Sustainability and ethical practices matter!

While conventional cotton requires a lot of water and has a very high environmental impact per kg of material, organic cotton has a quarter of the impact- it's non-GMO and grown within a balanced ecosystem, better for soil health and biodiversity. It has 60% lower greenhouse gas emissions, avoids the use of fertilizers and pesticides during cultivation and hazardous chemicals during processing and manufacture- so it's healthier for the farmers, textile workers and for the Earth!

Recycled fibers like cotton and wool, made from old clothes and scrap textile, are great for stopping the flow of waste into landfills, instead creating a regenerative loop that reduces the use of non-renewable resources. These scrap textiles are sorted by colour to make new yarns. Cotton is known to be a very thirsty crop, but the recycling process uses far less water than growing and producing virgin cotton. As for wool,  it’s a very durable fiber, and wool garments can stay in circulation for decades, before being returned to the raw fiber state and spun into yarn once again to make new items. This lessens the environmental impacts associated with production of the raw materials because the land, energy and water-intensive requirements for grazing sheep and post-shearing production are significantly reduced, as well as the ethical ones since without the need for sheep, animal welfare is better respected and CO2 emissions are actually reduced. Recycled wool is soft, breathable, stain-resistant, easy to care for, and both wool and cotton are biodegradable, so they don’t contribute to microplastic pollution either. This makes them both excellent textile choices for an eco-conscious brand!

Recycled polyester is another advantageous choice, because transforming plastic into clothing cuts down on non-biodegradable ocean waste, adding up to around 8 million tons every year, so protecting marine ecosystems. Choosing the recycled alternative over virgin polyester also has a positive impact on energy and water consumption, and reduces carbon emissions and fossil fuel dependency significantly, considering that polyester currently accounts for over half the fibers used in the textile and clothing industry.

Other natural fibers, such as linen and hemp are strong, versatile and breathable as well as biodegradable! They are made out of resilient plants that require little or no pesticides, and very little water, making them much more environmentally friendly than cotton. The flax plant, used to make linen, can be grown in poor soils and the whole plant is typically used, meaning no waste! As for hemp, its fast-growing and supplies its own nutrients to the soil, making it great for soil structure and crop rotation, not to mention sustainable with high economic potential. In fact, it effectively fights global warming too by consuming four times as much CO2 as trees!

Cellulose fiber textiles, like TENCELô Lyocell and Modal fibers are derived from certified renewable wood resources and produced in an eco-responsible way to meet high standards, using renewable energy and recovering process chemicals- this makes sure the environmental impact is very low. It’s not only in production though- these textiles are also biodegradable and compostable, making them a responsible option from beginning to end! Bamboo grown and processed in a sustainable and conscientious way, with good chemical management and waste treatment practices is another great textile choice for your brand.