The green wardrobe

Thoughtful clothing production can result in fashion that is beautiful, stylish and not destructive to the environment. Words: Bette Flagler.

An academic view

Whether or not the fashion industry cares about sustainability depends on what market a particular brand has in its sights. “Large parts of the industry don’t express a desire to be more sustainable because they are successful at what they’re doing,” says Holly McQuillan, a lecturer at the Institute of Design for Industry and the Environment at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts. “They’re making money; they have no incentive to change.” Holly says most consumers are unaware of the impact clothing production has on the environment although there are some in the industry who care about the effects of their businesses. Holly’s work focuses on sustainability from two angles. About 15 percent of fabric is wasted when garments are cut using traditional patterns. Holly and her postgraduate students are designing zero-waste patterns and she is developing a service where garments are designed for individual clients and then altered to suit current fashions. “It’s a sideways step of the fashion system.”
 

NICE

The world watched when global leaders met in Copenhagen to thrash out a climate change deal but a stone’s throw away fashion leaders also met at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. Sponsored by the Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE), their aim was to discuss the role the fashion industry has in promoting sustainability and social responsibility. NICE is a joint initiative of the Nordic fashion industry in response to their “recurring wish to raise awareness and work more focused on implementing sustainable and responsible business methods”.
 

Fashion

Clothes have never been cheaper and there have never been more to buy. Just like fast food, the term fast fashion has been coined to describe products that are quickly made in a cost-efficient manner. But fast fashion isn’t necessarily a bad thing; most people enjoy experimenting and keeping up with trends and shouldn’t feel guilty every time they shop for a new outfit. Perhaps our goal should be an industry that can produce exciting fashion without harming the environment through its production and disposal. And perhaps consumers need to know when to slow down; that great coat really should be made from the best-quality materials and with the most exquisite workmanship so it will last for years.

First in, best dressed

California outdoor clothing company Patagonia was one of the first to combine environmental ethics with the business of fashion.

Among other initiatives, in 1993 it became the first company to make fleece from recycled plastic soda bottles. Since 1996 all cotton used in its products has been organically produced and in 2005 it launched a garment recycling programme where customers could return unusable fleece, cotton and some polyester products to be recycled into new garments.

In addition, the company installed enough solar panels to provide 12 percent of its energy needs and buys 50 percent of its power from wind sources.
 

Bamboozled

Bamboo is typically described as the fastest-growing plant on earth and, not needing fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation, seems the perfect answer to all questions green. But to turn a grass plant into a frock requires a significant amount of processing. Chemical processing is similar to that used to manufacture rayon and results in a product that is referred to as bamboo rayon or bamboo viscose. This technique is often criticized but gets a small nod of approval if it is carried out in a “closed” system: that is, processing takes place at a manufacturing plant and the waste water is treated before being discharged. The mechanical process is similar to that used for hemp: the woody parts of the plant are crushed and its enzymes break the walls into a mash. The fibres are then separated and spun. This is often called bamboo linen and is preferred by purists.
 

Natural is not always nice

You’d assume natural fabrics such as cotton, silk and bamboo would be good, but it’s not always so; cotton, for example, is a thirsty plant. It can take more than 10,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of cotton lint. In parts of the world where water is in short supply, this can add to environmental strain. In addition, conventional cotton production uses more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticides and roughly 25 percent of its insecticides. The adoption of genetically modified cotton has reduced the requirement for chemicals but modified plants are not allowed in all areas. The best option is organic cotton from places that don’t rely on irrigation.

Silk is a wonderful natural textile but traditional production involves boiling intact cocoons, killing the silkworm inside. This enables the single silk strand the worm has spun to stay intact; the producer then unwinds the silk on to reels. Peace silk or vegetarian silk identifies fabric that has been produced by spinning, as opposed to reeling. In this process, moths are allowed to emerge from their cocoons and live out their full life cycles.

Walking the talk

For casual shoes, keep it Simple. This company, based in Santa Barbara, California, is committed to making all its products 100 percent sustainable. Simple uses natural products such as cork, wool, hemp, organic cotton, bamboo and eco-certified leather and used car tyres, recycled carpet padding and recycled plastic (for shoelaces). The company has ethical supply chain guidelines (which include labour and environmental standards) and chooses business partners who adhere to them. Simple shoes are available at Kathmandu stores and other outlets in New Zealand.

One of New Zealand’s few remaining shoe manufacturers, Minnie Cooper recently celebrated its 21st birthday. “We try to make our products last as long as possible and look as good as they can,” says founder and owner Sandy Cooper. All Minnie Cooper shoes are produced here, most of the leather is home-grown and Sandy not only designs the ranges but manages the company. “I look at every pair and I know the quality is good.”
 

Ethical cycling

When Untouched World set out to make a line of performance bicycle gear, it was faced with an ethical challenge. The company’s goal is to close the environmental loop on everything it makes but when it comes to high-tech gear, no technology exists to make things such as gripper tape or a high-stretch component from natural fibres. “We asked ourselves: do we not get into this market until every component meets our preferred outcome, or do we get in because the consumer is doing more for the environment by buying our product rather than other gear?” says company founder Peri Drysdale. The company aims to make the most sustainable options possible to fill a consumer’s need so it decided to press on, using its trademarked Organic Mountainsilk (100 percent organic merino) as the base fabric for the range instead of the man-made fabrics found in most cycling gear. It also uses Mountainsilk Stretch and Mountainsilk Procycle – both merino blended with elastene – and Mountainsilk Recycle, merino with an outer layer of 100 percent recycled polyester. A percentage of every Untouched World sale goes to their charitable trust which trains young adults in leadership and sustainability.
 

Home-grown

Two years ago, outdoor clothing company Icebreaker began putting Baacodes on its products. Enter the number on the appropriate spot on the company’s website and learn about the station where the wool was grown. That traceability is what Icebreaker’s Leah Evans says is one of the biggest differences between products made by it and other companies – customers really can have confidence in the history of their garments. Narrow and deep is what the company calls its philosophy on selecting business partners.

It chooses a small number of key partners and grows deep relationships with them. For example, all wool is sourced from a limited number of New Zealand merino farmers and the company uses the same thinking when it looks for manufacturing partners. Originally all Icebreaker’s manufacturing was done in New Zealand but as the company grew and expanded into offshore markets it couldn’t keep up with demand. Now it works with three factories in Shanghai; all the relationships are long term and interdependent and allow for greater visibility and sustainabilty.