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To help combat climate change, you’re probably looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint. One thing you can do is seek out sustainable materials when buying your new threads.

We’ve got just the thing for you! To help you on your quest to better the environment, we rounded up some of the best sustainable clothing materials available.

We’ll also tell you which ones you should avoid because of their negative impact on the ecosystem.

Read on to find out more about sustainable clothing materials.

The Best Sustainable Clothing Materials

Some of the most sustainable fabrics to look out for are hemp, linen, cork, wool, lyocell, and cotton. Continue reading to learn about each of these!

Organic Hemp

Hemp is one of the oldest fabrics known to man. If you look at the history of human civilization, you’ll discover many cultures that relied heavily on this material to craft their clothing.

Because it’s derived from the Cannabis plant, hemp has been associated with a negative stigma for decades.

This became especially true when growing cannabis became a criminal offense thanks to the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.

However, as the cannabis laws in the US have become more relaxed in recent years, hemp has made a huge comeback, and for good reason.

This material is extremely strong and versatile. Additionally, it has a soft texture that feels smooth and luxurious on the skin.

Not only that, but it’s also a crop that doesn’t need much water to grow. Plus, it’s naturally pest-resistant, making the use of chemical pesticides unnecessary.

These are just some of the factors that make hemp highly environmentally friendly.

Related Content: Differences Between Slow Fashion vs Fashion

Organic Linen

Another great material for eco friendly clothing is organic linen. The key word here is “organic” since regular linen is treated with harsh chemicals that harm the environment during the manufacturing process.

When you take these chemicals out of the equation, you’re left with a plant-based material that can grow practically anywhere.

Linen is derived from the flax plant, which is extremely apt at obtaining the nutrients it needs without the help of synthetic fertilizers.

Not only that, but organic linen is completely biodegradable. This significantly reduces its negative impact on the environment.

In a similar fashion to hemp, this material will feel amazing on your skin. It’s why so many people opt for linen sheets when they’re buying their bedding supplies.

Recycled Wool

When the cold winter months roll along, who doesn’t love a cozy wool sweater to keep them warm?

Unfortunately, traditional wool consumes tons of energy to harvest and process.

It’s also harmful to sheep since farmers have the incentive to over-shed them to keep up with the high demands of the clothing industry.

This is where recycled wool comes in. It gives you all the softness and warmth of conventional wool minus the lingering environmental impact and ethical concerns.

Recycled wool is made out of the leftovers of wool that are already in circulation.

It has all the qualities of virgin wool. Plus, it’s highly versatile in the sense that it can be combined with other types of fiber.

Cork

When you think of cork, clothing fabrics are probably not the first thing that comes to mind.

However, this material that we typically use for wine bottles and bulletin boards is actually highly sustainable.

So, what makes cork so great for the environment?

The answer is that it’s a plant-based material that can be easily harvested from cork oak trees and transformed into a fabric without any chemical treatment.

In fact, cork is simply the bark shavings of cork oaks. Contrary to what you may think, shaving these barks doesn’t harm them. In fact, it makes them live longer.

Other than extending the lifespan of trees, harvesting cork also helps the environment by prompting cork oak trees to absorb carbon dioxide at a significantly faster rate.

Turning this dense wood-based material into fabric is as easy as letting it dry in the sun, then adding water to it.

Lyocell

Lyocell is a more modern, yet lesser-known, option to consider when you’re on the hunt for clothing made from sustainable clothing material.

In a similar fashion to cork fabric, this material is wood-based. The main difference is that it’s derived from wood pulp as opposed to bark shavings.

Additionally, the production process of transforming it into a form suitable for clothing fabric isn’t as natural. Lyocell needs to be treated with certain chemicals along with water to acquire fibrous properties.

However, the chemicals used are recyclable and don’t pose any harm to the environment. Furthermore, because lyocell is a plant-based material, it’s fully biodegradable.

To put the icing on the cake, lyocell clothing has anti-bacterial properties. It was given its name by Austrian Company Lenzing.

Organic Cotton

Cotton uses a lot of chemicals and pesticides, so you definitely want to make sure that your cotton is organic.

It’s best to find sustainable clothing brands that have the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) label on their clothes and fabric that is Organic Content Standard certified.

This means that it is fabric made from certified organic cotton.

Materials to Avoid

Here are a couple of materials to steer clear of if you’re looking to make environmentally conscious decisions when it comes to your choice of clothing.

You’ll see these a lot in fast fashion in the fashion industry, but not in sustainable fashion.

Polyester

Polyester is a synthetic polymer that’s manufactured as a derivative of crude oil. This makes it a big no-no right off the bat.

The manufacturing process of polyester consumes enormous amounts of energy and requires the use of harmful dyes and chemicals.

Furthermore, polyester isn’t biodegradable at all. In fact, it’s responsible for creating tons of waste each year that makes its way into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Nylon

Nylon is yet another polymer derived from petroleum.

Despite the fact that it has its merits as a durable material suitable for all kinds of clothing, the havoc it wreaks on the environment simply isn’t worth it.

This is because it’s non-biodegradable. It creates waste that fills up oceans and landfills, which has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem.

Not only that, but the manufacturing process of nylon is highly energy-intensive.

Then, if all that weren’t enough, nylon emits nitrous oxide, which is an extremely potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint by making more environmentally conscious decisions when buying clothes, there are plenty of fabric options to choose from.

These options include organic hemp, organic linen, cork, recycled wool, lyocell, and organic cotton.

All of these materials are used to make comfortable, high-quality clothing that’s great for the environment.

Other options you can consider are bamboo, pineapple leather, and qmonos (made from synthetic spider silk genes).

Recycled materials are another option, like recycled cotton fabric and recycled polyester (made from recycled plastic water bottles). You’ll want them to have the Global Recycled Standard certification.

On the flip side, try to stay away from synthetic polymers. These non-biodegradable materials, like polyester and nylon, don’t break down, thus increasing the amount of pollution and waste.

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Oftentimes, the latest fashion trends heavily influence people’s wardrobe choices. However, some fashionistas prefer sustainable clothing for durability over style. This is where the slow fashion vs. fast fashion debate comes into play.

In this article, we’ll discuss all of the key differences between slow fashion vs fast fashion, including their pros and cons, so stick around!

Key Differences Between Slow Fashion and Slow Fashion

Fast fashion focuses on the number of products that make it to the market in a short period of time. Some brands that adopt this approach include Zara, SHEIN, and H&M.

In contrast, slow fashion is a countermovement of fast fashion. It’s a business model in the fashion industry where they have a cautious and sustainable approach to fashion. Sustainable fashion cares about quality over quantity. Slow fashion brands include Quince, Reformation, and Eileen Fisher.

Aside from that, here are the major aspects that differentiate slow and fast fashion:

1. Goal

The main goal of fast fashion is to produce and sell a huge number of items in a short period of time. Fast fashion brands want to make as much profit as they can, regardless of the number of hours and amount of labor they have to put into the production.

Slow fashion companies do the opposite. Slow fashion garments are produced more ethically and sustainably. The production of the slow fashion industry takes longer because there is clothing made by hand or locally produced.

2. Materials

Typically, fast fashion companies use synthetic materials, like petroleum-based fibers. Some examples are polyester, nylon, and acrylic. These are cheap materials and they’re also made from nonrenewable fossil fuels.

In comparison, slow fashion aims for high-quality materials for production. Most brands use natural fibers like cotton, sheep’s wool, silk, and cashmere.

Related Content: Top 6 Sustainable Clothing Materials To Look Out For

3. Production

When it comes to production, fast fashion companies produce more items compared to their slow fashion counterparts. They often have an extensive target market and an overabundance of inventory.

In the present day, fast fashion firms produce approximately 52 micro-seasons yearly, which is equivalent to one new collection every week.

On the other hand, slow fashion has slower production. In fact, most brands produce at least one capsule collection per year because they embrace designing seasonless fashion. For instance, Ouisa annually releases two six-piece capsule collections.

Related Content: 4 Tips For Building A School Capsule Wardrobe That’s Cute And Comfy

4. Effects on the Environment and Consumers

Since the fast fashion industry uses fibers made from crude oil, it poses a negative impact on the environment. Petroleum-based fibers can emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide during production. Consequently, it increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Fast fashion firms are also responsible for water pollution because the fibers are released into the ocean as microplastics.

Aside from that, they also use hazardous chemicals such as PFAS, Azo dyes, and phthalates. Some of them have milder effects like eye and skin irritation. Unfortunately, chemicals like PFAS have carcinogenic effects.

In contrast, slow fashion is considered environmentally friendly because they opt out of synthetic materials. For instance, cork fabric has become a popular material for vegan shoes and bags.

The cork plantation is considered a carbon sink because the fabric is harvested from cork oaks by shaving away their bark. Then, while the trees are regrowing their barks, they absorb more carbon dioxide, which can help reduce climate change.

Moreover, other natural materials like organic hemp and peñatix also consume carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That’s why they’re one of the most eco-friendly fibers in the industry.

5. Impact on Human Labor

The fast fashion industry has an increasing demand for delivery dates and short production cycles. This mostly puts pressure on its workers.

For instance, due to the competition in the market, garment factories need to keep up with the high demand at the expense of their workers. Some examples of its negative effects are low income and poor working conditions. In fact, some lead to tragic fires and accidents.

In comparison, slow fashion firms produce fashion often with regard to its effect on their workers and human rights. They counteract the methods of their fast fashion counterparts by treating their workers fairly.

6. Style and Quality

Usually, fast fashion products are trendy and stylish. Unfortunately, the pieces aren’t designed to last more than one to two washes. Some consumers even throw them away after a couple of wears. Fast fashion looks quickly go out of style because of the rapid trend cycles.

Slow fashion, on the other hand, releases garments that you can wear far longer because of their good quality materials. However, companies keep their designs simple. Although some fashionistas might find them dull, they’re more durable and better in quality. This helps you not have to buy new clothes as often since their life cycle is much longer.

7. Affordability

Due to the more affordable materials of fast fashion products, they usually come at extremely low prices. However, even if items are cheap, consumers’ excessive shopping tends to add up to a significant cost.

Plus, people try to keep up with the constant changes in fashion trends. As a result, they spend more on clothes. However, these garments only end up in landfills after a few wears.

Studies show that 85% of fast fashion clothes end up as solid waste sent to landfills per year, amounting to nearly 80 pounds of garments per American.

In contrast, slow-fashion clothing costs more than fast-fashion items. However, they’re not necessarily expensive in the long run. You can save more because you won’t have to replace them constantly.

This is one of the most obvious differences in slow fashion vs fast fashion that people notice.

8. Consumption

Fast fashion offers several collections that eventually go out of style. While affordability allows more access for those fashionistas with lower incomes, it often leads to over-consumption or excessive shopping.

In comparison, consumers who purchase from slow fashion, get more sustainable items. Companies release clothing with less trendy designs and high-quality materials. As a result, they last for a long time. This way, consumers buy less and decrease consumption.

What’s more, the slow fashion movement also advocates clothes manufactured with respect to the environment, animals, and workers.

9. Availability

The fast fashion industry is known for its mass production. In just a few months, they release seasonal collections that are available in just weeks.

The large quantities make the items more accessible even to young consumers because they offer more sizes, colors, prices, and styles. Although the pieces are the current trend in the fashion world, they typically become disposable once the trend dies out.

In comparison, slow fashion has timeless designs, so consumers can purchase them regardless of the latest trend. Unlike fast fashion though, they’re available in smaller local stores rather than in large chain enterprises.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Fast Fashion?

According to the Fast Fashion Global Market Report in 2021, the size of the fast fashion market is expected to increase from $30.58 billion to $39.84 billion in 2025.

So, before you head to the biggest fashion retailers, it’s important that you know these pros and cons of fast fashion:

Pros

• More affordable
• Trendy/Stylish
• Accessible            
• Quick production

Cons

• Negative impact on human labor
• Contributes to climate change
• Low quality

What Are the Pros and Cons of Slow Fashion?

Kate Fletcher, a design activist and journalist, coined the term ‘slow fashion’ as an antithesis of fast fashion. She also outlined the need to reevaluate the way consumers and manufacturers look at the fashion industry. Since then, the slow fashion movement has earned its popularity.

Here are the pros and cons of slow fashion:

Pros

• Environmentally friendly supply chain
• Durable
• Cost-efficient
• High quality
• Fair treatment of workers
• Fair wages

Cons

• Simple Designs
• More Expensive

Wrapping Up

The major differences between fast fashion vs. slow fashion are its goal, materials used in production, effects on the environment and its consumers, impact on human labor, Style, and quality.

It’s also worth noting that they’re also different when it comes to availability, consumption, and affordability. Therefore, it’s important that you inspect their pros and cons before you decide on your fashion choices.

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