- Choose organic: Hemp is NOT the only choice anymore! Organic and alternative fibers have come a long way since the 70′s. Support clothing lines and textiles made with organic cotton, organic bamboo or other sustainable fabrics. Look for organic certifications online and hangtags and labels that say organic. Organic clothing materials come from plants that have not been radiated, genetically modified or treated with synthetic or chemical pesticides. Any product labeled organic has to meet national standards set up by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- Buy less, but better: Quality clothing last longer, washes and wears better. Buying one top that won’t shrink or twist after washing is worth a few extra bucks and makes it a favorite for comfort and look. Also, over-washing your clothes not only wears down the fabric, it wastes water and can introduce excessive pollutants into the water stream. Wash less often and try wearing bamboo fabric , which is naturally antimicrobial and therefore won’t hold odor.
- Look for less chems: Raw materials that aren’t treated with pesticides have been shown to produce organic and natural fiber products with a longer lifespan and durability. Look for clothing lines not treated with bleach and dyed with low impact dyes. Low impact dyes don’t mean dull and boring – beautiful and vibrant colors can be achieved without bleaching fabric and using less toxic dyes. Check out this Tahiti Blue scoopneck and matching duo-tone scarf – flattering and wow!
- Buy local: Lesson your carbon footprint by choosing clothing that is locally designed and manufactured. Buying American made, and even better – made within your state, means your clothing didn’t have to travel the world to get to you. Where were your clothes made and by whom? Check the labels and think about how, where and in what conditions your clothing was sewn. Shift your spending to companies who manufacture in a sweatshop-free and safe environment and provide a living wage to their employees. Speak to the owners of your local clothing shops and let them know what you want to see and buy … and encourage them to buy from local and USA Made manufacturers and source sweatshop-free products. Don’t support companies who use child labor. Did you know that The International Labor Organization has estimated that 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in developing countries?
- Recycle, trade or donate clothes you no longer wear: Invite co-workers, family and friends to bring old clothes they no longer want and swap them for ‘new’ fashions. Has a shirt been hanging in your closet for 2 years, never worn? Take it to Goodwill and donate it to someone who needs it. Let’s put less clothing into the landfills and more clothing onto the bodies of those in need.
- Be a responsible shopper! Think before you buy. It’s a lot to think about when it’s so easy to walk in the nearest super store and buy a cute inexpensive dress, but these small changes in how you shop can lead to big changes for you and your friends and family. The conscientious changes consumers make can mean huge changes for the clothing industry in providing products that are safe, non-toxic, manufactured responsibly and less harmful to the Earth.
About the Author:
Would you like to try bamboo clothing or just feel the fabric? Visit http://www.bamboosa.com or contact Mindy Johnson at mindy@bamboosa.com and ask for a fabric swatch. Bamboosa is small manufacturing facility in Andrews, SC and I am one of the three owners working hard to keep talented sewing machine operators employed. My goal was to be part of a company that is all USA Made and operate a sustainable and responsible company. We use all recycled packaging, hangtags and printed materials and donate many of irregulars to a local charity for unwed mothers. If you’ve never tried on any bamboo clothing, I would love the opportunity to introduce you to a softness and comfort that will surprise you!
Another way to green your closet is to look out for companies that act responsibly with regard to manufacturing and cleaning clothes.
One really interesting company helps address the massive amounts of pollution and water usage normally employed by clothing manufacturers at the dyeing stage of clothing production. Their eco-friendly dye process is called AirDye (http://AirDye.com/?21) and avoids using water as well as enormously reduces the amount of pollution to the environment.
Another interesting technology along the same lines is called Xeros was recently written about in the Economist. See the article here: (http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/tm/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13892738)