A Shopper’s Guide to More Sustainable Materials
An important aspect of circular fashion, and circularity as a concept in general, is the regeneration of raw materials. This in turn, combats one of the major impacts of the fashion industry on our planet; waste. Dana Thomas outlined in her book ‘Fashionopolis’ the terrifying statistic that almost 1 billion clothes go to landfill every year in the US, and more recently in her sustainability column for British Vogue’s July Issue, that “Now in the UK, 13 million items go to landfill per week”. While consumers are beginning to listen to these shocking claims, and demand transparency when it comes to material sourcing, manufacturing and waste management, there is still an overwhelming amount of confusing jargon when it comes to the types of materials we should be favouring and the non-ethical, non biodegradable ones we should be trying to avoid. In order to sift through some of this noise, we have categorised the most common materials used in our clothing. Giving an overview of their environmental impact and then provided some more environmental friendly alternatives so our readers can begin to understand what materials sustainable fashion brands should be including in their collections.
As a general rule in order to combat waste and harmful extraction processes, we ideally want to be looking for recycled, regenerated materials rather than raw and favouring natural materials that don’t require chemically intensive manufacturing processes. Therefore extending the life of existing materials, seeking our natural fibres and supporting circularity:
Cotton
Arguably one of the most well-known materials in our clothes which has somehow managed to uphold an almost wholesome reputation over the years, being associated with words like “clean” and “natural”. However it has been discovered just how damaging cotton can be due to the impact of farming cotton on the local biodiversity, including the excessive use of chemicals, pesticides and water required. Stacey Dooley did an incredible, albeit shocking, documentary with BBC which I would highly recommend, called Investigating Fashion’s Dirty Secrets. The documentary showcases the devastating effect cotton farming has had on the Aral Sea particularly, transforming its landscape from a healthy lake with a thriving ecosystem to a barren desert inhabited by camels instead of fish.
Eco-friendly alternative: Organic Cotton & Recycled Cotton
Using the same approach applied to organic food, organic cotton is manufactured without fossil fuel based chemicals and pesticides which therefore results in richer soil quality and less need for excessive amounts of water. Overall it is a less impactful process on the environment however it is not completely guilt free as even organic cotton farming requires a lot of water! Several fashion brands are making the transition to organic cotton and recycled cotton, with some of our favourites being Reformation, Mother of Pearl, Organic Basics, Stella McCartney, Desmond & Dempsey.
Nylon
Virgin nylon most commonly found in swimwear, is a petroleum-based (essentially plastic), non-biodegradable material. As Dana Thomas points out, “Scientists have also recently discovered that when petroleum-based fabrics (polyester included) are washed, they emit plastic microfibres. These microfibres are invisible to the naked eye, but they are now in our seas, rain, Artic ice and yes, fish.”
Eco-friendly alternative: Econyl (regenerated nylon fibre made from fishing nets, landfill and ocean plastic)
By favouring sustainable swimwear brands that use regenerated nylon, we are supporting circular fashion and extending the life of existing nylon rather than creating demand for raw nylon which will result in digging for more petroleum. Our favourite sustainable swimwear brands that incorporate Econyl are Stay Wild, Away That Day, AYA, Peony Swim, Fisch.
Polyester
As highlighted by Good On You (one of our favourite platforms that provides unbiased brand rankings based on brands’ sustainability efforts with regards to people, planet and animals, as well as advice and information on the fashion industry and sustainable fashion brands), polyester, another petroleum based material, is not biodegradable. It takes between 20 years, best case, and 200 years, worst case, to decompose. Similarly to nylon, polyester also releases microfibres which are polluting our oceans at an alarming rate. In order to combat this, you can buy special laundry bags to stop micro-plastics escaping when washed. We recommend Guppy Friend’s laundry bags, which you can buy from Amazon or from Stay Wild.
Eco-friendly alternative: Hemp & Recycled Polyester aka rPET*
Hemp is a natural, organically grown fibre which biodegrades, and is one of the most durable natural fibres, therefore making it a great substitute to polyester. Stella McCartney uses vegan wool throughout all her collections which is made from hemp and coconut fibres. Sustainable shoebrand, Veja, uses a combination of organic cotton, recycled polyester and sustainable Brazilian rubber in their shoes.
Fast fashion giants like H&M group including Arket, H&M, & Other Stories and the Inditex Group, the pioneer and largest fast fashion group in the world, including Mango, Zara & Massimo Dutti, have also started to incorporate recycled polyester into their collections. However I am always EXTREMELY dubious of these fast-fashion giants and their ‘conscious collections’ because while they are making steps to improve the quality of materials, their business model is fundamentally unsustainable due of the sheer volume of clothes produced. Clothes that ultimately end up being worn only 4 times, on average, before being thrown in a landfill. While the incorporation of recycled materials are a positive move, with regards to fast fashion giants like H&M, they are often used as a marketing ploy to mislead their consumers and redirect their ‘green’ narrative to one they can control. What these brands refuse to disclose is their waste management and the rate by which consumers buy their trend-driven clothing and dispose of them and unused stock. The H&M group have been slapped with various greenwashing lawsuits over their ‘Conscious Collections’ for misleading customers so beware!
*Although there are reports that recycled polyester still releases microfibres so I would recommend using a Guppy Friend laundry bag if possible to avoid this!
Viscose/ Rayon
Viscose or Rayon is a semi-synthetic fabric, commonly used in summery dresses, blouses and skirts, that is often heralded as ‘more sustainable’ than polyester and cotton as it is partly made from trees. Unfortunately, as Good on You highlights “the production of viscose is contributing to the rapid depletion of the world’s forests, which are being cleared to make way for pulpwood plantations. It is estimated that around 30% of rayon and viscose used in fashion is made from pulp sourced from endangered and ancient forests”.
Eco-friendly alternative: EcoVero & Bamboo
EcoVero is a fabric made from sustainable wood from controlled sources. As Good on You reports “ Nearly all the chemicals used during the production of ECOVERO™ are also recovered and reused, causing 50% less emissions and taking up half as much energy and water.” Therefore making it a great alternative to Viscose/ Rayon.
Bamboo is currently having a real moment, hailed as the king of environmentally friendly fabric. And that is true, as long as it’s grown and manufactured in the right way. While it is less harmless than the chemically intense manufacturing of non-organic cotton and ployester, it has often been labelled as bamboo when in reality it’s rayon. I would recommend reading Good on You’s ‘Material Guide: Is Bamboo Really Sustainable’ for a more comprehensive understanding of the material.