Post by
Did you know that the main source of textiles in municipal solid waste is discarded clothing? This is followed by furniture, carpets, tires, footwear, and other nondurable goods.
An even lesser-known fact is that the amount of water one person drinks in two and a half years is required to make just one cotton shirt.
Polyester is a synthetic fiber, and while it doesn’t require the water production as cotton does, the fibers often shed during washing ending up in the water, or the fibers can become airborne and end up in the lungs.
Whether shopping for your own clothes, or sourcing apparel for your company, most often the choice is made based on a few variables: fit, texture, color, and price. But do you take the time to consider how your clothing is sourced and what it is made of in the context of the environment?
As stated above, cotton requires a large volume of water, for example, in Central Asia, “the Aral Sea has nearly disappeared because cotton farmers draw excessively from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers”.
Some may not find this to be an important measure when under the pressure of rushing an order for an event date or presenting at an important function.
Changing the approach to purchasing and re-prioritizing can make all the difference for positive change. It is important to understand how the negative impact of textile production affects your bottom line, and what resources you can utilize to combat the effect. Companies are making great strides to reduce waste and reuse resources.
Here are a few tips to making positive apparel choices.
1. Upcycling
I personally think this is a fun and creative approach to being more eco-conscious. Upcycling is taking something old and worn and making it new – specifically using the same fabric and mending it.
Put It in Action with Logoed Patches
If you have misprinted goods or if you’ve recently rebranded and need to update your logo, consider logoed patches to reuse the apparel you already have and save a little money in the process! Patches come in many different materials so you can maintain a professional look consistent with your brand.
2. Choose Recycled Cotton & Polyester
Look for materials made of recycled cotton or polyester which can be made of recycled plastic water bottles (RPET). Since cotton requires such a huge number of resources, recycling and reusing the cotton requires far less and therefore decreases the footprint.
Put It in Action with Sustainable Brands
One brand taking this initiative is Next Level Apparel with their Sustainable Collection featuring recycled materials. Another is Everywhere Apparel, a company working to make the promo industry more sustainable.
3. Look for These Eco-Friendly Identifiers
Keep your eye out for some of the identifiers below indicating that the product was made with sustainability in mind:
1% of Gross Sales is donated directly to environmental non-profits. 1% for the Planet certifies member donations and so far has invested more than $350 million toward environmental causes.
Receiving this certification requires a lengthy audit process and is assessed on a multitude of levels including supply chain practices, philanthropy, customer relations and employee engagement. These measures demonstrate high social and environmental performance with a commitment to transparency and performance for both themselves as well as stakeholders and partners.
Better Cotton licensed farmers produce cotton with the focus on practices that minimize the negative effects of fertilizer, pesticides, soil health, and maintaining the natural habitat.
Taking small steps towards better choices makes a large impact, and we are here to help aid and provide those resources so that your company can make a positive impact.
