Problematic clothing/processes.

Problematic clothing materials/processes:

*Nylon and Polyester. These are made from petrochemicals which are very polluting and contribute to global warming. They are also non-biodegradable, making them difficult to dispose of.
The manufacturing of Nylon releases Nitrous Oxide into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas 310x stronger than Carbon Dioxide.

*Viscose. An artificial fibre made from wood pulp which is treated with toxic chemicals such as Caustic Soda and Sulphuric Acid.

*Non Organic Cotton. This fabric uses more pesticide per cotton plant than any other crop in the world. This leads to serious illness and even death for cotton farmers. The chemicals also affect the local eco systems killing certain types of plants and animals.

*Wool. This also uses hazardous chemicals in Sheep dips which is linked with illness amongst sheep farmers.

*Certain Dyes. Around the world, garments are dyed or bleached using toxic chemicals without proper precautions, this then affects the workers and flow into sewers and rivers which damages the local ecosystems.

*All Pollycotton is treated with the toxic chemical, formaldehyde

“While organic farming is more difficult, it saves lives from not using pesticides. We no longer have debt problems. Income is all profit at the end of season. Land and soil are preserved.” – Farmer Gera Paul, Benin

This highlights just a few of the key sources which have major impact on the environment and people. The processes are just so toxic and it makes me wonder why. Considering how advanced technology is these days, why can't a more eco and organic way of creating fabrics have been found yet? This then makes me think about Biomimicary.

Reference: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/organic-eco-fashion