Recently I found out that the fashion industry is among the top 5 most polluting industries in the world. It never occurred to me that clothing could destroy the ecosystem so bad, yet alone be among the top 5. To be honest, I was shocked!
I’m perfectly aware of the efforts being made by some organizations and some countries in ensuring that companies are environmentally friendly. Some companies have keyed into the importance of protecting the ecosystem. But how about the fashion industry? What measures is the fashion industry putting in place? What are the fashion retailers and designers doing to make fashion greener?
I did quite a bit of digging and found out how we can make fashion greener.
Eco-friendly fabrics
What’s fashion without fabric? That is the live wire of the fashion industry. From the production, dying and sewing, you need to have the fabric to make that amazing outfit. Although attempts were made by designers to use other materials like plastic or pieces or metals in their creation, fabric is the most commonly used.
It was only natural for greener fashion to start with eco-friendly fabrics. Science has made it possible to use fruit and vegetable waste as ingredients to produce eco-friendly fibre. Imagine wearing outfits made of apple pulp waste and citrus waste. Some fashion designers have started using those fabrics for their outfits.
A lot can be done in a lab. For instance, scientists have been able to create bio-fabricated leather. Others were able to successfully produce cloth from spider silk. It’s amazing to see how far science has developed.
Using recycled materials
I find fashion quite resourceful. While doing my research I came across a fabric called Denimite. This is a recycled material made from polyester, glass and denim. It’s blue just like denim but with an effect that represents marble tiles.
Materials like Denimite are not only eco-friendly, they also helps to encourage recycling culture. It’s quite innovative and Denimite has been used by fashion designers as well. It’s nice to know that it was well-received.
There has been a spur among more manufacturers to recycle other materials to create amazing fabrics for clothing items. Nylon and plastic were used to produce fabric for outdoor gear. There has also been news that synthetic rubber was used to create boots.
Properly disposing clothing items
Manufacturers and fashion designers are not the only ones responsible for making fashion greener. We the consumers also have a part to play in making fashion greener.
It was recorded that clothing worth billions of pounds is discarded each year. Sadly, most of those clothes end up in the bin. If you want to safeguard your environment, then you need to do something different.
There are millions of people who are in need of decent clothing. Instead of throwing your old clothes away, you can donate them to people in need. You may also sell your clothes or gift them to someone else.
How do you make your fashion greener?
