Group items tagged

Greenpeace is claiming that the toxic chemicals used to produce clothing are harming manufacturers in Asia, as the chemicals contain carcinogens. They suggest buying second hand or organic clothing or buying less garments. It does raise the question of whether the chemicals harm the consumer over time. Obviously it would be very beneficial to reduce the use of these chemicals but I think there are other options besides buying less or second hand.

The fashion industry is looking to improve how they manufacture textiles to make them more eco-friendly. They use a lot of chemicals in the making of textiles that harm the environment. They began using soy fiber and Tencel. Even though Tencel uses chemicals during production the chemicals can be reused many times. Tencel fibers are also biodegradable! 

I need to read more about the Better Cotton Initiative. Good article!

This is a great way to get people informed on what exactly the fashion industry is doing to the environment. Garments were tested for chemicals that might harm the environment or human health. It found that 89 of the 141 contained detectable levels of nonylphenol ethoxylates or NPEs. The campaign is pushing for fashion brands to commit to zero discharge of all hazardous chemicals by 2020.  

Greenpeace loves doing stuff like this. They try to capture as much free media attention as possible. This one did not get much play though.

The Spanish fast fashion company Zara has come under intense fire recently. This article discusses how Zara has failed to do anything about the hazardous chemicals they are releasing into the same water that residents rely on. They are now being pressured to re-evaluate their environmental policies. Since they produce so many garments every year they have a very profound environmental impact. They hope by setting an example with Zara that it will lead to a toxic-free future. Obviously it's not going to be that simple though. 

This article/video shocked me, it talks about how the production of leather is affecting the environment in a specific neighborhood of Bangladesh; where it is produced. I was mainly shocked about how the workers are treated and how the chemicals are affecting them but the government or employers are not trying to help them.

That is pretty terrible.

This article caught my attention because I was never fully aware of the pollution that is emitted from clothing. A pollution eating nano-particle laundry detergent is both a unique and first-time effort made towards the fashion industry.

Several people have posted about this chemical. I'll have to research it more.

A Minnesota fashion group has created a set of standards for sustainable and "green" fashion. The group hopes to better put the consumer at ease by informing them of the strict standards that are carried out to ensure their garment is ethically made and environmentally sustainable. The group offers their certification requirements free of cost to the designer so it is not difficult or expensive to attain for companies just starting out. 

A set of standards is a good idea. The USDA can set organic standards but most of the environmental harm is from the chemicals used on the textiles later in the cycle.

This article talks mostly about H&M;s low prices and how it might encourage the idea of disposable fashion. It also mentions how H&M is increasing its use of organically grown cotton by 50 percent every year until 2013. They are also working with its Chinese suppliers to reduce water, energy, and toxic-chemical use in its supply chains.

I like the candy wrapper analogy. This is a good issue for fashion students to think about. The most sustainable fashion is to keep wearing the clothes you already own!