How To Choose Sustainable Clothing

January 16th, 2009 by admin Leave a reply »

100pc organic iStock_001006571512XSmallSustainable clothing generally refers to clothes made from natural fibres which are grown organically. The most popular types of sustainable clothing are made from organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy and rice. These crops are grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides making the final product safer for the wearer and reducing the impacts on the environment. If you want to find out more about the environmental impacts of some of the fabrics available we have a great summary available on our Fabric Facts page.

To choose sustainable clothes you may need to expend a little more effort than just slipping downtown to the nearest shop. You need to go online and research those companies that stock organic clothing. The real treasure troves for sustainable clothing are the smaller, family owned or boutique companies. We have researched and actively support a number of these ethical and sustainable clothes producers. You can see the range available from these producers on our Eco Threads pages. Organic clothing and natural fibres are particularly suited for babies and children and the hemp, organic cotton and bamboo baby clothes available are durable yet soft, so are perfect for their sensitive skin.

Online clothing stores often have reasonably priced organic clothing items and this makes it a great deal easier to buy than having to read all the clothing labels in a store. However, increasingly you will find organic clothing in the more common clothing stores such as Target. Giaim, Esprit and Patagonia all offer organic clothing, as do many of the more up-market labels. It is even possible to buy denim clothing made organically.

The label will identify organic clothing in shops. It will state that the item is organic with no pesticides having been used in the growing or making process. Once you have identified which stores stock organic clothing, this will make it easier to buy, as you’ll know exactly where to go next time.

Once only one or two companies stocked organic clothing, now more are seeing the value of offering ‘green’ clothing, so it is becoming easier to buy. For those who love to sew, you can even buy rolls of organic cotton fabric to use in your sewing projects. Organic cotton is much softer and more comfortable to wear than non-organic cotton clothing.

As well as purchasing new items our greening your wardrobe provides some great ideas on how to reduce the footprint of your wardrobe without spending a fortune.

So to recap:

  • You can buy online through the Eco Threads listings or do your own search by simply by typing in the keywords to Google.
  • You can buy organic/sustainable/ green clothing and organic baby clothing through mail order companies that send out catalogues, although opt or online versions where possible to avoid the use of paper.
  • You can hunt down the clothing stores that sell organic clothing by reading the labels on the clothes.

Once organic clothing becomes more popular and is stocked more, the prices will come down and soon everyone who wants to play a part in saving the environment will be able to be seen in green.

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2 comments

  1. Martina says:

    Thanks for so many information!:)
    I found another great page. Check Green Times!

  2. Eva Q says:

    I have a fashion label which is all made in house, the fabrics are sourced locally and we use our off cuts and remenants to make our embellishments :) Have a look at our products

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/eva-Q/143462579191

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