WHO KNEW How Environmentally Conscious Some Clothing Companies Have Become?
To offset some of the harm that “Fast Fashion” creates through the manufacturing of cheap and environmentally damaging clothing made with petroleum based materials, produced in inhumane working conditions and then worn only a few times before ending up in landfills, more and more clothing companies have become environmental champions.
Some companies let buyers know, often in detail, about their clothings’ genesis using QR codes affixed to the article. The code on a specific piece of clothing identifies what it is made of. It also identifies the specific place in the world the material begins its life, even to the farm’s identity and farming practices. It ends by telling where and how the clothing was manufactured and under what conditions.
Some companies like Patagonia offer to repair their clothing and still others will take back items once the owner no longer wants them. Check out companies like Patagonia, Northface, Levi’s, Eileen Fisher, Girlfriend Collective, or Madewell which are among the companies having special programs that offer credit or turn castoffs into new items. An especially great site to find out who’s engaging in sustainable practices can be found at directory.goodonyou.eco . It will provide a lot of information about clothing companies doing either good or great things. And then there are fashion win-win surprises such as learning that the newest kind of “leather” being turned into beautiful purses and other items comes from the skins of the intensely destructive Lionfish that decimates coral reefs and has no known enemies. Additional, revealing information about Sustainable Fashion can be found at: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c3265bccb7b44994aad3d1e3cf1f7462
Alarming reporting from Jenna Tharia, How Much Oil Does the $1.5 Trillion Fashion Industry Use? is that “A whopping two-thirds of our clothing is made from fossil fuel synthetics, and 85% of this material is sent to landfills.” The use of synthetic fibers has doubled since 2000; the plastics in this kind of clothing does not decay or decompose. In short, we’re wearing fossil fuels that as the materials rub against each other create minute unhealthy pellets that float off the fabric and go everywhere (earth, water, air and in our bodies). https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/How-Much-Oil-Does-The-15-Trillion-Fashion-Industry-Use.html Tap link to left; then link that appears below .
When thinking of gifts this holiday season, please consider the importance of passing the word around that there are healthier alternatives to “Fast Fashion” that create beautiful, much longer lasting and decidedly healthier clothing that are great investments.