More and more companies are committed to the protection of the environment. In today’s post we will focus specifically on companies that manufacture sustainable clothes and, that look amazing.
Today, the excessive consumption of plastic is causing a greater deterioration of our planet. This degradation affects us very closely in each and every one of the areas of our life even if we are not aware of it. For example, it affects our health, the levels of pollution and the current climate change. In addition, in terms of skiing, we know that if this continues, the ski slopes will increasingly have worse quality snow.
If you want to continue reading about sustainable development and how to take better care of ski resorts, check out this article:
The Zero Waste movement and goals of sustainable development
It’s the little things that count. For example, switch to bamboo brushes (a plastic one takes 75 years to degrade); swapping makeup remover wipes for reusable and washable cotton ones or choosing a reusable aluminum bottle, are just some of the small gestures that contribute caring for our planet. Remember: there is no planet B.
Getting back to sustainable fashion, clothing production around the world has doubled since the turn of the century. In the year 2000, 50,000 million garments were manufactured and in 2015 they reached 100,000, according to calculations by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation based on data from the World Bank. We live in a consumer society where we buy everything to use and throw away (fast fashion).
In the past, clothing was quality-made with good materials. Even those clothes made in Spain were done so in decent working conditions (slow fashion). Today the opposite happens, and this carries a series of consequences that we will look at.
Consequences of consumerism
The main consequence is the enormous amount of waste that is produced. Specifically, textile waste accounts for 7% of all urban waste. On average, each Spanish person generates 14 kilos of textile waste a year, according to the Iberian Textile Recycling Association (Asirtex). Of these, only 20% are recycled, a percentage lower than the EU average, falling far short of the 50% target set by the State Waste Management Framework Plan (PEMAR) for 2020. Of this recycled clothing, less than 1% is used to make new garments.
In order to address this problem, as of December 31, 2025 there will be new containers for recycling clothing and footwear that will be added to the existing ones made of glass, cardboard, plastic and organic.
Waste in the textile industry and sustainable materials
The textile industry, in addition to generating an immense amount of waste, is one of the biggest sources of CO2 emissions. Also, garment dyes are also a major source of contamination. The waters polluted by these colorful products account for 20% of all polluted industrial waters in the world.
Finally, some synthetic fibers such as polyester also have a great impact on the environment. The problem is that polyester is a material that is used a lot when making garments. It is not biodegradable and is difficult to recycle when mixed with other fibers, which is the its most common occurrence. So, what materials should polyester be substituted for to make fashion more sustainable? We will tell you below.
Today we come to show you some clothing brands that already work with sustainable materials and that are aware of the need to take care of our planet. As a result, when you go to buy clothes for skiing or, simply for your day to day, you can choose those that are made from sustainable wool or organic cotton. Thus, you will be making your small contribution towards caring for the planet.
What materials are sustainable?
To produce a pair of jeans you need between 10,000 and 20,000 liters of water. However, if more ecological fabrics such as organic cotton, merino wool, linen, lyocell or hemp are used, the water consumption is lower and, therefore, the environmental impact as well.
Organic cotton is grown with natural compost that replaces chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, the water consumption needed for its cultivation is reduced by half compared to conventional cotton. Another option, lyocell is an artificial fiber made from wood pulp taken from sustainable forests.
However, it is wool that is considered to be the most sustainable material par excellence. When summer comes, the sheep have to be sheared regardless, so that wool they shed can be reused for making sustainable clothes such as scarves, hats or gloves for winter. Its use does not generate any type of waste.
In addition, it is a material that is better than cotton in terms of waterproofing because the latter retains a lot of moisture. When we sweat, especially while skiing, the sweat stays on the cotton garment all day, leaving an uncomfortable feeling of wetness.
Thus, every time we buy a garment, whether thermal or waterproof so as not to get wet in the snow, we have to look at the label and avoid synthetic fabrics. Materials such as polyester should be replaced with others like wool, organic cotton, flax or hemp.
Which brands use sustainable materials
In this post, we have already mentioned which brands are needed to make a more sustainable fashion and to care for the environment. Today, we will also show you clothing brands that have their own sustainable textile collections.
H&M
H&M launched in September a collection of sustainable garments for autumn / winter 2019/2020. This collection is made from recycled materials or materials with less environmental impact such as recycled polyester for dresses, shirts, knitwear or outerwear.
We want to remark on how this collection also highlights fabrics obtained from used PET bottles and how the sweaters have been manufactured using organic cotton, or in a combination of lyocell Tencel fibers.
H & M’s goal is to be able to manufacture garments made only from with sustainable materials starting in 2030. We love it!
Blaugap
Blaugap-modasana is a multi-brand online store of sustainable, non-toxic, ecological and fair trade clothing with GOTS and IVN certificates, manufactured in France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Depending on the product, we can find pieces of 100% organic cotton, merino wool and silk, such as sports clothing (with great thermal properties), clothing with a minimum percentage of elastane (5-8%).
They are specialized in women’s fashion and underwear, but we can also find other types of textiles aimed at men and babies.
Picture Organic Clothing
For us, one of the eco-friendly brands par excellence. It is a website that works with sustainable fashion brands and is specialized in mountain and snow clothing. You can find skis, snowboards, ski boots, comfortable coats for the mountains, hats, etc. Take a look at their website.
An interesting fact: Picture recycles 50 plastic bottles to make a ski jacket!
Ethically Warm
It is a new brand of vegan, ethical and eco-responsible coats. Launched by Alexandra Gavrila, a 23-year-old young businesswoman from Montreal, her garments are made with vegan cotton from Scotland for the exterior of coats. For insulation they use a biodegradable material from Primaloft, recognized as one of the best suppliers in the world that has a unique process and collaborates with major brands such as Patagonia and North Face. This biodegradable option was launched this year and Ethically Warm is one of the first to incorporate it into their products. The inside pockets are made from Montreal-stitched bamboo.
On the other hand, for parts that are not yet biodegradable, like the inside of garments, they use nylon made from plastic recycled from the ocean. Lastly, while the zippers are also made in Montreal, they continue to develop an option that is biodegradable.
Fashion Pact
It is not a sustainable fashion brand, but rather a movement. It is composed a group of companies and multinationals whose main objective is to promote sustainability and respect for the environment in the textile and fashion industrial sectors.
Some of the brands that are already part of Fashion Pact include Mango, el Corte Inglés, Auchan Retail, Bally, Calzedonia, Celio, Damartex, Decathlon, Eralda, Etam, Farfetch, Figaret, Gant, Geox, Groupe Beaumanoir, Groupe Eram, GTS Group , Kiabi, Lady Lawyer Fashion Archive, Nana Judy, Paul & Joe, Promod, Spartoo-André and Visuality Corp.
This does not mean that everything these brands do is sustainable (you will have to look at the labels of the garments to see if they use recycled materials or not), but it does mean that they are committed to contemplating new objectives such as the elimination of single use plastics, the use of renewable energies or the promotion of non-intensive agricultural practices. In addition, they also promised to show the progress of these new measures in a report which first saw light in September 2020.
