Sustainability Stories - Sustainable Fashion involves all stages of a product's life cycle. It may include the use of recycled materials and components; reuse of wastage; the reduction of electrical use; reduction of potentially hazardous by-products, and, the careful use of natural resources, such as water, land, soil, plants and animals.
Sustainability is important in the manufacturing of these products. Hear their stories.
eVent® BIO is a waterproof all weather membrane technology derived from highly renewable and responsibly sourced castor beans.
Heiq® – Keep dry with sustainable ecological water repellent technology that uses no fluorocarbon.
Dry-Tex® is making textiles with the earth in mind. One of the most energy efficient mills on the planet, using solar energy.
EcoElite – is a renewably sourced, non-fluoridated, durable water repellent finish.
Overview of Sustainability Problem/Solutions
Some of the problems include air & water pollution, material wasteage, overuse of natural resources, and fast fashion that results in millions of tons of little used clothes going into landfills. Solutions include the use of recycled materials, use of renewable plant-based & bio-based textile fibers, a pro-active commitment to the stewardship of natural resources and safer manufacturing practices.
Can Fashion Be Sustainable? | BBC Earth. (Problems of Fast Fashion. What we can do about it).
3 Creative Ways to fix Fashion's waste problem, from Ted.com
Fashion has a pollution problem - can biology fix it?, from Ted.com
Creating sustainable fabrics using wine, beer and coconut water | Enterprising Australians
Common Sustainable Garment Certifications and Standards
Sustainable textile certifications exist to protect and inform the consumer about the quality of what they are buying, whether the textiles were produced and manufactured in a manner that protects the environment and whether the textile mills have ethical working conditions. The standards are created by public institutions, private
certification companies, textile industry federations and even retailers. The following are a few popular certifications and standards that responsible companies can use to certify their products as evidence of using sustainable practices in certain stages of product manufacture.
Bluesign – BLUESIGN represents the vision and mindset of responsible and sustainable manufacturing of textile consumer products. BLUESIGN is a system that provides safer and more sustainable environments for people to work in and everyone to live in. Powered by a holistic approach, BLUESIGN traces each textile's path along the manufacturing process, making improvements at every stage from factory floor to finished product. BLUESIGN changes the environmental impact of textiles for good. As a solution provider and knowledge broker, BLUESIGN acts as an independent verifier to secure trust and transparency. Corresponding to this approach, BLUESIGN encourages the industry to increase their efforts in sustainable processes step by step.
OEXO-TEX STeP
Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by OEKO-TEX® is a certification system for brands, retail companies and manufacturers from the textile chain who want to communicate their achievements regarding sustainable manufacturing processes to the public in a transparent,
OEKO TEX Standard 100 – STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is an independent product label for all types of textiles tested for harmful substances – from yarns and fabrics to the ready-to-use items that you can buy in the shops. (Eco-Label Certification)
GOTS – The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognized as the world's leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers. It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire organic textiles supply chain and requires compliance with social criteria as well.
Cradle to Cradle Standard – The Cradle to Cradle standard guides designers and manufacturers through a continual improvement process that looks at a product through five quality categories – material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.
ISO 14000 Standards – The ISO 14000 family of standards provides practical tools for companies and organizations of all kinds looking to manage their environmental responsibilities.
Ethical Trading Initiative – Member companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations work together to tackle the many complex questions about what steps companies should take to trade ethically, and how to make a positive difference to workers' lives.
Fair Trade Certified Clothing – Fair Trade USA enables sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, fishermen, consumers, industry, and the earth. Their mission ia achieved by certifying and promoting fair trade products. (by prAna)
