3. Sweatshops
Although sweatshops could
lead to inexpensive clothing on
the end of the consumer, the
practices of such places are
detrimental to the lives of the
workers. Common working
conditions include unpaid
overtime, no bathroom breaks
or sick leave, and retaliating
against workers who want
better treatment (Borkowski).
http://www.veganpeace.com/
4. Sweatshops Cont.’d
There are a plethora of ways to boycott the
practice of sweatshops. Consumers can choose to
buy less clothing overall, considering, before they
make a purchase, whether they really need the
clothing article or not (Borkowski).
When they do buy clothing, they can go to
secondhand shops or clothing swaps.
Furthermore, consumers could buy Fair Trade
clothing. Fair Trade means that “…artisans sell
directly to wholesalers or retailers and earn fair
payment for their products” (Borkowski).
5. What Can We Do to Help?
• Consumers can research their favorite clothing
companies and see whether or not they operate
responsibly. They can also take it one step further and
contact these companies and questions their codes of
conduct (Borkowski).
• If companies know that consumers are concerned with
their labor practices, there is a pressure to address
these concerns and instill fairer labor conditions, which
means there is also a chance that sweatshops could,
one day, become a thing of the past (Borkowski).
6. Sustainable Materials
Cotton is often called “the fabric
of our lives.” In fact, there is
some truth to this claim. See,
cotton makes up 50 percent of the
entire globe’s fiber needs.
However, growing this enormous
amount of cotton also requires an
enormous amount of toxic
pesticides. These chemicals not
only negatively affect those who
work closely with cotton in the
fields, but also each and every
person who comes in contact with
cotton-made materials (Baldwin).
http://informedfarmers.com/
7. Organic = Better
The Organic Trade Association defines organic cotton as that which is
grown without using harmful pesticides or fertilizers. This is a good thing, since
health risks associated with exposure to such chemicals include reproductive
disorders, birth defects, and weaker immune systems. And 25% of the world’s
insecticides and 10% of its pesticides are used on cotton crops (Baldwin).
There are so many benefits that can be reaped from using organic cotton
products. First of all, the working environments are far safer. Secondly, farmers
can save a large chunk of money by not having to buy great amounts of
pesticides. Lastly, consumers benefit because organic products tend to be
softer and easier on the skin (Baldwin).
Raising the awareness of organic cotton and its benefits is directly related
to an increased demand for such products. When the demand is increased, so
is the cost, and so when organic cotton wins, everybody wins (Baldwin).
8. Hemp & Nettle
Hemp these days is often
frowned upon. And why not? It
is, after all, associated with the
cannabis plant. It is not allowed
to be legally grown (without a
Home Office license) even
though it is entirely free of
narcotic effect. However, this
poor treatment of the fabric
was not always the case. Under
the rule of King Henry VIII, it was
illegal not to grow it (Flintoff).
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/
9. Hemp & Nettle Cont.’d
Along with hemp, the
nettle plant is another
sustainable alternative to
cotton fibers in clothing.
However, unlike hemp,
nettle is a perennial
plant; it only needs to be
planted once and it will
come back year after year
(Flintoff).
http://t1.gstatic.com/
10. Hemp & Nettle Cont.’d
What’s more, after harvesting a hectare of nettle for
three or four years, the harvest could be up to four tons,
or 4,000 kilograms. It takes approximately 40 kilograms of
nettles to make one shirt, so the entire harvest could
provide enough fiber for 100 shirts (Flintoff).
As well as the high product yield, there are many
other useful by-products of nettle. Some of these
include sugar, starch, protein and ethyl alcohol, and
leaves used in fancy restaurants and at home in teas
(Flintoff).
11. Clothing Clean-Up
In today’s world people wash clothing articles to simply refresh them as
much as they do to remove dirt and stains from them. Using a modern-
day detergent takes advantage of very little water and energy in a
front-loading washing machine; doing laundry is as easy as dumping
the detergent in and pressing a button. However, even though there is
a range of detergents available today, some have as many as 20 or
more chemical ingredients (Emsley).
http://cmsimg.delawareonline.com/
12. Clothing Clean-Up Cont.’d
Luckily laundry
detergents have
become much more
environmentally
friendly over the last
century. For instance,
one approach is to only
use chemicals from
sustainable resources
(Emsley).
Another sustainable
route is to provide
traditional detergents in
a concentrated form to
save on packaging and
transport. And finally,
companies can provide
detergents that clean
clothes even in cold
water to save energy
(Emsley).
13. Dry Cleaning
When clothes cannot be cleaned at home, they
are oftentimes taken to the dry-cleaners. However,
the processes used to get clothes clean and the
chemicals in these processes are unhealthy for both
the workers, the customers, and the environment.
The main culprit is the liquid solvent used most
commonly for dry cleaning: perchloroethylene (perc)
(Priebe).
http://www.cleangreenrevolution.com/
14. The Effects of Perc
Perc can be absorbed in many ways, such as:
inhalation, drinking water, prenatal exposure, breast
milk, and contact with the skin. It causes minor health
conditions, including irritation to the skin, eyes, and
respiratory system, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, and
fatigue. Long-term exposure, however, can lead to
miscarriages, cancer, and neurological disorders
(Priebe).
Luckily, there are alternatives to dry-cleaning
clothes and, therefore, alternatives to Perc.
15. Alternatives to Dry-Cleaning
One alternative to dry-cleaning is
simply wearing clothes longer. We
could choose to only make a trip to the
cleaners when clothes are soiled or
smelly, and airing out the clothes after
wearing them and treating the stains at
home can also help.
Instead of going to the dry-
cleaner’s, check the label of a
garment before you buy it; if you stay
away from clothing that needs to be
dry-cleaned, you cut down on the need
to do it (Priebe).
http://s.ecrater.com/
16. More Alternatives to Dry-Cleaning
In order to avoid the cleaners, clothes
could also be hand-washed at home, or put
through the gentle/delicates cycle of the
washing machine. Or, lightly steaming clothes
is an easy way to help remove stains, odors,
and wrinkles. And, if need be, at-home DIY
dry-cleaning kits, although they contain
chemicals, do not contain Perc (Priebe).
17. Disposal of Clothing
Fact: the average American throws out 68
pounds worth of clothing each year. The
reason? Well, ever-changing fashion puts a
pressure on the consumer to constantly go
out and buy new clothing; this means that the
old clothing has got to go somewhere, and
that place is usually the trash. However, there
are tons of alternatives to tossing out all of
these textiles (Eisenberg).
18. Sustainable Clothing Disposal
Unwanted clothes that have been
kept in good shape can be sold to
consignment shops or online on websites such as
eBay (Eisenberg).
Swapping clothing is free of charge,
when performed among friends. For a small
fee, you can bring your clothes to a public swap and
come home with a new wardrobe (Eisenberg).
***Donations
19. Sustainable Clothing for Kids
Children, in the course of their growth and
development, go through a lot of clothing in
not a lot of time. For this reason, many
parents have a difficult choice to make: do
they splurge on eco-savvy clothing for their
kids or do they try to save a little bit of pocket
change and opt for cheaper style options?
Luckily, in today’s society they can have the
best of both worlds.
20. Sustainable Kids’ Clothing: The
Benefits
Organic fabrics like bamboo
tend to be softer than
traditional textiles (great for
children!). Furthermore, there
are fewer chemicals involved
in the processing of
sustainable fabrics (Kupka).
And imagine: if you combined
the idea of hand-me-downs
with that of eco-friendly
clothes, not only would you be
saving money, but the
environment as well.
http://www.greendeals.org/
21. Better than Disposing: Recycling
Clothing, when it is not disposed of altogether, can
find a second life through the process of recycling. One
of the most well-known and widely spread forms of
recycling clothing is donations.
The Salvation Army offers the choice of either
dropping off clothing donations at one of its locations
or a convenient clothing pick-up, which can be
scheduled online. And of course shoppers of the store
locations can give old clothes a new home. And what’s
more, the donated goods in these stores, clothes
and the like, are what fund the charity’s Adult
Rehabilitation Centers (Donate Goods).
http://milwaukeecourieronline.com
22. Goodwill’s Environmental Impact
For nearly 110 years, Goodwill has been preaching the “Reduce,
Reuse, Repurpose” mantra. Every year, it saves more than 2 billions
pounds of clothing from landfills and creates many job-training
opportunities and skilled green-collar jobs for those in need of work
(Environmental Impact).
“In 2010, Goodwill launched the Donate Movement, a corporate social
responsibility platform and public awareness movement that focuses on the
positive impact donating has on the people and planet” (Environmental
Impact).
“In 2010, Goodwill Industries International signed a two-year green
electricity purchase agreement with Constellation NewEnergy to supply
renewable energy certificates (RECs) sourced from wind-renewable resources
to offset 100-percent of its energy use” (Environmental Impact).
23. Plato’s Closet
Plato’s Closet accepts
gently used and recently
fashionable clothing and
accessories. Buyers in the
store will appraise your
donations and offer you
money for them (either in
cash form or store credit).
It is a hip alternative to
the usual thrift store
suspects, as it offers many
mall clothing brands at up
to 70% off the retail value
(How it works…).
http://usagainblog.files.wordpress.com/
24. Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is an organization that collects new
shoes and gives them to relief victims; it also collects
used shoes in order to support small-business efforts
to end poverty (Soles4Souls).
The organization’s founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey,
was inspired by the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in
Southeast Asia, and again in 2005 when Hurrican
Katrina struck New Orleans. He even developed a
mission statement: changing the world one pair [of
shoes] at a time (Soles4Souls).
25. Green Soles
“Last year alone, Americans
discarded more than 300 million
pairs of shoes. When these shoes
break down in our landfills, the
toxic glue that holds the shoes
together can leak into our water
supply and atmosphere”
(Soles4Souls).
Soles4Souls cleans your shoes and
ships them to needy people
around the world; since its
inception, it’s handed out more
than 17 millions pairs of shoes
in 127 countries (Soles4Souls).
http://beverlywood.losangelesrealestatevoice.com/
26. Shoes
Good Marketing:
The appeal of TOMS shoes is
very knight-in-shining-
armor; people feel good
about buying the product
and believe that they are
helping those in desperate
need. The company raises
awareness about the plight
of not having shoes to wear
(TOMS…).
Bad Aid:
Instead of doing things with the
people of impoverished nations,
TOMS shoes is doing thins for
them. Unfortunately, there are
many more ways to get shoes on
the feet of the poor that are
both better and cheaper. For
instance, if the shoes in the
program were actually made
locally (instead of in China), local
jobs would be created and
would actually empower these
nations and their peoples far
longer than the lifetime of a pair
of shoes (TOMS…).
http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/
27. Textile Recycling
Facilities that recover used textiles (like thrift stores) separate
the overly worn or stained clothing. In 2009 alone, an estimated
1.3 million tons of clothing textiles was recovered for recycling
in this fashion.
The cotton textiles can be fashioned into rags or become an
ingredient of high-quality paper. Knitted or woven wool and like
materials are pulled apart into fibers and re-used in the textile
industry as car insulation. Other textiles go on to become wiping
cloths.
Buttons and zippers are removed from the clothing and
saved for reuse. The remaining materials from the recycling
process can be composted (Textiles).
***You can crochet clothes from strips of
old plastic bags; it acts like yarn (Stephenson).
29. Consumer Trends
Recent data is suggesting a strong interest among
the people in environmentally-sustainable apparel. In
fact, according to the 2012 Styling Sustainability
Survey, approximately 69% of people would consider
sustainability when purchasing clothing in the year
2011. However, ¼ of the respondents did not even
know where they could go to purchase eco-friendly
clothing (Consumers…).
Clothing stores need to advertise more for their
sustainable threads. After all, when more people know
about them, there is more of a demand and the price
drops, which could mean that sustainability is an
achievable goal in all of our futures.
30. Works Cited (MLA)
• Baldwin, Peyton. "Why Organic Cotton Is Better." Mother Earth News. 3 June 2008. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Borkowski, Liz. "Sweatshop-Free Clothing." Green America. May-June 2006. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• "Consumers Would Buy More Sustainable Clothing, If They Could Find It."Greenconduct.com. 10 Feb. 2012.
Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• "Donate Goods." Adult Rehabilitation Center. The Salvation Army, 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Eisenberg, Sheryl. "Clothes Disposal." National Resources Defense Council. Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Emsley, John. A Healthy, Wealthy, Sustainable World. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2010. Print.
• "Environmental Impact." Goodwill Industries International. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Flintoff, John-Paul. "Second Skin: Why Wearing Nettles Is the next Big Thing." The Ecologist. 20 Aug. 2009. Web.
21 Mar. 2012.
• "How It Works at Plato's Closet." Plato's Closet. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Kupka, Sue. "Green Parenting: Sustainable Clothing for Kids." Going Green Today. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Priebe, Maryruth B. "Overview of Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaning." Ecolife: A Guide to Green Living. 2011. Web. 21
Mar. 2012.
• Soles4Souls. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Stephenson, D.R. "Clothes Made From Recycled Items." Green Living on National Geographic. 2012. Web. 21
Mar. 2012.
• "Textiles." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• "TOMS Shoes: Good Marketing - Bad Aid." Good Intentions Are Not Enough. 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
• Cover Slide Image: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4eBDJ-9Wn7FmvUdLXyyleCsVGm-
jT6bgGoFia32SEgcLC34A6a5bl4PiQ_w
