EET CR crite) BUYING TRULY sustainable fashion is a huge challenge. Sustainability means using resources in a way that does not impoverish the planet for the next generation. Fashion, on the other hand, is wedded to novelty and consumption, neither of which meshes naturally with the concept of sustainability. So it should be no surprise that early attempts at eco-chic were largely green wo window-dressing. Rather thanasking tough questions about their materials, designers in the 1990s seemed more interested in turning out collections of dingy, natural- fibre clothing that made wearers look as if they lived ina field. Only now are questions such as how a material was produced, how much energy be used to take care of it, and what happens to it at the end of its life beginning to echo through the industry. 1 Di the question for the sustainably minded wearers of fashionable clothes is what materials they should be prepared to wear, ‘The temptation is to select organic, ethical or fair-trade materials, but it is wrong to assume that materials are % more eco-friendly simply because they are made from natural or renewable fibres: Cotton, for example, is natural, but most cotton consumes large quantities of pesticides, fertilizers and water during production. Even the processing of organic cotton fabrics is likely to involve polluting chemicals, especially in the dyeing and finishing stages of production. In addition, organically grown cotton plants tend to be less productive, and for this reason farmers are inclined to exploit ‘irgin forestland and wilderne: ) &xtend their areas of 0 in order to production. Genetically modified (GM) cotton is avoided by cco-clothing companies despite the fact that GM cotton requires far fewer pesticides, There are increasing concerns, meanwhile, that most of clothing’s negative impact comes from the energy and/or water involved in washing and drying. Clothes made from bamboo or linen may sound more wholesome, but synthetic 45 fabrics rarely need the attention of an iron, or the environmental horror that is a tumble- dryer. Plus, fibres that are essentially made from plastic are easy to recycle. The clothing company Patagonia has been using recycled plastic bottles 50 to make fleeces since the 1990s, and continues to New recycle earlier generations of such fleece technology means that recycled polyester fibre, which saves energy and water, has now crossed over into general use and can even mimic very 35 fine fabrics such as chiffon, Recycled cottons have similar resource-saving benefits, Another positive trend towards the development of a sustainable fashion is the move towards what is jing’, which is the conversion of termed ‘upey 40 waste products into products of higher value and quality. This has been a practice used by niche design companies but has also been adopted in a collaboration between the upcycled-clothing company From Somewhere and the supermarket turning as chain Tesco, ‘The practice involv discarded fabric from roll-ends into a collection of fashionable clothing. Clothing made from animal skin — for example, leather — poses further ethical questions 70 regarding sustainability, Some supporters of sustainable fashion argue that most leather is @ by-product of the meat industry and therefore its production and use as a material cannot be called unsustainable, The truth, however, is thatCM@iemm Sustainable fashion 75 the meat and leather trades are economically intertwined and all the envitonmental arguments Designer leather goods may not be eco-friendly. that come with raising cattle for meat, such as loss of habitat, emissions of greenhouse gases and resources use, as well as the overuse of antibiotics, can also be applied to leather. The challenge is to find an alternative, animal skins, in a way that would have a positive impact on habitat and wild-animal numbers. One option is crocodilian skin — particularly wild alligator skin. This is claimed to be one of the great success stories in sustainable wildlife trade. a5 Many species of crocodile, caiman and alligator, which were once threatened, are now thriving due to the strictly controlled, sustainable trade which has evolved. Obtaining alligator skin from the United States makes a contribution to marshlands ~ 90 ignificantly so in Louisiana — that are vital habitats for wildlife, including millions of migratory birds and many endangered species, Most of Louisiana's 4.5 million acres of alligator habitatare privately owned, so trade is essential for supporting these areas and their rich biodiversity. Wild skins give 5 a more obvious and direct 10 ws 120 wild, benefit, but alligator farmers in Louisiana pay fees to support the alligator marshes, so farmed alligator is also beneficial. Moreover, certificates issued by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) serve to reassure consumers that the source of the material is legal and sustainable. There are similar environmental reasons for supporting the sustainably managed trade in fur of wild beaver or muskrat from Canada, where these creatures are abundant, Although many animals do inevitably.die in the fur production process, it is argued that beneficial effects of the trade include sustaining larger populations of animals and conserving their habitats, Further benefits are that the skins are durable, long. lasting, and are thus the epitome of what is referred to in the trade as ‘slow fashion’ — in other words, items that cost relatively more but which can be repaired, repurposed, adapted or traded to give a longer life. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that none of these wild animal products have addressed the environmental downsides of tanning, dyeing and production, although the same applies to similar products that do not have such environmental upsides. An ns can be sustainably traded.Text 7b Aire aro alternative is vicuiia fur. This is an incredibly fine fibre sheared from a camelid ~ the vicuiia — that lives in the Andes, The New World camelids ~ Hamas, alpacas, guanacos afid vicuiias — originally came from Central America and are members of the wider camelid family, being related to Bactrian and dromedary camels, The vicuiia species was once threatened with extinction but after a trade ban in the 1970s, the population recovered and it went on to be successfully ‘managed by local communities. Trade with a CITES certificate is legal and sustainable, and supports this animal in the wild by fending off threats such as habitat loss and poaching, A further alternative with a claimed sustainability advantage is the manufacture of ‘wild’ silk from India, In this case, silkworms are. cultivated in open forest, which encourages the preservation of forest ecosystems while also providing a major source of income for millions of tribal people. ws 0 One of the problems with sume alternative sustainable-fashion products is the cost to the customer, Crocodilian skins, for example, tend to be available only in the most expensive: of fashion houses. Hermés, for one, sells exquisite items such as narrow-cut Mississippian alligator trousers, but at an extremely high price. A further challenge lor environmentally minded customers is actually being able to find fashion items made from sustainable alternatives, such as beaver or 185 muskrat fur, Many conventional fur retailers prefer to concentrate on intensively farmed fox and rabbit furs and tend to be quite resistant to beaver or muskrat. Confusion caused by the way fur products are labelled is another potential problem, Legally, the labelling on clothing has to beaccurate ~ but terminology can be problematic for customers and shop assistants alike. For example, they may’ be mystified by the term ‘nutria’ used in connection with fur products Here, the reference is to the source of the fur: the nutria (also known as the coypu), a beaver- like animal native to South America, whose pelts 0 65 are often used for linings and trims, Nutria fur is also often dyed in a.varicty of colours— and in fact itis this dyeing process, more than anything, that should deter environmentally conscious consumers, However, consumers may be misled as to how sustainably produced a product is due to ignorance of production practices. 180 185 The nutria or coyp Gradually, concepts of sustainability are penetrating the consciences of the fashion-buying public, and to some degree fashion designers and high-strect retailers are paying heed to this trend, However, fashion by definition is capricious, and what is fashionable today may seem very ‘old hat? within a week, Given the nature of the fashion business — in which consumers worldwide are encouraged to constantly update their wardrobes ~ sustainable fashion may well make very slow progress. High production costs may continue to hinder the promotion of sustainable fashion for the mass market, and this issue will need to be resolved. However, the ongoing development of recycling initiatives and alternative sustainable options does hold out hope for the future. a popular source of fur. Source: Adapted from Sustainable fashion. 2010), ntligent Life, ‘Winter, Retrieved May 19, 201, from http:moreinteligentife: omicontent/itestylfintatigent felscepticalshopper-sustainable- {fashion © The Economist Newspaper Limited, London (2070).