Eco-friendly alternatives in the fashion industry
The fashion industry is growing like anything, and so is the pollution that it causes in the environment. Five times as much as in the air, the fashion industry causes about 10% of global carbon emissions each year. It also ranks among the most wasteful, polluting, and water-intensive industries. According to a report:
- The fashion industry uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water every year, which is equivalent to the amount of water consumed by 5 million people.
- Every year, more than 150 million trees are felled to make fabric.
- A half million tons of plastic microplastics from discarded clothing enter the ocean each year, which is equal to 50 billion plastic bottles. Through the food chain, these microfibers are dispersing and are probably already inside of us.
As a result of increased pollution and global warming, people all over the world are becoming more concerned about purchasing eco-friendly products.
Starting from t-shirts to footwear to other accessories, welcoming eco-friendly alternatives is the ideal choice. When you choose to buy an item that is natural, recycled, or made in a sustainable way, you are casting a vote with your money and contributing to the growth of the market for alternative goods.
So, which of these alternatives can you try? Let’s count them to help you next time when you shop for your clothing or accessories:
Bamboo Fabric
Img source: Istock
The bamboo fabric is made from bamboo pulp. It is organic and does not require chlorine in its bleaching process. It can be dyed easily by requiring less water, which makes it different from those fabrics that cannot be dyed easily and require harsh chemicals and more water supply in their processing.
Organic cotton
Img source: Textile Value chain
Organic cotton is grown in a way that has less impact on the environment, that is, without using pesticides or insecticides.
Mylo
Img source: Innovation in Textile
The underground root system of mushrooms is called mycelium. It expands into minuscule threads that create sizable networks beneath the forest floor. Mycelium cells have the quality of self-assembling into a flexible and sustainable material called mylo under ideal growing conditions. You can find it resembling animal leather in appearance and feel, which is indeed appealing to consumers.
Hemp
Img source: Sewport
Hemp is extracted from the fibers of a crop with a very high yielding quality that belongs to the Cannabis sativa plant family. It is used by the fashion industry to make sustainable textiles like hemp fabric.
Qmonos
Img source: The manual
Qmonos is a synthetic spider silk made from genetically altered microbes that is vegan. It is said to be about four times more durable than steel and more supple than nylon. It is now used in textiles as an alternative to those fabrics made of petroleum, such as nylon and polyester.
Pinatex
Img source: Fashion United
A substitute for leather made from pineapple leaf fibers, which is seeing increasing demand in the market. Its texture is quite unique, but it gives you the look of animal skin leather.
Malai Fabric
Image source: Design Nuance
Malai is a recently created substance made from bacterial cellulose that is entirely natural and viable and is grown on agricultural residues derived from the southern Indian coconut industry.
Malai is an extremely approachable material. It is susceptible to moisture due to its entirely natural composition, much like paper or leather.
Desserto
Image source: Desserto
There will undoubtedly be a continuing search for the greenest and most sustainable leather substitute, but has the solution already been discovered? The newest invention to threaten the leather industry has arrived, and it actually feels fantastic!
The use of organic plant-based materials by textile innovators to create long-lasting, low-impact substitutes for leather is growing in popularity. Therefore, allow us to introduce Desserto, a cutting-edge vegan leather device made from saguaro leaves as a raw material.
Cork
Img source: Corklane
The cork oak, Quercus suber, is the tree whose bark is used to make cork. Cork is a truly amazing material because it is strong, elastic, and largely air-impermeable. At Murtle, we manufacture footwear using cork, because for us, sustainability is what matters most. All of our footwear is eco-friendly, and with upcycling processes, we also help our customers reduce pollution as much as possible.
Tencyl layocel
Img Source: Tencel
A wood-based fabric called tencel-lyocell is created in a closed loop cycle using recycled water and amine oxide from birch and ecyluptus trees that are grown on waste land.
Merino wool
Img Source : OrissaPost
Merino wool is a type of non-woven, yarn-based fabric made from the wool of Australian sheep.
Choosing such a fabric is a better alternative and has no negative effects on the environment. In addition to these.
There are also some other eco-friendly fabrics that are currently undergoing commercialization and will be made available on the market soon, which includes:
- Mango Leather
- Pineapple Leather
- Mushroom Leather
- Apple Leather
- Grape-wine Leather
- Phool - Flower waste leather
India is already moving toward embracing fast fashion, but at great environmental cost. This is due to the expansion of fast fashion brands in India as a result of the growth of online shopping, and our constant desire to keep up with the trends drives us to buy low-quality products.
Let's stop this chain; we, the consumers, are the ones who run the market, and with better alternatives, it is not difficult to achieve sustainability.