More sustainable and ethical materials to keep an eye out for

by

Kevin Longworth

In the last article we talked about sheeps wool, cotton, linen and bamboo and the pros and cons for each in terms of sustainability, affordability and environmental impact. In this article we talk about four more ethical ways to produce clothing and make it easy for you to look out for your fashion conscience.

Hemp is a product of the Cannabis plant which produces around ten per cent more fibre than the cotton plant and flax and it grows quickly and easily with little need for pesticides. These attributes make it a high turnover plant and a sustainable and quick way to produce fabric and cord, paper, animal bedding and composite building materials. It is a strong and durable material that can be mixed with other materials to produce a wide range of fabrics; it also takes dye well meaning it is suitable for producing fashionable bags and items of clothing.

It is amazing to think that plastic drinks bottles can be made into wearable clothing but this is exactly what can be done with recycled polyester. Recycling plastic bottles means that we throw less away, saving valuable oil which is used to produce plastics and creating a sustainable means of producing clothing from sustainable sources.

An obvious way to reduce waste and create sustainable fashion is to make us of factory and trade off cuts, these are the scraps of material left over when making a range of clothing that used to just be thrown away. Nowadays more and more people are making use of these, either recycling them to produce new materials or designing clothing that can be produced using smaller bits of material.

Finally, old clothes that are showing signs of age, have holes in and are threadbare can be customised to make new clothes and if youre good with a pair of scissors, a box of pins and a sewing machine, this can be a great way of giving yourself a few new items of clothing for virtually no money. Alternatively look out for clothes made in this way from designers and shops around the UK.

Outdoor clothing such as fleeces can be made from recycled polyester and organic clothing can be made from organic cotton or hemp or a composite of these materials, which, amongst other things, means no pesticides have been used in the growing of the plant in question. With a few ways to produce organic, ethical and sustainable clothing theres really no excuse not to look out for this when youre next shopping for clothing, shoes and accessories and while theres still a long way to go, there are some really great designers using ethical methods and materials.

When youre next on the look for mens or

womens clothing

, keep your eyes peeled for those that are sourced or made ethically and from sustainable materials. Buying organic clothing and supporting

ethical fashion

is a fun way to do your bit.

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