Understanding the systems below the surface of our clothing is the first step we need to take in reimagining and remaking these systems into ones that are more sustainable and just. Part of this is learning about the materials and fibers that make up our clothes, the contexts they were created in, their impacts, and their potential for circularity.
The materials our clothes are made of do affect the impact our clothes have, such as their water consumption and pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, and waste.
But, Even Sustainable Textiles Are Nuanced
Rather than going in search of a “perfectly” sustainable material or fiber, creating more conscious clothing is about learning about the pros and cons of each material and using this information to help make informed decisions — as designers, fashion professionals, sustainable fashion advocates, consumers, and conscious citizens.
For example, in general, natural fibers are preferred, because they aren’t made from fossil fuels and won’t release microplastics. But even natural fibers can have sustainability concerns, such as if they’re treated with toxic synthetic chemicals and dyes or produced by people working in unethical conditions.
And as Sofi Thanhauser — author of Worn: A People’s History of Clothing — explains on this episode of the Conscious Style Podcast, the reasons why certain materials have risen to popularity in the fashion industry are also a reflection of various complex historical and political contexts.
This is all to say that each fabric will have its strengths and tradeoffs. Below is a list of some of the common materials and fibers that are found in our clothes, along with an overview of each one’s sustainability and design pros and cons, and related certifications.
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NATURAL
Cotton
Chances are, if you look into your wardrobe now, you’ll find a garment made from cotton without any difficulty. It’s the most common natural fiber in our clothing. Cotton is 80% of the natural fiber market and is the second most commonly produced fiber after polyester, accounting for 24.2% of global fiber production as of 2020/2021.
Its versatility and durability mean that it’s used widely for many different garments from jeans to dresses, to underwear. Cotton is often blended with other fibers — such as polyester — for various applications. Different kinds of cotton include recycled cotton, organic cotton, color-grown cotton, and Supima cotton.
According to the Transformers Foundation’s 2021 report, Cotton: A Case Study in Misinformation, cotton is grown in many water-stressed regions and can contribute to water management challenges. But cotton is a drought-tolerant plant adapted to arid regions, which is why farmers in dry climates often choose to grow it because it can survive and produce a crop in harsher environments. While it has earned a reputation for being a water-intensive crop, it’s not a proportionally high consumer of irrigation water compared to many other crops, according to Transformers Foundation’s research.
While it’s a natural fiber, conventionally grown cotton is also known for its usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, biodiversity risks, and hazardous labor conditions.
The more sustainable alternative is organic cotton which is grown from non-genetically modified seeds, cultivated without using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that harm soil health and the health of farm workers, and typically processed without using toxic chemicals that harm natural ecosystems and the people in cotton supply chains. While it has been widely believed that organic cotton uses significantly less water than conventional cotton, there are arguments that cotton is a water-intensive fiber regardless.
The most sustainable cotton option today is regenerative cotton. This means the cotton is grown on a farm that uses regenerative cultivation practices. While alternatives to conventional cotton farming — including organic — aim to do less bad, regenerative cotton farming aims to have a net positive impact on the environment.
Regenerative farming is based on holistic, indigenous, traditional ways of land management including minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining living roots in soil, crop rotation, and restoring degraded soil biodiversity. While it’s not yet as widely used as organic cotton, there are a few brands — such as Christy Dawn, in partnership with Oshadi, — who are leading the way. And initiatives such as California Cotton & Climate Coalition and organizations such as Fibershed that are helping brands source from regenerative farmers.
Paying attention to the ethics of cotton production is just as important as environmental sustainability. For example, cotton cultivated in the Xinjiang region of China is some of the most widely used cotton in the world — accounting for 85% of Chinese production and 20% of world supply. But, according to a BBC investigation in 2021, the cotton is predominantly picked by Xinjiang’s Uighur minority, who are forced into this labor in inhumane conditions. So regardless of what kind of cotton you are sourcing, traceability is essential for ensuring that the cotton was ethically and sustainably produced.
Sustainability takeaway: Pure cotton fabrics are recyclable, durable, and versatile. The most sustainable cotton option is regenerative cotton, organic cotton, or recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is produced using either post-industrial or post-consumer waste. But, to ensure that the cotton you are using was sustainably and ethically cultivated, you should do research into how and where and how it was grown and processed.
Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, Better Cotton Initiative, Fairtrade, Global Recycled Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ Verification, Regenerative Organic Certified
Price range: $-$$
Hemp
Hemp is a fast-growing, high-yielding, multi-use, hero fiber. Hemp is known as a “bast” fiber, which means it’s derived from the stem of a plant — in this case, a Cannabis sativa L. plant that contains 0.3% or less of THC.
It’s one of the most durable natural fabrics and is used to create anything from flowing summer dresses to workwear sets and even swimwear. It’s absorbent, which allows it to accept dyes readily and retain color better than other natural fabrics.
When compared to cotton, the hemp crop requires significantly less land and water to cultivate the same yield. Importantly, its deep root system can restore nutrients in the soil, keeping it fertile. It’s a carbon-negative material because hemp plants absorb carbon as they grow — far more than trees.
Because of hemp’s natural resistance to many insects, it’s possible to easily cultivate hemp using organic methods that don’t heavily rely on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
In addition to being used for fabric, hemp oil and seeds are used for food and beauty products. Hemp can be used for paints, inks, paper, and composite boards. So no part of the plant has to go to waste.
Sustainability takeaway: Hemp is one of the most eco-friendly fibers on the market. Only organic hemp guarantees that no harmful chemicals were used, so look out for certifications and do your research to learn about the farm the hemp was grown on and how it was processed.
Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Price range: $$
Jute
Jute is another bast fiber derived from the jute plant. It grows best in warm, humid climates with significant rainfall and is mostly produced in India and Bangladesh. Jute plants require minimal fertilizers and pesticides and was found to sequester nearly 5 tons of CO2 per ton of raw jute fiber production.
Jute fabric is quite coarse, which means it’s mostly used for fashion accessories. But it can be blended with cotton for a softer feel to create a wider variety of garments.
Although jute is primarily known for its fiber, each part of the plant can be used. The jute leaves are eaten as vegetables, while the remaining stick can be used as a building material.
Sustainability takeaway: Jute is a plant-based biodegradable yet durable material that can be a sustainable choice when sourced responsibly.
Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Price range: $
Animal Leather
Leather is a material made from the skin of animals including cows, sheep, crocodiles, snakes, ostriches, and crocodiles. It’s known for its longevity and is commonly used to create footwear and accessories. It’s particularly common in the luxury fashion world.
The most glaring ethical concern about the production of leather is animal cruelty. In addition, leather requires more water and land than almost any other material — not to mention the emissions associated with animal agriculture. It’s also a cause of deforestation and habitat destruction due to cattle ranching.
Some argue that because leather is a natural byproduct of the meat industry, it makes sense to reduce wastage and still find ways to use it. But this argument doesn’t account for the fact that leather processing is where a significant part of leather’s environmental footprint lies. Notably the tanning process involves extremely harmful chemicals, including heavy metals, that end up in waterways and pose risks to workers’ respiratory, skin, and internal health. Some evidence suggests that all tanning processes — including vegetable tanning — can hinder the ability of animal skins to biodegrade.
Sustainability takeaway: Leather is a long-lasting material, but it comes with many sustainability and ethical concerns. Vegetable-tanned leather provides a less toxic alternative. Recycled leather is a more sustainable option, made from leather waste scraps, but may be combined with plastic.
Sustainability certifications: The Leather Working Group, OEKO-TEX STeP
Price range: $$$
Vegan Leather Alternatives
In response to the concerns around animal cruelty and the harms of the leather industry, leather alternatives are being developed. The most common vegan leather alternatives are plastic, specifically Polyurethane (you may see it labeled as PU) or Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which are made with fossil fuels.
Improvements to purely plastic leather include partly bio-based and plant-based leather alternatives, like VEGEA, made from repurposed grape waste from the wine industry, Desserto, made from cacti, AppleSkin, made from apple skins, cores, and seeds, and Piñatex, made from pineapple leaf fiber. American start-up Bolt Threads is developing Mylo, a lab-grown leather made from mycelium, the underground root structure of mushrooms.
Sustainability takeaway: Bio-based leather alternatives are not as widely available as vegan leather. It’s too early to assess the overall environmental impacts of these new leather alternatives, but what they do have in their favor is that they are not purely plastic-based — read: made from fossil fuels — like other vegan leather options.
Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, PETA-Approved Vegan, Vegan Society Registered Verification Test
Price range: $$$
Linen
Linen is one of the oldest fibers known to humankind. Linen is reminiscent of light, flowing summer dresses and breathable beach wear. It’s yet another plant-based bast fiber, this one hailing from the flax plant. Flax is able to grow on the majority of soils and, in contrast to many other fibers such as conventional cotton, natural production of flax does not require pesticides, artificial irrigation or fertilizers.
Two different kinds of flax are grown: flax for fiber, which is used to make linen textiles, and flax for seed, which is used to feed people and livestock. To create linen fabrics from the flax plant, the long fibers from within the stem of the plant are extracted and spun into linen fibers, which are woven into fabric.
Linen fabric is known to be an effective temperature regulator — keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.
Sustainability takeaway: When it comes to sustainability, organic linen is your best bet. Linen is fully biodegradable when it’s left untreated. Its natural colors include ivory, ecru, tan, and gray. Once synthetic dyes and finishes are applied, biodegradability is no longer possible.
Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Masters of Linen, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ Verification
Price range: $$
Silk
Silk is synonymous with luxury. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers and is animal-derived. It’s harvested from silkworms who line their cocoons with silk threads, which are the saliva of the silkworm produced to insulate the work in its cocoon until they transform into silk moths.
These threads are spun into the fabrics we know today. About 3000 cocoons are used to make one yard of silk.
In conventional silk-making techniques, known as sericulture, the silkworms are killed during the process of extracting the silk threads, raising a red flag in the ethical fashion community. There are less harmful ways of creating silk — known as “peace silk” — where the silkworms are not harmed, and the threads are taken from the cocoon once the silkworms have transformed into silk moths and are left behind.
Wild silk, on the other hand, is cultivated from silk moths that live in the wild, instead of silk moths that are kept captive for the pure purpose of silk production. Wild silk cocoons are harvested after the moth has left the cocoon and are found in open forests. There are varying types of wild silk depending on the type of moth, plants they eat, and regions in which they live. Some wild silks are naturally colored yellow, orange, or green.
There are also human-made silk alternatives for those who want to avoid animal-derived silk entirely. This includes Bold Threads’ lab-made Microsilk which imitates the silk fibers produced by spiders. Or Banana Sylk which is made from 100% pure banana plant stem.
Sustainability takeaway: Pure silk is naturally biodegradable. Opt for ethically farmed silk and organic silk whenever possible. Organic silk production is a more environmentally friendly, non-violent, and sustainable practice of silk cultivation. The silkworms are allowed to live out their full lives and die naturally, and no chemicals or treatments are required. Or look into peace silk, wild silk, or cruelty-free alternatives.
Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX STeP, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, Global Organic Textile Standard
Price range: $$$
Wool
When we think of wool, the warmth of cozy knitwear probably comes to mind. Wool is a renewable, biodegradable, and lower-impact natural fiber. Wool is made from keratin — the same protein as human hair — and is grown on the backs of sheep or other animals such as goats, camels, alpacas, and llamas. There are many kinds of wool including mohair (from Angora goats) and merino (from Merino sheep).
In terms of making clothing, wool is naturally breathable, an effective insulator, reacts to changes in body temperature making it perfect for trans seasonal wear, and requires less frequent washing, because it’s naturally odor- and stain-resistant.
How the sheep are farmed determines both the quality and sustainability of the wool. This is why it’s ideal to opt for regeneratively farmed or organic wool, to ensure that the wool has been cultivated in a way that doesn’t harm the animals, or natural environment, and doesn’t expose workers and animals to harmful chemicals.
Animal cruelty is another consideration when looking for ethically produced wool. Mulesing is one of the cruel practices that were common in the wool industry. The Responsible Wool Standard certifies that the wool is mulesing-free.
Wool can also be recycled. This happens through a mechanical process that returns garments to the raw fiber state and turns the fiber into yarn again, to produce new products. Additionally, wool that isn’t used in the fashion industry can be used for insulation and carpeting.
Sustainability takeaway: Look for 100% wool (or wool with other natural fibers) and not a synthetic blend when possible. Also look for mulesing-free wool and for wool sourced from farms employing regenerative practices to enhance environmental health, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and water quality.
Sustainability certifications: Responsible Wool Standard, Responsible Mohair Standard, Woolmark, Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial™ Verification
Price range: $$
SYNTHETIC
Nylon
Nylon was the world’s first fully synthetic fiber made from petroleum, introduced in the 1930s. Now Nylon is one of the most common synthetic fabrics and is found in everything from swimwear to activewear, due to its elastic recoverability (meaning nylon can stretch without losing shape). And due to its low liquid absorbency, nylon clothes dry faster than natural fabrics like cotton, and usually don’t need ironing.
Nylon starts as a type of plastic derived from coal and crude oil that is then put through a chemical-, water- and energy-intensive process to create the strong, stretchy fibers that make it so useful as a fabric.
Sustainability takeaway: Nylon is a plastic fabric and therefore not a sustainable option. It’s used because of the properties it can give garments that allow for more versatile and longer lasting wear. If nylon is unavoidable, opt for a lower-impact alternative such as ECONYL. More on this below.
Sustainability certifications: None
Price range: $-$$
ECONYL
ECONYL is a regenerated nylon product made from repurposed plastic waste. ECONYL is created by Italian firm Aquafil, using synthetic waste such as industrial plastic, waste fabric, and fishing nets from oceans, that are recycled into a regenerated nylon yarn. The closed-loop production process requires a lot less water — and is virgin fossil-fuel free — in comparison to regular nylon.
Currently, there are two types of ECONYL fibers: ECONYL Textile Fiber, which has a softer attribute making it fit for weaving garments. And ECONYL Carpet Fiber, which is replacing the traditional nylon used extensively in carpet manufacturing.
It’s a lightweight elastic fabric that possesses all the desirable characteristics of virgin nylon. And it can be recycled infinitely at end-of-life.
Sustainability takeaway: ECONYL is a viable and more sustainable option for designers who want to create garments or apparel that require the characteristics of nylon — such as swimwear or activewear. But even though ECONYL is a circular alternative, it’s still a synthetic fabric, which means it still releases plastic microfibers and contributes to microplastic pollution.
Sustainability certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Price range: $$
Polyester
Polyester is infamous in the fashion industry for being the most common fiber in our clothing — it accounts for about half of all fibers produced in the world — but it’s also among the most harmful. To make polyester fibers, PET plastic pellets are melted and extruded through tiny holes called spinnerets to form long threads, which are then cooled to harden into a fiber.
Polyester is cheap to produce and purchase, easy to care for, sturdy, and lightweight. It retains its shape, dries easily, and tends not to wrinkle or crease.
But polyester’s allure comes to an abrupt halt when we consider the social and environmental effects of producing and discarding this fiber. The fiber is derived from fossil fuels, not to mention polyester contributes heavily to microplastic pollution and polyester clothing doesn’t biodegrade, dooming it to sit in landfills for hundreds of years.
Sustainability takeaway: If you can avoid using polyester, do so. It’s one of the least sustainable fibers and fabrics in fashion. There are recycled polyester options on the market — most often made from recycled plastic bottles. While the sustainability credentials of these can also be debated, they’re lower-impact options to look into if you can’t avoid using polyester.
Sustainability certifications: None
Price range: $
MAN-MADE CELLULOSIC
Rayon
The best way to understand rayon is to consider it an umbrella term for textiles that are made from chemically treated cellulose — the building block of most plants. Rayon is typically made of wood from eucalyptus, spruce, and pine trees, but can also be made from cotton or bamboo.
The general process for creating all kinds of rayon involves chemically dissolving the wood pulp, converting it into filaments, and then spinning it into fabrics. This is also why rayon is known as semi-synthetic, because it’s derived from plants, but requires synthetic chemicals to be turned into fibers and fabrics.
When rayon was first manufactured in the early 1900s, it was originally marketed as artificial silk due to its softness, nice drape, and luster. It quickly rose in popularity because its price point was significantly lower than silk and cotton. Designers gravitate toward rayon because it’s multi-purpose and easily combined with cotton, polyester, or silk.
The glaring issue with rayon is the chemical-intensive process required to dissolve the wood into pulp. These chemicals are not only environmentally damaging, but damaging to workers in the supply chain too. Carbon disulfide is one of the main chemicals used and it has been historically linked to widespread, severe, and lethal illnesses experienced by those employed in rayon production.
Rayon also has strong links to deforestation. Much of the wood pulp used for rayon production is still sourced from ancient and endangered forests. According to the nonprofit Canopy, 300 million trees are felled each year to make textiles.
Sustainability takeaway: The wood pulp used to make rayon can be sustainably harvested, but often isn’t. The potential environmental and human health risks of the chemicals used to produce rayon should also be considered.
Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Price range: $
Viscose
Viscose is a type of rayon. Viscose goes through a slightly different manufacturing process than viscose rayon, which gives it a slightly different feel. Viscose is made specifically with liquid viscose, while rayon is not. It feels like rayon, but has a silkier look.
Sustainability takeaway: As with rayon, the sustainability concerns are related to deforestation and extreme chemical usage.
Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Price range: $
Modal
Modal is a type of rayon, and is made from the cellulosic pulp of beech trees. This semi-synthetic fabric has become a popular choice in the fashion industry, because it’s versatile, breathable, and absorbent. The wood fibers are pulped into liquid form and then forced through tiny holes, creating the thread. The resulting fibers are then spun into yarn, sometimes in blends with other fibers such as cotton or elastane. These yarns can then be woven or knitted into fabric.
As with any other type of rayon, sustainability concerns relating to deforestation and chemical intensity apply. Today one of the best-known producers of Modal is the Austrian company Lenzing AG, which now markets its version under the name TENCEL™ Modal (previously Lenzing Modal).
TENCEL™ Modal is protected by a global certification system. The trademarked TENCEL™ Modal is harvested from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification or Forest Stewardship Council sustainably-managed beech tree plantations in Austria and surrounding European countries.
Sustainability takeaway: While Modal raises similar sustainability concerns to other forms of rayon, Lenzing AG’s TENCEL™ Modal is the more sustainable option, because it’s traceable and sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®
Price range: $$
Lyocell
Lyocell is another type of rayon fabric. It’s produced by dissolving wood pulp with an NMMO (N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide) solvent, which is less toxic than traditional rayon solvents. While Modal is made from beech trees, Lyocell is made from Eucalyptus trees, oak, bamboo, or birch trees.
With Lyocell, the solvents used in production are almost entirely reusable from one batch to the next. This sets Lyocell apart from other forms of rayon.
Lyocell is also attributed to Lenzing AG. So Lyocell is better known as TENCEL™ Lyocell. TENCEL™ Lyocell is known for sourcing wood pulp sustainably. Unlike viscose and other types of rayon, TENCEL™ Lyocell is made using a closed loop process, which means that the chemicals used in the production process do not get released into the environment.
Lyocell is like cotton or linen and is often blended with those fabrics. Lyocell is also 50% more absorbent than cotton, which means it’s often used for activewear. It’s also often used as a more delicate fabric in garments like underwear, dresses, and dress shirts.
Sustainability takeaway: It’s ideal to look into the sources of the Lyocell you choose to use. With TENCEL™ Lyocell fabric, the trees used are only sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified sustainably managed forests, which provides safeguards against deforestation risks.
Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®
Price range: $$
Bamboo
Bamboo is a natural fiber that can be processed as a natural bast fiber to create bamboo linen or go through a chemical process to create a cellulosic fiber that results in bamboo rayon or Lyocell. Bamboo material is made from the pulp of the bamboo plant. The stalks are crushed, and the cellulose is separated from the fiber. The cellulose is then turned into thread and woven into fabric.
Bamboo is a sustainable crop — if grown in the right conditions — because bamboo plants are fast-growing (they’re a grass, not a tree), renewable, and have positive impacts on the soil and air. When bamboo is harvested, it can be done without killing the plant itself, and can renew quickly.
But most products labeled as “bamboo” are rayon and involve intensive chemical emissions and energy in the processing of bamboo. These processes — in comparison to the lower-impact production of bamboo linen — cause sustainability of this fiber to take a dip.
Bamboo fabrics are soft and absorbent and are most often used to make basics and lifestyle wear. Bamboo linen is coarser than bamboo rayon, viscose, or Lyocell.
Editor’s note: Kohl’s and Walmart were fined $5.5 million by the FTC for making deceptive eco-friendly claims around bamboo rayon. Be aware of potential greenwashing around bamboo rayon!
Sustainability takeaway: Bamboo linen is more sustainable than bamboo rayon, because it can be produced mechanically — in a similar process to hemp or linen — and doesn’t require as many harmful chemicals as bamboo rayon. It’s also worth looking into whether the bamboo was sourced from certified and sustainably managed forests.
Sustainability certifications: Forest Stewardship Council Certified, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, USDA-Certified Organic
Cupro
Cupro is a regenerated cellulose fiber that is part of the rayon family of fabrics — it’s short for cuprammonium rayon. It’s more commonly known as “vegan silk” because of its soft, smooth, and drapey appearance. It’s quick-drying, ultra-soft, and lightweight. It’s considered to be a semi-synthetic fabric, because it’s a plant-based material, but requires chemical treatment to be turned into a functional fabric. Cupro can be derived from a natural byproduct — cotton linter — or from wood pulp.
Linter is cotton waste. It’s the tiny fibers of cotton seeds that are too small to be spun into cotton yarn. The linter or wood pulp is dissolved in cuprammonium hydroxide (a mix of copper and ammonium). The final solution is spun into fibers.
Sustainability takeaway: It reduces waste by using the linter that would otherwise be discarded. It’s a cruelty-free silk option as no silkworms are harmed in the process. But it does involve a chemical-heavy production process that includes toxic substances — including ammonia, sodium hydroxide, and sulfuric acid — which are polluting and harmful to workers. While cupro can be produced in a closed-loop system where all the water is recycled, cupro is still considered unsustainable because of pollution caused by the production. Alternatives include Lyocell or peace silk.
Sustainability certifications: None
Price range: $$
OTHER
Deadstock
Textile waste is one of the biggest challenges facing the fashion industry. Deadstock is a popular choice for sustainably-minded brands who want to find solutions to this waste crisis — especially those practicing upcycling. Deadstock is the fabric that is unsold or unused in the fashion industry and often goes to waste. It often refers to fabric that is left unsold by a fabric mill or leftover from a brand’s production run, damaged or flawed fabric, or fabric from canceled orders.
Because it requires no processing and designers have to work with what they can get, it has a lower manufacturing footprint and keeps valuable materials from landfills.
The overall conversation about the sustainability of deadstock is a nuanced one, because deadstock’s abundance is a symptom of a fashion industry that continuously overproduces. There are concerns that some mills are intentionally overproducing since they know the excess will be purchased anyway. This raises the question: Is deadstock unavoidable waste? Or yet another symptom of a fast fashion system that doesn’t want to change its ways?
Deadstock fabrics come in as many patterns, colors, and types of fabric as you can imagine. What it’s used for depends on how much fabric is supplied and what kind of fabric it is.
Editor’s note: Tune in to our Conscious Style Podcast episode with Natasha Halesworth for more on the pros, cons, and nuances of deadstock.
Sustainability takeaway: While the pros and cons of the specific kind of deadstock fabric depend on the type of fabric, in general deadstock is a low-waste option because it gives new life to fabrics that would otherwise be discarded. While the systemic sustainability of deadstock does raise questions, finding immediate uses for fabrics that would be wasted can generally be seen as a positive effort.
Editor’s note: The onus to reduce waste should be put on the large brands and mills overproducing in the first place, not on small designers sourcing deadstock as a way to source lower impact materials affordably in small quantities.
Sustainability certifications: Depends on the type of deadstock used.
Price range: $-$$
Denim (typically a cotton blend)
Denim is another common fabric in many of our lives and probably conjures up images of your favorite pair of jeans. Denim is a durable, long-lasting fabric made from tightly woven cotton fibers — often dyed using indigo to give it denim’s distinctive blue look — that form a diagonal pattern. This is known as “raw” denim. More recently, “stretch denim” has become popular for garments such as skinny jeans, which are made from a blend of cotton and elastane or spandex.
The indigo-dyed fibers naturally fade over time with wear and washes. But as the look of “worn in” denim has become aspirational, a range of different finishes have been developed for denim — from “distressed” denim to “acid wash” denim and “stonewashed” denim. Each of these finishes gives the final product a slightly distinct look and emulate what denim might end up looking like after years of wear. Processes such as enzyme washes, sandblasting, or bleaching soften the material and create the appearance of worn fabric.
While these processes may create a more aesthetic product, they come at the cost of the health of workers in denim supply chains. For example, sandblasting — as the name suggests — is the process of blasting the fabric with sand to give it a worn-in look. The dust caused by this process causes respiratory issues for workers. The finishing agents used to achieve a certain look or texture in one pair of pants contain hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, which poses health risks to workers.
From an environmental perspective, stone washing and acid washing require vast water usage and pollution due to toxic discharge. Some strides are being made such as recycling water and laser technology that can achieve the same look as worn in denim without harmful processes. At the Vietnam-based denim factory, Saitex, also known as the cleanest denim factory in the world, 98% of the water is reused with the other 2% lost due to evaporation.
Recycled denim is another sustainable option. Using industrial denim waste avoids the water-intensive process of growing cotton and keeps scraps out of landfills. But recycled denim still relies on virgin denim for continued production.
Sustainability takeaway: While denim is a highly durable fabric that can be used for many years, it’s also highly water-intensive to produce and — traditionally — relies on techniques that release toxic chemicals and place workers at risk. To decrease denim’s impact, hemp blends can be used alongside organic cotton and the use of water-saving techniques. For stretch denim, recycled polyester, man-made cellulosic fibers, and recycled elastane are more sustainable than virgin elastane and spandex.
Sustainability certifications: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard, Better Cotton Initiative, Fairtrade, Global Recycled Standard, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, bluesign®
Price range: $-$$
Next-Gen Innovative Materials
In the past few years, we have seen a wave of next-gen innovative materials being introduced to the fashion industry. A few examples of these materials include Galy, Piñatex, Spinnova Fabric, Orange Fiber, Flocus, Samatoa Lotus Textile, Banana Sylk, Mango Materials, Mycoworks, and Mylo™.
Each of these material innovations aims to address an existing issue in the fashion industry — whether it be finding a way to make “leather” without deriving it from animals, plant-based alternatives to polyester, lab-grown cotton that reduces the impact of cotton production, or ensuring that a circular economy is prioritized.
Since these are new — often high-tech — innovations, they are often too expensive for small and independent brands. Often, it’s more established brands that make use of these materials, because they have the financial ability to invest in these high-end materials. Enter Stella MaCartney’s mushroom leather bag or Ganni’s banana waste tracksuit.
Sustainability takeaway: Many of these materials are not yet widely used, or accessible, enough to make clear-cut sustainability claims about each. While the intentions behind each one are impressive, we are yet to see whether these niche fabrics have the ability to create lasting change in the fashion industry.
Sustainability certifications: Depends on the next-gen material used
Price range: $$$
About the Author
Stella Hertantyo is a slow fashion and slow living enthusiast based in Cape Town, South Africa. Stella finds solace in words as a medium for sharing ideas and encouraging a cultural shift that welcomes systems change and deepens our collective connection to the world around us. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability, and social and environmental justice, that is inclusive, intersectional, accessible, and fun.
Stella holds a B.A. Multimedia Journalism from the University of Cape Town, and a PGDip in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute. She currently works as a writer, editor, and social media manager. When she is not in front of her laptop, a dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring her the most peace.
