These are the most sustainable fabrics

Every piece of clothing we own has a certain impact on the environment. How much exactly? The production process that goes into making fabrics and where they end up afterwards are key factors regarding this impact.

According to Tree Hugger, this guide can help us understand better how much what we wear affects the environment.

1. Linen

A plant-based fabric made from flax grown on rough soils unsuitable for food production, linen can be cultivated and processed without chemicals. However, this is more commonly found in Europe and less in China.

2. Cotton

It is a natural plant-based fibre that makes up a quarter of all fabric used in clothing, furniture and other textile brands, like rayon and synthetics. It has a lot of advantages, such as being a durable, breathable and versatile fabric, while also being biodegradable. The downside is that it uses a huge amount of water (3% of global water use, as the UN reports), pesticides (7% in the US) and arable land (2% globally). While organic cotton can improve the chemical effect, it requires more land.

3. Wool

For those comfortable with the fact that wool is an animal-based product, this might be the most environmentally friendly option. It is a tough, wrinkle-resistant fabric, retains its original shape and can absorb around 30% of its weight in moisture before feeling damp, according to Dress Well Do Good. It also holds colourful dyes easily.

The biggest issue with this fabric are the methane emissions that occur during the process of creating it, when burping the sheep. Around 50% of wool’s carbon footprint comes from the sheep themselves.

4. Rayon & modal

These fabrics are made from cellulose. The cellulose for modal  fibers comes from softwood trees, while the one for rayon from bamboo. The raw crop might me biodegradable, but the chemicals required to turn it into a fabric, like carbon disulphide, are unsafe. Furthermore, the fabric for rayon clothes made in China comes from Indonesia, where old rainforests are ruined so that more bamboo can be planted for the sole purpose of textile manufacturing. If the fabric is processed mechanically instead of chemically, its impact is much smaller, but it leads to higher costs.

5. Polyester

It currently dominates the clothing industry, as it can be found in 60% of clothing. It is stretchy, durable and comfortable, which makes it really popular. However, it is a plastic manufactured from crude oil, whose making involves an energy-intensive process. With every wash, it releases plastic microfibers into waterways and these persist for an indefinite period of time and manage to contaminate lakes and oceans.

If we want to protect the environment, we should choose organic fabrics whenever we get the chance. They might be more expensive, which automatically means buying less, but at least it turns us away from the fast-fashion mentality.