only healthy for the environment but is also healthy for you.
The Fabrics
Here’s a list of eco-friendly fibers to look out for. Next time you’re shopping for clothes, look out for clothes that are made from the following fibers (or other eco-friendly fibers):
- Hemp - An amazing natural fiber. Some say hemp could have 25,000 uses. Hemp provides enormous benefit to the natural environment. This is true when used in products and when growing the hemp plant.
- Jute - Similar to hemp, jute is a type of vegetable fiber used for thousands of years, with outstanding potential for the future.
- Ingeo - Trademark for a man-made fiber derived from corn.
- Calico - Fabric made from unbleached cotton. Also referred to as muslin.
- Hessian Cloth - Coarse woven fabric made from jute or hemp.
- Organic cotton - Cotton grown organically (without pesticides etc)
- Recycled Polyester - Polyester created from used polyester garments.
- Bamboo Fiber - Bamboo fabric is very comfortable and 100% biodegradable.
- Tencel® - Brand name for a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp cellulose.
- Ramie - Ramie fibers are one of the strongest natural fibers. Ramie can be up to 8 times stronger than cotton, and is even stronger when wet.
- Organic Wool - Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a way that is less harmful to the environment than non-organic wool.
- Organic Linen - Linen that is made from flax fiber. Could also refer to be linen made from other organically grown plant fibers.
- FORTREL EcoSpun - Fiber made from plastic containers
- Milk Silk - Silk made from milk
- Soy Silk - Silk made from soybeans
- Nettle fiber - Made from stinging nettle (commonly known as a weed)
- Spider-web fabric - Fabric made from spider webs. Still in the experimental stages.
Eco-Friendly Finishes and Dyes
As well as the fabric used to make clothes, many clothes are dyed and/or have laminate finishes etc. Here are some eco friendly options:
- Biodegradable TPU Laminate - Solvent free TPU that can biodegrade in as little as 4 years.
- NanoSphere® Textile Finish - Self cleaning textile finish for clothing and other textiles.
- Non-Toxic Dyes - These can be better for your health as well as the environment.
Tags: eco friendly dyes, eco-friendly clothes, hemp, jute, Sustainability
July 7th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Are any of these fabrics waterproof?
If not - is there a waterpfoor covering or lamination that is eco-friendly?
April 28th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Recycled polyester is waterproof (:
June 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I have heard of wax-coated coats that are eco-friendly. But there is a whole section on “green” rain gear at http://www.thegreenguide.com!
June 19th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Oh em gee Isabelle! You totally saved my life I have been looking for a website like this for forEVER!!!!! Hugs and kisses to you gurrrl!
October 15th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Is polyester safe with food? What about dyes? Im looking for a eco friendly/recyled fabric 4 snack bags. I have been searching for weeks.
October 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Will u please contact me. Im having a lot of trouble finding someone to talk to about fabric. Know one seems to know anything about this topic.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
will recycled polyster harm our body
October 31st, 2009 at 11:03 am
I recently purchased a bra for my daughter and it is made with polyamide and spandex. Can you tell me anything about both of those and the effects they may have on her health? Thanks!
November 17th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Most of the fabrics listed as “environmentally friendly” on this page are exactly the opposite. Soy, bamboo, tencel and milk are all turned into rayon to make it into fiber, one of the most toxic manufacturing processes there is. Rayon production is banned in the U.S. Recycled polyester is a huge consumer of water and energy just to re-extrude it into a usable fiber, not including chemicals needed to dye and finish the fabric. This is issue is very complex and this article is very misleading. Textile manufacturers and scientists are still trying to figure this stuff out. The best advice I can give is that if you go with natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk and hemp these are the best options for the environment. They don’t have fancy names but at least they really are sustainable and biodegradable materials.
November 25th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I always appreciate the people for their efforts towards the eco-friendliness & glad to see your so eco-friendly blog post. I’d like to refer SUPERIOR LIGHTING as they also playing an important role by launching their energy efficient LEDs & soothing light bulbs for eco-friendliness.
March 9th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I truly appreciate this article! Thank you! I’ve recently started my own small home based indie craft business and this information is very helpful!
March 9th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Thank you Meg for your comment as well. Looks like I need to do a little digging. So far I’ve been using wool but want to use other natural fibers as well, as well natural dyes.