Sustainable materials in the fashion industry. What's behind ocean plastic, vegan leather and bamboo fabric?

The fashion industry has long since discovered the topic of "sustainability". When looking for a new favourite jumper, one's head can start to spin from the many messages. Made from PET bottles" , "a jumper made from bamboo" or the black belt bag that catches your eye is made from vegan apple leather and the sneaker is made from marine plastic - but which materials are really sustainable?

We remember that fashion is basically a dirty business. Here are some facts and figures from our last blogpost:

• On average, between 7,000 and 10,000 litres of water are used to make a standard pair of jeans.
• Although cotton occupies only 2.5% of the world's agricultural land, up to 16% of the world's insecticides are used.
• Because polyester clothing is cheap to produce, the use of polyester has almost tripled from 2000 to 2016, from 8.3 million tonnes to about 21.3 million tonnes.

What is behind the messages?

Whether the garment is made from marine plastic or PET bottles, it is still worth looking very closely:

1. Plastic remains plastic: No matter how you turn the page, synthetic fabrics have no advantage for the consumer or the environment, apart from being cheap to produce. The production process generates a lot of CO₂ and the products are neither breathable nor truly sustainable, because every time they are worn and washed, microfibres are released that pollute our environment. And at the end of their wear cycle, these products can hardly be recycled. Plastic is really only worthwhile where it does not come into direct contact with the skin, when it does not need to be constantly cleaned and can be used for a long time, such as rainwear or luggage.
2. Ocean plastics? Most plastics are petroleum-based. However, fossil raw materials are finite. Plant-based plastics or recycled plastic (rPET) are therefore becoming more important as substitutes. Marine plastic sounds great at first, but for the industry, marine plastic is usable when it is almost new, not porous, and when it does not contain too many pollutants that could have docked onto the plastics' surfaces in the sea. Moreover, some new plastic always has to be added to the marine plastic in the manufacturing process. So it is never 100% marine plastic.
3. Petroleum is becoming a short supply: The material from PET bottles is also critical. Why? For the CO₂ balance of a PET bottle to be positive, it should be used several times as a reusable bottle. Many PET bottles are collected as deposit bottles but then sold to the textile industry because the profit is greater there. The PET is thus no longer used as a recyclate for new bottles but is downcycled as textile fibres. And there, too, new plastic has to be added again and again to keep the stability and properties constant.
4. The eco-balance is better but not good: The textile industry advertises its rPET fibres as saving almost 59% of the energy. But they tend to forget that this is a comparison with the production of new plastic textiles. This does not take into account that the CO₂ balance even with 59% less is still higher than in the production of natural materials such as organic cotton and Co. In addition, chemicals have to be used to bleach white rPET fibres and prepare the fibres for dyeing later on.

What is the fabric made of bamboo or wood?

Fabric made from bamboo or wood is semi-synthetic fabric, i.e. viscose. It is obtained from plant cellulose. Classically from fast-growing plants (such as eucalyptus, bamboo) or from woods (beech or spruce) or plant waste. To turn the cellulose into a soft flowing material, chemicals such as sulphuric acid and sodium bicarbonate are used in the production process. The largest producer of viscose is Asia. More than 80% of viscose is produced here. Often in poor regions, where the local areas are contaminated with chemicals through the manufacturing process and textile workers are harmed by toxic fumes. In addition, a lot of water and energy is needed, although not quite as much as for the production of synthetic fibres.

Viscose myths:

Some viscose is advertised as being antibacterial because antibacterial properties have been found in the original plant. Since only cellulose remains for the viscose, these properties can no longer be detected in the garment.

However, viscose is also a soft fabric on the skin and, depending on how it is made, has a silky look or can be suitable for sportswear. People with sensitive skin also benefit from the soft, cool and pleasant feeling when wearing viscose and it is, therefore, a good alternative for them to wool and cotton. The good news is that more environmentally conscious viscose manufacturing processes already exist:

Modal, Tencel, Lyocell and Lenpur viscose.

So next time you shop, look out for labels like "Modal", "Tencel", "Lyocell" and "Lenpur". These fabrics are produced more sustainably and are therefore also called regenerated cellulose fibres.

Modal: Is mainly made from domestic beech trees. If possible, therefore, look for Modal from particularly sustainable forestry.

Lyocell fibres/ Tencel: These fibres are obtained from FSC-certified South African eucalyptus. Hardly any toxic chemicals are used to extract the cellulose fibres from the eucalyptus. The greywater produced by the process can be returned to the water cycle. Moreover, no toxic fumes are produced that are harmful to workers.

Lenpur viscose: This is perhaps the most sustainable viscose fibre. This is because only cellulose from pruning trees is used in its production. The viscose process of Lenpur viscose is similar to Lyocell/Tencel production, i.e. purely organic and without chemical additives.

In principle, viscose is biodegradable. Nevertheless, as a general rule, they do not belong in the compost or organic waste, as they may also contain environmentally harmful additives.

Now let's move on to vegan leather accessories.

All vegan leathers have in common that no animals are killed for them. However, you have to take a close look at the leather alternatives, because almost all imitation leathers contain synthetic fibres.

Apple leather: Apple leather contains apple pomace from apple juice production. To make the apple skin flexible and as durable as possible, it is dried, pulverised, and mixed with polyurethane, i.e. plastic. Unfortunately, this mixture is not biodegradable in the end and cannot currently be recycled either.

Eucalyptus leather: Eucalyptus leather is also a mixture of approx. 25% eucalyptus leaves and 75% polyurethane. So it is also based on plastic compounds.

However, there are also more sustainable imitation leathers.

Pineapple leather/Piñatex: Pineapple leaves from the cultivation of pineapples are used for this and combined with polylactide, a synthetic substance that is made from lactic acids and can be broken down at least under laboratory conditions. Pineapple leather is, therefore, the more sustainable and environmentally friendly version of imitation leather.

Mushroom leather/trama: An imitation leather made from the fibres of tinder fungus (a fungus that grows on native trees).

In terms of durability, vegan leathers are nowhere near the robustness of leather products that have been vegetable tanned. If you want long-lasting products, you should prefer natural materials from responsible manufacturing processes. In general, natural fibres have a better environmental footprint when they are produced sustainably. Simply because they have little impact on the environment throughout their cycle and are easier to return to nature at the end. We have put together a few options here:

"Sustainable leather": Leather can never be an animal-friendly product. However, it does make a difference whether the animals were bred just for the skin or whether their skin is another product from the meat industry. In the case of "sustainable leather", the skin is just as much a by-product from another industry, so it effectively requires no additional land or resources.

Conventional leather is heavily criticised for the environmental impact of the tanning process, especially in India, where chromium is still used for tanning.  But leather can also be produced in an environmentally friendly way. Ecolife™ by Green Hides is an environmentally friendly, chrome-free leather from southern Italian tanneries that recycle and purify wastewater for this purpose. The Leather Working Group also promotes sustainable processes in the leather industry.

But vintage products made of leather are even better, of course, because no other animal died for them.

Down: An absolute no-go with conventional down is the live-plucking of the birds, which is cruel and painful for the animal, but unfortunately still widespread. For those who don't want to sacrifice their durability, lightweight and insulating properties, we recommend looking for certified responsible down (Responsible Down Standard) or recycled down.

Wool: The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) ensures that farms use best practices to protect the land and treat animals decently. Certified organic wool guarantees that no pesticides or parasiticides are used on the pastures or the sheep themselves, and that good cultural and management practices are applied to the livestock. Certified organic wool is becoming more and more popular. GOTS is (currently) the only organisation that certifies organic wool.

Silk: Silk is spun from the spun fibres (protein fibre) of silkworms and is, therefore, a renewable resource and also biodegradable. However, there are differences in the production process. With conventional silk, chemicals are used on the one hand and the caterpillars are killed in their cocoon on the other. With sustainable organic silk and "Peace Silk", no chemicals are used and the moths can leave the cocoon before they are boiled for silk production.

Natural rubber: Most of our feet walk in shoes with a synthetic rubber sole. A sustainable alternative is a natural rubber, which is made from the milk of the Hevea tree. Harvesting rubber does not harm the trees but actually helps the tree to thrive. Rubber from FSC®-certified forests ensures ecological management of the forest. In addition, there is also a "Fair Rubber Association" label that ensures a better life for producers of natural latex (rubber). Natural rubber is also easy to recycle and biodegradable.

Hemp: Hemp fabric comes from a plant of the same name. It is one of the fastest-growing plants and does not require much water, energy, pesticides or fertiliser. It produces twice as much fibre per 0.4 hectares as cotton and uses 50% less water. The plant can be grown in the same place for many years without depleting it. For this reason, hemp is considered environmentally friendly.

Linen: Linen is a natural fibre obtained from the flax plant. Flax requires far fewer resources than cotton or polyester (e.g. water, energy, pesticides, insecticides, fertilisers). Flax also has the advantage that it can grow on low-quality soils that cannot be used for food production. To some extent, it can even rehabilitate polluted soils. In addition, flax plants have a high carbon absorption rate - 2.1 CO₂ per tonne.

Organic cotton: Unlike conventional cotton, organic farmers use time-honoured sustainable farming methods to preserve the soil. In addition, no pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilisers are used. Organic cotton uses up to 71% less water than conventional cotton. Several organisations have introduced certifications for organic cotton, e.g. GOTS, USDA-NOP, Organic Content Standards, IVN, and Naturland. Certification is the only proof that a product is truly organic.

Our tips for you in summary:

• If you want to buy a sustainable wardrobe, prefer natural materials from sustainable production.
• If you are looking for robust luggage, look out for recycled raw materials and above all whether they can be recycled again.
• By the way, some textile manufacturers will gladly take your clothes back to make new ones. Pure fabrics, i.e. no fibre mixtures, are a real indication of this.
• To make your clothes last longer, wash them less often, and if possible, wash them cold and with gentle and ecological detergents.
• Just make sure that you wear and use your clothes and accessories for a long time.