Facts & Tips

FACTS • TIPS • BOOKS

When we talk about Eco Fashion, we need to understand why it is important to implement methods that help us create beautiful quality products that surpass the test of time. Understanding this can help us apply alternative solutions in our personal lives and fields of choice to reduce our carbon footprint and ensure a sustainable planet for generations to come.

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. It is the potential for balance and wellbeing with environmental, economic and social dimensions. It relates to every aspect of our lives.

•  So far, half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed.

•  Deforestation is a contributor to global warming.

• Farming is responsible for mass clear-cutting and land use that erodes the soil, and uses harmful pesticides that endanger the health of people and planet.

• Meat consumption is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse emissions, 9% of carbon dioxide (CO₂), and 37% of methane gas emissions globally.

• One pound of meat requires 2,500-5,000 gallons of fresh water and 1000 lbs of grain.

• Over 2/3 of all agricultural land is used for livestock feed, which destroys forests.

• The burning of coal, natural gas and oil for electricity and heat is the largest source of global greenhouse emissions.

• Industrial water usage is around 88% of water consumption globally, with over 50% of water consumption in the United States. Water is used for everything: from generating power, lubricating machinery to absorbing pollution.

• If all people produced, consumed and polluted as much as developed countries, we would need 4 additional planets.

• At 7+ Billion people, population continues to rise, while our natural resources diminish.

• We are at over 393ppm of CO₂ in the atmosphere – environmentalist Bill Mc Kibben, created 350.org to address reduction of CO₂ levels to 350ppm for a stable planet.

• We must keep global average temperature rise below 2º C (3.6ºF) to avoid natural disasters of catastrophic dimensions and ensure climate stability.

Things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint and incorporate sustainability in our lives.

• Compost • Reduce • Recycle • Upcycle

• Avoid the use of trays in cafeterias to reduce water consumption for washing.

• Stop using plastic bottles, disposable cups, plates or utensils, unless they are made of earth friendly materials.

• Use your own shopping bags. Avoid using paper or plastic bags, unless made of post-consumer waste.

• Eat mainly organic (non-GMO) plant based foods.

• Reduce or avoid meat consumption and animal products. Start with one day a week.

• Choose organic free-range eggs and cheese made without animal rennet, if keeping animal products in diet.

• Support local, organic farming or plant an edible garden. You’ll love knowing where your food comes from. It keeps chemicals out of the soil and reduces the strain on natural resources used in mass-agriculture and transportation.

• Use less water. Take shorter showers.

• Flush Less. Get a low-flow toilet and fixtures or place a water-filled bottle in the flush tank to save up to 10 gallons daily or get a composting toilet.

• Wear clothes a number of times before washing. 80% of your clothing’s environmental impact happens in the washing and drying stages. Use an eco friendly dry cleaning company, if needed.

• Thrift shopping helps create a unique style and keep waste away from landfills.

• Upcycle your clothes. Don’t discard your garments, fix old ones and create something new and original.

• Buy clothing and products from companies that use sustainable materials and ethical social practices.

• Carpool, take public transportation, walk, bike or telecommute.

• If you have to drive, consider car sharing from companies like zipcar.com or drive a fuel-efficient hybrid or electric car that can be powered by the sun or wind when possible.

• Use LED light bulbs, which have no mercury. They last over 30,000 hours compared to fluorescent bulbs at 8,000 hours, and use much less electricity, which translates into much lower carbon dioxide emissions.

• Use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved wood products: paper, lumber, furniture, flooring, etc., to ensure you don’t support deforestation and that you protect forest biodiversity.

• When planning a family, choose a small family to minimize population growth.

• Also consider adoption. There are many kids in need of a loving family in the US and around the world.

• Lower your consumption. Shop less and buy quality, long-lasting, well-designed fashion, electronics and products.

• Divest from companies and banks that support harmful projects – fossil fuel and other extractive exploitation of resources – domestically and around the world.

• Invest in companies – and put your money in banks – that are supporting sustainable alternatives and community driven efforts.

• When building or upgrading a home, choose sustainable and reclaimed resources to remodel and power your home: Solar or wind generated electricity, solar water and radiant heating or geothermal for cooling and heating, water catchment and grey water systems to collect and reuse water. The benefits outweigh the initial investment. You can also get paid for the excess electricity your home or building produces. You can also select a clean energy provider.

• Research other ways that you can make a positive impact. We have to act together. We cannot just wait for government leaders to take action. We have been waiting too long for them to address climate change. It is up to us to take action.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Sustainable design is a philosophy of designing products, built structures, and services within social, economic and ecological sustainability.

• Focuses on environmental  & socially responsible practices.

• Encompasses the entire lifespan of a product.

• Addresses its carbon footprint & social impact.

What are the effects of the mainstream fashion industry?

• Fashion is one of the most socially and environmentally taxing industries in the World.

• “Cheap” disposable Fashion is costly on a social and environmental level.

• Outsourcing destroys domestic industries, affecting the economy and often exploits workers in developing nations, violating human rights.

• The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the world and the largest polluter of water globally. 20% of industrial fresh water pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing.

• Many chemicals used in dyeing and petrochemicals used to make synthetics pollute fresh water affecting many species, including humans.

• In 2009, the world used 3 trillion gallons of fresh water to produce 60 billion kgs of fabric.

• 80% of environmental damage comes from after a garment is purchased! The energy and water required to wash a garment has far more devastating effects than the growing of raw materials and manufacturing of textiles.

• 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of pesticides are used on cotton crops.

• 90% of cotton grown in the US uses genetically modified seeds, the second largest cause of biodiversity loss with unknown risk to human health.

• It takes 400-700 gallons of water to make 1 cotton t-shirt.

• 1 trillion kilowatt hours are used every year by the global textile industry, equaling to 10% of total carbon impact. Add to that the energy needed for production.

• The multi-seasonal apparel calendar promotes disposable fashion.

• The average US citizen throws away 68 pounds of clothing a year. According to the EPA, 11.8 MILLION tons of clothing, shoes and textiles are thrown out every year in the US alone.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION DESIGN
Sustainable fashion design, also called Eco Fashion, is a design philosophy that has been entering into the mainstream through the years.

As designers, creators and consumers we have the responsibility to make and buy quality products that are sustainable, durable and timeless, as well as beautifully designed, with the entire lifecycle of the products in mind.

Some sustainable companies & designers: Violeta Villacorta, ORG by vio, Patagonia, Stewart+Brown, Edun, Linda Loudermilk, Mink Shoes, nau, Vivienne Westwood, Martin Margiela, Katherine Hamnett, Stella McCartney, etc.

How can we apply sustainability in the fashion industry?

• Use the Crade to Cradle approach. Upcycle – Use waste to make a product that is better than it was in its first lifetime. Go beyond reduce, reuse and recycle. Think of the entire lifespan of the product from birth to rebirth in a cyclical development.

• Promote Slow Fashion to reduce consumption.

• Practice Fair Trade and pay living wages.

• Support Artisan Collectives for poverty alleviation that also protect artistic traditions.

• Produce Cruelty-Free vegan fashion without the use of animal products or bi-products.

• Use Conflict-Free, green-mined or recycled metals and stones in jewelry and apparel, which stops the perpetuation of political conflict, human rights abuse and contamination of the ecosystem.

• Use Mass-Customization by applying mass-production methods coupled with computer and internet technology to deliver high-quality, customized, efficient and unique products and services to customers; reducing inventory, lead times and the use of resources.

• Use organic natural fibers: hemp, bamboo, peace silk, kapok, organic wool, tencel, organic linen, organic cotton, recycled fabrics and garments, etc.

• Use recycled synthetic fabrics: rPET is made from recycled plastic bottles and other plastic waste and old poly and nylon upcycled garments and textiles. rPET uses up to 53% less energy and produces up to 54% less emissions than virgin poly.

• Support Domestic Production – Made in the USA – to bring back jobs to the USA and revive domestic textile & apparel industries, while saving energy in transportation and ending unethical working conditions.

• Use Sustainable Dyeing Techniques – such as plant-based dyes for natural fabrics;
  AirDyeing is used for synthetics only – a process that requires less energy and no-water by using heat and injecting color in a gas form directly to the fibers, preventing toxic chemicals from entering the ecosystem. Make sure you select a recycled synthetics when air-dyeing.

BOOKS TO INSPIRE, INFORM & SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS:
Here are books to help make the right choices in our lives and in our creative careers. We can choose to reduce our overall consumption, and invest in quality products that are durable & timeless, as well as beautifully designed.

 

CRADLE TO CRADLE by William McDonough & Michael Braungart – The “bible” for designers on Upcycling: based on a system of “lifecycle development,”   beyond,  reuse, reduce, recycle.

 

FASHION & SUSTAINABILITY: DESIGN FOR CHANGE by Kate Fletcher & Linda Grose – This book re-imagines the complex fashion machinery as a well-balanced ecosystem.

THE LAWS OF SIMPLICITY by John Maeda – Ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology and  design guidelines for needing less and getting more.

ECO FASHION By Sass Brown – An overview of the change in the fashion industry from whole new business models, fair trade to waste upcycling.

THE CREATIVE ECONOMY by John Howkins – Analysis of the new economy based on creative people, industries & cities, exploring self-identity, art, business, society and global development.

MASS CUSTOMIZATION by Joseph Pine – As mass production no longer serves our needs, technology gives way to unique customized services, lowering inventory and lead times.

FUTURE FASHION WHITE PAPERS by Earth Pledge – A collection of essays from a diverse and international group of contributors. Designers, manufacturers, farmers, professors, models, business owners, and creative directors add their unique experience and wisdom to provide a holistic view of the apparel and textile industry.

A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.“ – Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who created Car-Free day in 2000 and has been adopted by many cities around the world.

We will be a sustainable society when we eliminate the disparity between the rich and the poor and poverty is no longer known in the world; where quality and simplicity reigns; and we breathe healthy fresh air while our rivers flow undisturbed.