Having an Earth-Friendly Wardrobe

As more and more people become environmentally conscious, the fashion world has also picked up in pace to keep up with the helping the earth good deeds. Trendy and fashion forward retailers such as H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21 have come up with their own collection featuring earth-friendly attire and consumers are eating them up.

H&M has recently come out with their "Garden Collection" apparel line that sports clothing that leaves minimal impact on the environment. One of their primary fabrics used in the collection is Tencel. Tencel is natural man-made fiber that comes from the cellulose in wood pulp harvested from trees. The fiber is produced by using an advanced "closed loop" solvent spinning process and has minimal impact on the environment and uses energy and water in economical amounts. The solvent that is used in the process is considered to be toxic, but 99% is recovered and continually recycled. Production plant emissions are significantly lower when compared to other man-made fiber operations. Some other advantages of Tencel are that it is extremely comfortable, shrink-resistant, durable, and easy to care for.

Other retailers such as Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters feature apparel that are made from organic cotton. With organic cotton, no toxins or synthetic fertilizers are used. Natural fertilizers and compost are used instead. Since it produced with the use of harsh chemical bleaches or pesticides, it unconsidered to be allergy-free. Since the chemicals from dyes are considered toxic, manufacturers have come up with solutions to address this problem. Organic "colored" cotton is grown on natural stems shades of brown, green, yellow, and reddish-brown. The results are 20%-40% less costs, fade-resistant clothing, and fabric that is friendly to people with chemical sensitivities.

Other forms of environmentally-friendly fabrics are recycled cotton and hemp. Recycled fabric is made from recovered cotton that would have been cast off during the spinning and cutting process. There are no harsh chemicals used in the manufacturing process. Hemp require no pesticides and uses little water and actually renews the earth's soil with each growth cycle. Fabrics made from hemp are considered to be durable, weather resistant (particularly against UV and mold), and cost-effective.

Sources:

http://eartheasy.com/wear_tencel.htm
http://eartheasy.com/wear_orgcot_clo.htm
http://eartheasy.com/wear_hemp_clothing.htm