25 Oct THE APPAREL INDUSTRY AND DE ECO-FRINDELY TENDENCES
It is not fresh news that the fashion industry is a major source of pollution in the world, right up there with oil, agriculture and paper. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Chinese textile industry, which produces about half of the clothes Americans buy, creates about 300 tons of soot each year but we see more industries being aware of this problem and somehow trying to minimalize de impacts is caused.
Waste and the unsustainability of the supply chain is a problem endemic to the entire apparel industry.
The fast fashion concept made common for people to have several colors of the same shirt or pants, and many consumers do not think twice about discarding a garment into the trash can after a few years.
Now, This way of thinking have been changing and movements as the “slow fashion” and “ethical fashion”, are making people think twice before buying their clothes and accessories and so are the producers when they see this mentality as a huge tendency.
Bamboo, silk, organic cotton, soy, hemp and lyocell are just a few of the natural, eco-friendly fabrics on the market and the list of alternatives might keep growing.
More clothing companies are focusing on sustainable fiber. Levi Strauss, for example, has modernized and transformed its brand in part by emphasizing sustainability in everything from its garments’ origins to long after the sale. The company has spun recycled plastic bottles into its iconic denim jeans and has worked with other countries to launch the “Better Cotton Initiative”.
The changes are starting at the base of the supply chain with companies such as Aquafil, a synthetic fiber manufacturer that now recycles fishing nets and unwanted textiles into regenerated yarns for use as carpet or fabric. The company has spearheaded an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic ocean trash and works with nonprofits and aquaculture companies to collect unwanted plastic equipment to churn into new textile fibers.
Camira is another company churning waste textile fibers into fabric.
The challenge these and other companies face, however, will be acceptance from designers, who want fabric with which they can easily work with and also from part of the consumers that still are not confortble with the idea of going 100% green with clothing.
Other global chains, including Marks & Spencer and H&M, say they are collecting textiles for reuse, recycling and repurposing.
The tendences are clear and becoming more part of our everyday reality but so far, the progress on sustainable textiles is still very insignificant close to the waste and over-consumption that is a massive blot in the global fashion industry.
No Comments