Natural Environment Blog

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):

1. 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.
2. Jute - Similar to hemp, jute is a type of vegetable fiber used for thousands of years, with outstanding potential for the future.
3. Ingeo - Trademark for a man-made fiber derived from corn.
4. Calico - Fabric made from unbleached cotton. Also referred to as muslin.
5. Hessian Cloth - Coarse woven fabric made from jute or hemp.
6. Organic cotton - Cotton grown organically (without pesticides etc)
7. Recycled Polyester - Polyester created from used polyester garments.
8. Bamboo Fiber - Bamboo fabric is very comfortable and 100% biodegradable.
9. Tencel^® - Brand name for a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp cellulose.
10. 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.
11. Organic Wool - Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a way that is less harmful to the environment than non-organic wool.
12. Organic Linen - Linen that is made from flax fiber. Could also refer to be linen made from other organically grown plant fibers.
13. FORTREL EcoSpun - Fiber made from plastic containers
14. Milk Silk - Silk made from milk
15. Soy Silk - Silk made from soybeans
16. Nettle fiber - Made from stinging nettle (commonly known as a weed)
17. 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.

Do you ever experience occasional headaches? Or, perhaps you’ve had difficulty breathing on occasion? Or, maybe you’ve developed an intermittent skin rash?

Sometimes these things just seem to happen “for no apparent reason” right?

Well, maybe there is always a reason. Things don’t just happen. We might not know the reason, but there’s bound to be one.

In many cases, your clothes could be the culprit.

Your clothes could be causing you health problems and you don’t even know it. Most of today’s clothes have been dyed and/or laminated so that they look good, and continue to do so for many months/years to come. Unfortunately, it is these dyes that cause so many health problems for people around the world. The same dyes cause problems for the natural environment too.

Here’s a look at some of these problems.

Health Problems

Clothing dyes can cause the following health problems:

• skin rashes
• headaches
• trouble concentrating
• nausea
• diarrhea
• fatigue
• muscle and joint pain
• dizziness
• breathing difficulties
• irregular heart beat
• seizures

Furthermore, children can experience the following:

• red cheeks and ears
• dark circles under the eyes
• hyperactivity
• behavioral problems
• learning problems

Because clothing is in constant contact with your skin, the chemicals are absorbed into your skin through your pores. They can then enter your liver, kidney, bones, heart and brain.

Most people have some sort of chemical sensitivity. Some are more sensitive to chemicals than others. Those who are more sensitive will notice the impact of clothing dyes more than others. Those of us who aren’t as sensitive, may still experience some symptoms but just not realize it.

Environmental Problems

The biggest environmental problem with clothing dyes is it’s effect on our waterways - rivers, creeks, oceans, drinking water, etc.

Large amounts of water is needed to flush dyes from garments. Because conventional synthetic dyes contain chemicals, these chemicals are washed away with the water. In theory, the heavy metals and toxins should be removed from the water before it’s returned to the water systems. In practice, this is rarely the case - especially in developing countries where pollution laws/standards are often non-existent.

The result of this, is that the polluted water goes straight into the rivers, creeks, and oceans. Not good for the environment.

A More Eco Friendly Solution?

There are a range of healthier and eco-friendly alternatives when it comes to dying our clothes. Some are better than others. These range from using natural dyes, to “low impact” dyes, to not dying at all!

For more information, read more about eco-friendly dyes.

You might be aware of some of the health problems and environmental concerns associated with traditional, synthetic clothes dyes. Health problems can include skin rashes, headaches, nausea, and more. And one of the major environmental issues with traditional synthetic clothes dyes is the amount of water used to process them, as well as the pollution of that water.

In this article, I outline a number of alternatives to the traditional (toxic) dyes that have been used on our clothes for so many years.

Some of these options are better than the others, but they are all better than conventional dyes that omit toxic chemicals into our bodies and into our waterways.

• Undyed clothes (wear clothes without dye). OK, before you tell me this isn’t a dye, let me explain. Yes, you could go without any color on your clothes. But you could also wear clothes that have been made from color-grown cottons or natural color wools and alpaca. This way, your clothes already have color applied - without needing to be dyed.
• Clay/dirt dyes. Clay dyes are made from the minerals and irons in the earth. This method has been used for centuries. New research/technology is improving the colorfastness of dirt dyes. Earth Creations is one company specializing in clay dye.
• Low-impact fiber-reactive dyes. These are synthetic dyes that chemically bond directly to the clothes fiber molecules. This results in less water run off due to the fixation rate being up to 70%. Although low-impact fiber-reactive dyes have been around since 1956, they have recently undergone some major advances, which have resulted in brighter colors and better colorfast properties. Unlike conventional dyes, these dyes contain no contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances. The biggest drawback of low-impact fiber-reactive dyes is that they are still made from synthetic petrochemicals.
• Natural dyes. These are a class of colorant extracted from vegetative matter and animal residues. Although one might assume that natural dyes are better for the environment, in practice this is not always the case. Natural dyes typically require the inclusion of metallic salts such as aluminium, iron, chromium, and copper for ensuring colorfastness.

Many eco-friendly clothing companies choose low-impact fiber-reactive dyes. This allows them to offer a wide range of colors, while being environmentally conscience. If you are very sensitive to chemicals, you should try to buy undyed clothes or clothes made with natural colors (i.e. from color-grown plants).

Washing clothes is a chore that many of us would rather do without. It takes up our time, powers through the electricity, soaks through the water, and uses up soap. And after all this, we put the clothes back on and start the cycle again.

Not only is it an inconvenience, but washing clothes is not the most eco-friendly of activities. Think of all those greenhouse gas being emitted every time you turn on your washing machine or dryer. The average washing machine produces around 90 kilograms of greenhouse gas per year. Using warm water adds another 475 kilograms of greenhouse gas. The average clothes dryer produces around 150 kilograms of greenhouse gas per year.

The Alternative?

OK, we’ve established that washing clothes is not the most eco-friendly of activities. So the less we do it the better right?

That’s where NanoSphere can help. NanoSphere^®, a registered trademark of Shoeller in Switzerland, is a textile finishing technology that enables clothes to stay cleaner, longer. The technology is based on the self-cleaning ability of some plants and animals. In fact, Shoeller claims that NanoSphere is “nearly a perfect copy of nature”.

Certain plant leaves, beetle shells and insect wings can stay clean simply because dirt and water can’t stick to them. NanoSphere technology replicates this concept so that clothes can enjoy the same protection. Clothes that use NanoSphere technology are extremely water and stain resistant. Clothes can actually repel water, oil, grease… pretty much anything that would normally require cleaning. If your clothes have a NanoSphere finish, you could spill red wine over them and it would simply run off - without leaving a stain.

Although NanoSphere technology is mainly known for it’s use in clothing, it isn’t limited to this application. It could just as easily be applied to shoes, home furnishings including carpets, tablecloths, upholstery, awnings, automobile textiles, car seat covers, and medical applications such as bedding and surgical apparel.

Where can I get some?

You will often find NanoSphere incorporated into clothing suited for extreme conditions. Clothing for skiing, mountaineering, hiking etc are well suited to NanoSphere technology. The Mammut Laser Jacket uses NanoSphere. QuikSilver incorporates NanoSphere finishes on some of their products. And you should be able to find some NanoSphere at the Backcountry website.

Tencel^® is the brand name for a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp cellulose.

Tencel is created from the lyocell fiber, and is becoming increasingly popular as an eco-friendly alternative to fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and even cotton. In practice, many fabrics combine various fibers so it’s common to see Tencil combined with linen, rayon, lycra, micro denier polyester or cotton. So, some of these blends will result in a less-eco-friendly fabric.

Many people who buy Tencel products rave about it’s luxurious feel so this can only be a good thing for Tencel and other lyocell fabrics.

How Eco-Friendly is Tencel?

Manufacturing

Tencel / lyocell has quite an eco-friendly manufacturing process, with one or two possible exceptions.

The fiber is produced via process which uses a non-toxic solvent that is 99 percent recoverable and recyclable. Also, no toxic chemical products are produced during the process, which means there are no toxic fumes released into the atmosphere. Bleach is not required when manufacturing Tencil, which sets it apart from other fabrics such as cotton. So far, so good.

The biggest disadvantage of Tencil and other lyocell fabrics is that they don’t dye very easily. This may lead the manufacturer to use chemical processes, enzyme baths, or other treatments that aren’t eco-friendly.

Another disadvantage of Tencil / lyocell is that the fabrics have a tendency to fibrillate when wet. This may lead a manufacturer to treat it so that it doesn’t fibrillate. This treatment may not be so eco-friendly. If a manufacturer doesn’t treat the fabric, it will often be labeled as “dry clean only”.

Biodegradability / Recyclability

Tencil / lyocell is 100% biodegradable, and will decompose within 8 days under the right conditions. Products made from tencil and other lyocell fabrics can also be recycled.

Where can I buy Tencel Products?

Tencel products are becoming popular so you might find some in your local clothing store. You can also purchase Tencel products online. Here are some examples:

• Here are some tencel products at Amazon.com
• You can find some Tencel clothes at The Öko Box
• You can also find Tencel clothes ZonaClothes (order by mail or phone)

Ramie, also known as “China Grass”, is a flowering plant native to eastern Asia. For centuries, ramie fiber has been used for making fabrics and clothing. In fact, ramie has been used for clothes since at least 5000 - 3000 BC in Egypt.

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.

Ramie Fabric

Ramie as a fabric, can be a great eco-friendly alternative to using synthetic fibers or non-organic fibers. It is also very comfortable to wear and is highly absorbent. This makes it a great choice for warmer climates or summer months. Ramie fabric also has good stain resistance. It’s great in the wash too. It doesn’t shrink, can withstand high water temperatures, and it’s lustrous appearance actually improves with washing.

Ramie is low in elasticity and it does wrinkle easily. It is also quite costly to produce compared to other textile fibers, so this tends to raise the price of the end products.

Ramie can be used in a wide range of applications, including:

• Dresses and skirts
• Jackets
• Pants
• Shirts
• Curtains
• Upholstery
• Bed sheets etc
• Table cloths and table towels
• Sewing threads
• Handkerchiefs
• Parachutes
• Fire hoses
• Canvas

Ramie is often blended with other fibers such as cotton and hemp to produce fabrics with different characteristics.

Companies selling products made with ramie include:

• Australia’s The Earth Collection (who also have a distributor in the UK and Ireland)
• China’s Sichuan JTC Garments Co.Ltd (a subsidiary of Sichuan Cotton and Ramie Group)
• I also found some ramie apparel and ramie bedding at Amazon.com

Ecospun is a polyester fiber made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. It can be used to create various fabrics, including fleece fabrics. The Ecospun fiber can be used by itself, or it can be blended with other fibers such as cotton, wool, and tencel.

Environmental Benefits of Ecospun

Ecospun enables billions of plastic containers to be recycled each year, instead of them being buried in landfill.

Currently, less than 30% of plastic bottles produced in the US are recycled. Given the fact that over 40 billion plastic bottles are produced in the US each year, this is a huge environmental problem. Furthermore, it takes over 700 years for each of these plastic containers to decompose!

What is Ecospun used for?

Ecospun, whether by itself or blended, can be used in many products. Here are some examples:

• clothing (eg, vests, jackets, pants)
• blankets
• carpets
• wall coverings
• automobile interiors
• various home furnishings
• fiberfill (eg, filling material for cushions)
• craft felt

So chances are, thousands people around the world are wearing recycled plastic don’t even realize it!

How is Ecospun Made?

Here’s how the Ecospun process goes:

1. Plastic containers are collected from curbside and community recycling centers
2. The containers are sorted by type and color
   
3. All labels and caps are stripped off
   
4. The plastic containers are then washed
   
5. Then they’re crushed
   
6. Then they’re chopped into flake
   
7. The flakes are then melted and extruded to create fiber
8. The fiber is crimped, cut, drawn, then stretched into the desired length (based on its strength), then baled.

Fortrel^® Ecospun^™ is a registered trademark of Wellman Inc, and is manufactured by Foss Manufacturing Company.