Green is the New Black

Buy environmentally friendly fabric

What to wear? One of the most important decisions we face every day and a touchy subject for fashion conscious women (and men) around the globe. Fortunately, these days, wearing environmentally friendly fabrics is less of a sacrifice than ever before.

Since the early 80’s we’ve all known that synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon are made from petroleum and thus not good for the environment. As our fashion sense has evolved towards a preference for natural fabrics we’ve all grown to love cotton again. But as luck would have it, it turns out that conventionally grown cotton is terrible for the environment too. Cotton is one of the most pesticide intensive crops and leads to chemicals finding their way into our air and water supply and damaging soil. Cotton crops represent 25% of the world’s pesticide usage and 5 out of the 9 pesticides used on cotton crops are known to cause cancer.

Fortunately, thanks to some environmentally conscious clothing manufacturers, the market for organic cotton and other earth-friendly alternatives continues to grow. There are many oh-so-soft organic cotton items available now. As more people buy organic cotton, the supply will grow and prices will come down. So think of your purchases today as an investment in securing a future supply of less expensive organic cotton. Also, look for other environmentally friendly options such as linen (made from flax which requires very little use of pesticides), silk (especially organic), bamboo and recycled polyester or other synthetic materials.

And a final note about reading the fine print on organic cotton clothing. If the tag says made with organic cotton, the fabric may have been dyed or treated with toxic chemicals. Only items labeled 100% organic can be guaranteed to be free of any toxins.