It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the organic and sustainable fabrics these days. Most of these innovations are pretty...weird. Fabric made from apples and pineapples? What? !
The fashion industry is responsible for the enormous damage it causes to the environment. Unless we immediately start making sustainable choices, the consequences are bound to worsen.
The textile industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. With the advent of fast fashion, more than 85% of the clothing produced each year ends up in the trash. The industry severely pollutes water, air and soil.
However, we currently have the potential to substantially reduce these damages. We can do this by making some sustainable choices. By making a conscious switch to organic and sustainable fabrics, we can help the environment in a big way.
Today we're going to take a look at 10 highly sustainable fabrics that we should continue to use in the future.
Sustainable Fabrics Plant Based Natural Organic Fabrics
These fabrics are processed from naturally growing plants without the use of chemicals, therefore. When produced sustainably, they have minimal negative impact on the environment.
1. Organic cotton
It's about time we noticed the difference between conventional and organic cotton. Because the latter is more environmentally friendly. Without a doubt, cotton is the most commonly used fabric in the apparel industry, which is why it is widely grown.
The main problem with conventional cotton is that they are grown repeatedly on the same land, causing the land to lose its nutritional value. In order to improve the fertility of the soil, a large amount of water is required, resulting in a waste of resources.
Sustainable organic cotton, on the other hand, is rotated from one soil to another, which reduces water needs—they have a chance to thrive on natural nutrients. Additionally, organic cotton uses only natural seeds and no chemicals or pesticides are used in the growing process.
By effectively deploying insect armies, insects can be controlled naturally. Organic cotton removes the harmful effects of chemicals for artisans and consumers, making it a healthier alternative for all.
2. Organic hemp
Hemp has been recognized as one of the fibers with the least negative impact on the environment. It is a plant fiber that does not require chemicals or pesticides to grow. The plants themselves release certain nutrients that continue to enrich the soil in which they grow.
In addition, hemp requires much less water than cotton and absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than ordinary plants. Due to the many positive effects of hemp on the environment, eco-conscious fashion brands are promoting hemp as the fabric of the future!
3. Sustainable Fabric Bamboo Linen
Bamboo flax is different from other sustainable fabrics for a number of reasons, but most importantly, they are valuable because they can be used without the use of any external water as long as the area where they are grown gets enough rainfall.
One of the main accusations against the apparel industry is wasting water and when we adopt bamboo linen this waste is eliminated. Bamboo fiber can be harvested without killing the tree, so the tree can regrow quickly, maintaining a constant supply of fiber!
4. Ramie, a sustainable fabric
Ramie is a natural sustainable fiber that has been used for over 6,000 years to produce highly sustainable fabrics thought to be eight times stronger than cotton. It is a durable fabric that can be used for many years, so it can be used as a raw material for frequently used clothes!
5. Organic jute
Few fabrics are as sustainable as jute, as long as it's biodegradable, recyclable and highly durable at the same time! This fabric has a rough texture and comes from the stems of the bast tree. When they are grown organically, they can be some of the greenest fabrics currently imaginable.
sustainable semi-synthetic fabric
Semi-synthetic fabrics are produced from natural sources with limited use of chemicals and are the next best alternative to organic fabrics.
6. Eco Vero, a sustainable fabric
Synthetic fibers are more harmful to the environment than natural fibers, but there are variants that are less harmful than others, one of which is Eco Vero.
It is a specially produced viscose from the Lenzing brand that consumes 50% less water than common viscose varieties. The fibers come primarily from bamboo and other pulp trees. It is considered a highly sustainable semi-synthetic fabric.
7. Modal
Produced by Lenzing and less environmentally damaging than rayon, modal is a fabric made from beech tree pulp that doesn't require a lot of water or chemicals to grow. If produced responsibly, Modal can be grown in a closed-loop system using recycled natural resources, making it a sustainable semi-synthetic fabric.
Sustainable Recycled Fabrics
Recycled fabrics allow discarded products to be recycled and reused, helping to reduce the amount of waste generated by apparel and other industries. Additionally, recycling existing waste fabrics reduces the need to produce virgin fabrics, thereby reducing waste generation in two ways.
8. Recycled polyester
One of the biggest concerns in terms of environmental pollution today is plastics, more precisely single-use plastics, which end up in landfills and water bodies, outliving their users.
Recycled Polyester Fiber - Sustainable Fabric
Recycled polyester partially solves this problem by reusing waste plastic to produce clothes, and the fabric can be molded into anything from wool to stretchy sportswear. However, when washed without a filter, they continue to release microfibers and are not as safe or environmentally friendly as natural fibers!
9. Regenerated nylon
Recycled nylon is an effective alternative to virgin nylon, made from waste clothing fabrics or other forms of nylon previously consumed such as fishing nets. The commercial use of discarded fishing nets prevents them from ending up as marine litter, making the marine environment relatively safer for marine life.
Recycled Nylon – Sustainable Fabric
Sustainable animal-based 'natural' fabrics
These are natural fabrics derived from animals. They are often associated with animal cruelty and we should all work together to reduce their use in the future.
10. Sustainable Silk
Animal fabrics -- whether leather or wool -- are mostly products of animal cruelty. Eco-conscious brands are increasingly ditching them and opting for "vegan" fabrics as better alternatives.
However, if anyone is wondering about a relatively less harmful animal fabric, it has to be silk. Sericulture affects the natural life cycle of silkworms in most cases, but in rare cases. When they reproduce sustainably, silkworms can continue their natural life cycle after collecting the silk. Besides that, silk is a completely compostable fabric, which makes it safer for the environment.