Imagine wearing a stylish shirt made from a byproduct of corn? How about a luxuriously soft undergarment produced from bamboo fibres? With the shift in environmental consciousness, more and more people are opting for clothing made from natural fibres, using eco-friendly manufacturing practices. This is because some manmade textile products can have detrimental effects on the environment, such as pollutants that run off into river systems, chemical-laden toxic dyes used to colour the fabrics and unfair work practices for sweatshop workers.

Chemical clothing

Good Environmental Choice, a group that administers the Australian Certification Program for labelling, says that even cotton, one of the most common textiles, is grown and harvested with heavy use of herbicides and chemical fertilisers. Cotton accounts for more than 16 per cent of the world’s chemical pesticide use — that’s more than any other single crop.

Daron McFarlane, managing director and owner of Melbourne-based Eco Wear, says consumers should be wary of buying cotton that’s been sprayed with pesticides. “There will be residuals in the fibres when you wear them. So in the same way that people are conscious to go out and buy organic food that hasn’t been sprayed, you can argue that by wearing clothes on your skin that have chemical residuals your body is likely to be absorbing those as well.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Many toxic chemicals used in the textile industry are known or suspected carcinogens, according to the experts. Good Environmental Choice Standards manager Sonya Ku says these carcinogens can be introduced to textiles at any phase of production. “This includes the processing of both natural and synthetic fibres and the treatment of textiles to achieve certain aesthetic or functional properties. Both known and suspected carcinogens can work their way into fabrics,” she says.

Organic products such as cotton, hemp and bamboo require negligible use of environmentally damaging fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides or fungicides. So going organic is good for not only your health but also the health of the planet. From organic cotton, to hemp, bamboo, soy and sorona (a corn byproduct), blends of bamboo with cotton, hemp and nettle, and much much more, it seems we really are spoilt for choice in eco-friendly clothing alternatives.

Friendly fibres

Organic cotton
Throughout its entire lifecycle, from planting to processing, organic cotton clothing incorporates environmentally sound processes. Organic cotton is non-genetically modified. It’s certified to be grown without the use of any pesticides or herbicides, so it’s meeting consumers’ demands for a clean, green product. Organic cotton was one of the first types of new “green” clothing. However, it does not offer as high a yield as non-organic cotton. Without the use of chemical fertilisers there will be some loss to insects, so levies are usually applied, meaning you pay a little bit more to go organic. But isn’t it worth it?

Soy
Soy fabrics are another eco-alternative to manmade textiles. Soy is best known for its silky-smooth feel. It’s a byproduct of tofu manufacture and has anti-bacterial properties, so it’s great for undergarments.

Bamboo
From flooring and screens to light fittings, fencing and now a diverse range of clothing, bamboo products are sprouting up all over the place. Unlike organic cotton, which can take up to eight years to be harvested, bamboo grows at a rapid rate and is ready to be harvested in just two years, says Sharon Down of Bamboo Fabric Store Australia. “It’s fast growing, has minimal use of pesticides and minimal water to process. This is where bamboo comes into its own as a great environmental choice,” she says.

“Bamboo is great for regenerating the soil — instead of degrading it, it helps to build it back up again,” adds McFarlane. Unlike other crops, it doesn’t require replanting — when bamboo culms are harvested, they simply send up more shoots, so it can be repeatedly harvested without any adverse effects on the environment. Some argue it’s the ultimate renewable energy resource.

Hemp
Hemp cloth has been discovered in the ancient tombs of Egypt and the hill tribe people in Southeast Asia still make their traditional garments with it. It’s one of the oldest plants used my mankind. Hemp fabrics are extremely soft and comfortable to wear, says Georgina Wilkinson of the Margaret River Hemp Company in Western Australia. “We’ve been in business for 10 years and, back then, the clothing was a little itchy-scratchy to wear. These days, it’s soft, silky and feels beautiful against the skin,” she says.

The types of hemp fabrics produced might have changed in the past decade, but some things haven’t. There isn’t a day goes by that Wilkinson isn’t asked the question, “So can I roll up and smoke this clothing?” The answer is no, hemp clothing is made from industrial hemp. Marijuana and industrial hemp share the name Cannabis sativa, but they are essentially different varieties of the same plant, she explains.

Natural processes

How natural fibres are processed depends on the material. To create garments made from hemp, the plant is immersed in water, says Wilkinson. “Water soaks the hemp, breaking down the fibres. Unlike other plant materials, you don’t need chemicals to break it down,” she says.

To turn the woody shoots of bamboo into fibres, the process is similar to that for producing rayon, says McFarlane. “Caustic soda is used to break down the fibres. Some might say it is a chemical but, in fact, it’s biodegradable,” he says. With some environmental concerns about the processing of the bamboo, many bamboo manufacturers use a closed-loop system, within the factory. “This means the products used to manufacture the bamboo stay within the factory and are continually recycled,” adds Down.

Fashionistas

Once considered by the fashion-conscious as eco-shabby, environmentally friendly clothing is now being touted by many designers as eco-chic. Designers all over the globe are embracing the shift towards eco garments, particularly bamboo, for many reasons. It has gained a firm foothold in the fashion world due to growing concerns about the amount of consumption and wastage within the industry, says Keshia Abeysekera, brand manager for Cylk.

“The ever-growing fast fashion model is heavily reliant on trend-driven, disposable fashion that is worn and then replaced with something else. Fashion houses are developing a conscience about the negative impact this has and are doing their bit to reduce waste,” she says.

According to Abeysekera, the collective environmental consciousness of the fashion industry has embraced several different types of eco practices. “This could be incorporating sustainable or organic materials into their collections, recycling or reclaiming used materials and reworking them into something new and innovative, or replacing existing procedures with practices that reduce the negative impact that they are having on the environment,” she says.