Staying in Season All Year Round
October 6, 2025 - October 6, 2025
The term ”˜eco-fashion’ is one that has been appearing around the fashion industry for quite some time now…
To those who are not familiar with the term, it refers to clothes that have been manufactured by environmentally friendly fabrics and processes. This can also include recycled clothes and materials.
Recently, the price of clothes on the high street has decreased due to shops such as Primark. To some people this is a good thing as many of us are buying more and more clothes; yet, the more we buy, the more we dispose of. However, the impacts that fashion has on the environment are enormous and are growing steadily.
Besides agriculture, the fashion industry uses the most water and according to earthpledge.org, at least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles. These chemicals stay in the garment for its lifetime so they affect us wearing the clothes as well. In addition 25% of the world’s pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. These pesticides cause irreversible damage to people as well as the environment. They are known to cause illness to cotton farmers, who are constantly exposed to the pesticides. They also affect the local eco-system, killing plants and animals and causing an imbalance.
The affect to the environment does not just end after the clothes have been produced. A vast amount of the clothes we wear are made using synthetic materials, these include nylon and polyester. It is these materials that pose a problem as they are non-biodegradable and so they are difficult to dispose of. This means that they will probably end up in a landfill site. Manufacturing nylon releases nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas and is 310 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
Dyes are commonly found in all types of clothing and accessories. This does not mean that they are safe to use. It has thought to believe that certain dyes cause cancer and there are some areas in the world where dyes are used with the proper precautions and these can prove a great impact on the local ecosystem.
Fashion does not need to affect the environment and the people and this is why people are looking towards eco-fashion. Simply put, the reason for this is, eco-fashion clothes:
- Are made using organic raw material and the cotton produced does not involve pesticides
- Natural dyes from plants are used as opposed to chemicals and bleaches
- Recycled materials are used, such as old bottles
- They are made so that they can last longer
- The people who make them get paid fairly and work in decent conditions. (Fair Trade)
Look out for some of the following eco-fashion brands: ”˜Amana’, ”˜Annie Greenable’, ”˜Beyond Skin’, ”˜Ciel’, ”˜Edun’, ”˜Howies’, ”˜Katharine E Hamnett’, ”˜Kuyichi’, ”˜People Tree’ and ”˜Stella McCartney’.
Remember, eco-fashion can be stylish and protect the environment at the same time.
By Demi Dabor-Alloh
