Green fashion has become all the rage lately. It is finally becoming possible for people to be sustainable and stylish at the same time. It is even becoming trendy. Unfortunately, trends are all to often exploited by companies trying to make a buck. It is going to become critical for us conscious consumers to pay attention to the origins of our clothes and how they are made, just as we have learned (or are still learning) to do with our groceries.
Our ninja friends over at Inhabitat report extensively on eco-friendly fashion designers and companies. They also do a great job of digging deep into the sustainable nature of these companies to ensure that we are getting what we pay for – a truly green product. As Inhabitat highlights in a recent interview with two of these eco-friendly companies, Terra Plana and Stewart & Brown, it is not always black and white to be green:
INHABITAT: As we move forward with the merging of commerce and sustainability we may see a “fractured environmentalismâ€. Organic cotton good, carbon produced in shipping all the way from China, not so good. I would argue that t-shirts and shoes are going to be made in China anyway, so an organic t-shirt or recycled shoe is at least a step in the right direction. However, I would also argue that a shirt made locally in Chinatown of conventional cotton may be just as sustainable. It is likely impossible to dot all the ‘i’s and cross all the ‘t’s in sustainability. What do you think the biggest issues are in moving sustainability forward in the apparel industry?
TERRA PLANA: THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY ANSWER THESE VICIOUSLY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE EDGED DEBATES IS TO DO ACCURATE LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS. I.E. SCIENTIFICALLY MEASURING THE ENVIRONMENTAL (AIR POLLUTION, WATER POLLUTION, BIO DIVERSITY LOSS, DE ESIFFICATION ETC…) IMPACT OVER EVERY RAW MATERIAL, EVERY PROCESS, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRODUCTION, PACKAGING, USE, END OF USE ETC… BUT THIS IS STILL PROBLEMATIC AS WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE WHAT ARE THE WORST ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENDERS.. IS IT WORSE TO CREATE AIR OR WATER POLLUTION FOR EXAMPLE? BUT FROM THESE MATRICES THAT ARE ALREADY APPEARING IN A LOT OF INDUSTRIES WE WILL ALREADY BE ABLE TO ASCERTAIN WHERE THE SPIKES ARE – AND THEN SHOULD FOCUS ON THOSE. I.E. IF SHIPPING IS REALLY THE BIG OFFENDER THEN I’M SURE LEGISLATION AND TAXES WILL START TO REFLECT THAT AND MORE REGIONAL PRODUCTION MODELS WILL QUICKLY APPEAR…
THE MOST PRACTICAL SHORT TERM STEPS ARE: INDUSTRY WIDE ECO LABELING (WHICH IS PROVING CHALLENGING AS NO SEEMS TO AGREE ON WHAT THE STANDARDS SHOULD BE) SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ACTING ON HUNCHES IN A VERY COMPLEX FIELD.
ECO SYSTEMS AND NATURE GIVE US A LOT OF GOOD WORDS IN THE MEANTIME:
APPROPRIATENESS (TRAINERS MADE IN UK ARE NOT PRACTICAL – AS NO 2ND TIER SUPPLY BASE INFRASTRUCTURE),
EFFICIENCY (ORGANICS ARE VERY INEFFICIENT USING LOTS OF WATER AND LOTS OF ENERGY TO PRODUCE),
DURABLE (A SHOE THAT LASTS A LONG TIME AND IS GOOD TO WEAR – IS BETTER THAN AN ORGANIC SHOE THAT YOU HAVE TO THROW AWAY ETC…)
SIMPLICITY (MINIMUM COMPONENTS ETC…)
The interview covers several other interesting topics with Terra Plana and Stewart & Brown. There may not be a simple formula for making sustainable fashion, but these two companies are making efforts to be friendly to the planet and its people, and they are clearly open to critique – which may the most important factor in beginning an evaluation.
Credit to Terra Plana for all these super-fly kicks.
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