If you are a fashionista or just need some new additions to your wardrobe, checkout ethnic clothing Nz and choose from the latest range of women outfits, ethnic wear. Learn the newest trends in traditional clothing, and prioritize quality over quantity as this is something we can all do to help our impact on the environment. Textiles is an industry that uses huge amounts of water and energy and produces an incredible amount of waste. Here are 6 things you didn’t know about ethical clothing and how you can help reduce your impact on the environment.
Look Out For A GOTS Certification
Finding ethical clothing is not always easy, you can’t just trust a seller on their word or buy an item because it claims it’s ethical. Fortunately, there have been some efforts by global authorities to come up with some standards to follow. The Global Organic Textile Standard or GOTS was developed to define the requirements for organic textiles. There are several standards clothing items must meet to achieve the certification, for example, to have the label grade ‘organic’ the item must be made with 95% certified organic fibers. However, just because an item doesn’t have the certification, doesn’t mean it’s not ethical, it can cost a lot of money to get the certificate, so for smaller producers, it may not be something they can afford, but using the GOTS certification as a guideline, you can ask the right questions about the clothing you want to buy.
Cotton Isn’t King
When you are shopping for new clothes one of the biggest choices is natural or synthetic. While you may jump to the conclusion that natural is better, there are some other things to consider first. Cotton makes up most of the natural fiber clothing out there, but it’s not necessarily ethical. Cotton is an incredibly water-intensive crop, using between 7,00 to 29,000 liters of water to produce just 1kg of the material. Not only that, but the commercial cotton industry uses huge amounts of pesticides. Out of the planet’s arable land, only 2.4%is used for cotton production, however, it uses a massive 24% of the world’s insecticides. Not to mention, there are several chemicals that have been used in the production of cotton, such as formaldehyde and bleach. Fortunately, many producers have jumped on the organic bandwagon, and there are now more eco-friendly cotton producers than ever before, so do a little bit of research before making your next cotton purchase to ensure you are buying ethical clothing.
What Can Brands Do?
There is more than just getting a GTOS certification that a brand can do to ensure their fashion is more sustainable. Some of these you may be familiar with, but some may surprise you. The fashion gurus at blonde gone rogue outline the top things brands can do. Deadstock Materials – These are end-of-roll materials, not to be confused with offcuts. These are simply extra fabrics that go unused by factories, often they are high-quality and perfectly fine for use. If a brand is sourcing their material from Deadstocxk, they are saving on extra fabric production. Kind Materials – Kind materials cover a number of fabrics, the aforementioned organic cotton or recycled cotton, linen, or cupro count as kind materials. They are a good option for brands looking to reduce their environmental impact. High Quality – Preventing clothes from becoming trash is one simple but effective way to make your clothes more ethical. Producing high-quality items that are built to last is about the best thing a brand can do to make their clothes more ethical. If the clothes have a guarantee, that shows their confidence in their quality.
Vegan Shoes
No, we’re not talking about eating your shoes, but avoiding any animal products in the production of your shoes can make your next footwear purchase more ethical. Avoiding leather and products that have been tested on animals are easy ways to make your shoes more ethical. Raw materials are good replacements such as natural rubber, cork, or even bamboo. Also, recycled plastics are a great ethical choice and are becoming more widely used. Recycled plastics can be durable and long-lasting and using them prevents more plastics from polluting the environment.
Not All Natural Fibres Are Ethical
Similar to cotton, it can be easy to jump to the conclusion that because a fiber is natural, not synthetic, that is automatically more ethical. You may love the feeling of that silk robe, however, silk is made from the grub of the silk moth, it can take thousands of these grubs to produce a moderate amount of silk. There are more ethical ways to produce silk using grubs, but in general, the end product is not as soft, so it’s not widely used. Lotus silk is a highly ecologically friendly fabric that is a great replacement for traditional silk, it is not yet widely popular, so help support its use by considering it for your next buy. Other products such as Rayon and bamboo are often presented as sustainable, however, the production of the final cloth sometimes uses highly intensive and unsustainable chemicals. So always make sure they are not using these harmful processes in the making of their products.
You Can Make Your Clothes More Ethical
The producer is not the only one responsible for how ethical your clothes are, It’s down to you to do what you can to keep your clothes from the trash. Firstly, we have to change our mindset about fashion, just because fashions have seasons, doesn’t mean you need a new look 4 times a year, re-use your clothes, make sure you get a lot of use out of the clothes you buy. There is the 30 wears initiative which states you should think about whether or not you will wear your item 30 times or more, if not, don’t buy it. You can host or join clothing swaps to keep your closet fresh without purchasing new. Shop smart, take some time to research the brands or shops you want to use, rent clothing if it’s for a special occasion and check the thrift stores before buying new.
Final Thought
Although it may take a bit more effort and time, there is no reason you can’t support ethical clothing. We hope these 6 points will help you make an informed and ethical decision when it comes to making your next clothing choices.
