7 Trending Sustainable vegan textiles that can change the world

Consequences Of Fashion Industry

The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. It dries up water sources, pollutes rivers and streams, and dumps 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year. This number is equivalent to 50 billion plastic bottles.

These numbers are only expected to go up with time. With consumerism on the rise, we can see more unsustainable practices in the market which can wreak havoc on the environment on a global scale. As a consumer ourselves we need to demand a more sustainable way of production. Here are some of the things which you should know about the fashion industry.

How non-vegan textiles cause harm to the planet and animals

Environmental impact

We may not think much about the consequences of our choices or the choices of most other people around us but, it does have a big impact on the planet. We have started to consume more fashion garments with time, partly this is due to fast fashion and quick fashion trends that keep changing every day. This consumerist attitude leads to quickly discarding old clothes for new ones regularly to not damage the fur.

85% of the fur industry’s skin comes from animals held captive on fur factory farms. The animals are crammed together in filthy wire cages. Many of these animals are beaten, electrocuted, and sometimes even skinned alive.
China the biggest fur exporter supplying millions of dollars worth of garments every year has the most relaxed rules when it comes to animal abuse as they have no penalties.
1 Billion rabbits are killed each year so that their fur can be used in clothing.
In China, there’s a thriving cat and dog fur industry. Cats and dogs are bludgeoned, hanged, and sometimes even skinned alive. Their fur is often mislabeled and exported from China to unsuspecting consumers.
Millions of pounds of feces are produced annually by U.S mink farms alone. One of the most dangerous components of this waste is nearly 1000 tons of phosphorus, which is dumped in nearby rivers and streams.
The fur industry is ranked as one of the five worst industries for producing toxic-metal pollution in the world.
Although most of the animals killed for fur are raised on fur farms, millions of raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, beavers, and other fur-bearing animals are killed every year by trappers.

Wool Industry

Like other industries sheep go through similar abuses for producing wool, Being kicked, punched, stamped to restrain them from shearing is common in the industry.
Lambs are usually castrated without any painkillers and have their tails cut off.
The wool industry is only second to the beef industry in terms of producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Over the last 250 years, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has increased by 151% worldwide.
Like the industries above sheep also pose a big environmental risk to rivers and streams. The enormous flocks of sheep bred by the wool industry produce a huge amount of manure which pollutes the land, water, and air.

The Vegan Alternatives?

Now that we have seen the kinds of issues these industries pose it’s time to see the alternatives that can change the world. But first, it’s important to understand that changing the source of textiles won’t change much if we don’t change the habits of our consumeristic behavior.

We should also think about why most people buy Leather, Fur, Swede, Wool? It’s not because it is a need but because we simply fail to make the connection that this was a living breathing animal with feelings and desires just like any other sentient being. Making that connection is what creates the change. Most of us are not animal abusers and we surely don’t support these kinds of things being done to the animals. After understanding this we can make better decisions.

With that out of the way. Here are some of the best alternatives -

Organic Cotton

Cotton is one of the best materials that we can use for making garments. The problem with cotton is its demand. With such a high demand it’s hard to produce the kind of cotton that can be made sustainably. Although there are sustainable mills of cotton.

What’s so good about organic cotton? The fact that it’s made without using toxic dyes, finishing materials and isn’t treated with chemicals makes it appealing enough to be used instead of non-organic cotton.

Organic cotton is also better for the environment with up to 20% less water used than their traditional peer’s means, less impact on the environment. As an organic material, no fertilizers or pesticides are used to make it way better than other textiles.

Like Rayon which was the first generation of these cellulosic fibers. Modal and Lyocell are second and third respectively. Unlike much other man-made fiber modal and lyocell are not synthetic. Derived from wood pulp and more recently from bamboo.

Making modal and lyocell does involve chemicals but this chemical process is a closed-loop, which means that chemicals used in the processing are captured and reused. The small amount of chemical that does get discharged is considered non-hazardous. The finished textiles are biodegradable and also take well to natural dyes. This eliminates the need to use harmful chemical dyes.

As Modal and Lyocell are manufactured from the renewable crop, it is considered carbon neutral if it is taken from a responsibly managed source.

Linen

Made with flax plants, linen is one of the most biodegradable fabrics in fashion history. When not dyed it is fully biodegradable. Its natural colors include ecru, tan, grey, and ivory. Linen is good at absorbing moisture without holding bacteria.

Overall flax, the plant from which linen is made from is extremely versatile. Every part of the flax plant can be used to create worthwhile products. Nothing is wasted and production is cost-effective. A common by-product of linen is linseed oil, which is great for varnishes. Flaxseed oil is also rich in omega 3.

Flaxseed is resilient and can grow in poor soil, using far less water in its consumption than cotton. Across its lifecycle, a linen shirt uses 6.4 liters of water compared to 2,700 liters for a non-organic cotton shirt.

Hemp

The hemp plants need very little water, grow very quickly, and are naturally pest-resistant. Requiring little to no pesticides or fertilizers making them extremely affordable to grow. Hemp is often used for crop rotation to help restore the soil as it helps replenish nutrients.

When made into fabric, hemp is breathable and thermo-regulating. Hemp is also a durable and stretchy fiber, it gets softer and more comfortable with each wear. Hemp fabric is also 100% recyclable and biodegradable making it very sustainable for the environment.

Soysilk

A good alternative to Silk, soysilk is made from soy residue. In addition to being vegan, Soysilk is a sustainable option as it doesn’t use valuable resources, rather it repurposes waste. It is completely natural and biodegradable.

Soysilk, like real silk, is cool to the touch, has a lovely drape, and is very soft. There is also a light sheen to it when finished. It is also generally wrinkle-free, unlike real silk which is stubborn to wrinkles.

Other Sustainable Vegan Leathers

Recently we have also seen the rise of Vegan leathers. These are made with a variety of materials like pineapples, Apples, Cactus, Muskin, bananas, Coffee, Grape, Red Pepper, Coconut water, Cork, Roses, Wood, Green tea, Prickly Pears, Kombucha Tea, Soy, and a variety of fruit waste.

All these leathers are mostly new to the market but, with time we’ll be able to perfect the methods to make them more easily with lower costs. These can have huge implications for the future of the leather industry which is currently exceeding $80 billion a year.