We consume our clothes:how clothes are like food

DAILY activities have a cumulative effect

Sleep Eat Dress

Daily choices about consumption are made under constant social pressure.

CONSTANT. PRESSURE.

Gentlemen, you’re hardly exempt.

Considering food, we learned to IGNORE EXTERNAL SOCIAL PRESSURE, and DEMAND DETAILS ABOUT THE VALUE CHAIN: Harvested responsibly?How? Humanely?Grown where? Locally?

Questions about FOOD = Questions about TEXTILES

Where?

How? Harvest conditions?

Raw materials and labor come from the SAME SOURCES

organic cotton growers in India

Processing Practices?

Production conditions?

Business Practices?

Questions about FOOD = Questions about TEXTILES

The EPA estimates just ONE cotton t-shirt requires 700 gallons of water during manufacture.

Repurpose?

Recycle?

Waste?

Questions about FOOD = Questions about TEXTILES

EPA estimates 13.1 million tons of textiles are trashed yearly; only 2 million tons are recovered for reuse or recycling.

Fibers derived fromnaturally occurring and sustainable

earthly cycles with which we can partner.

Petro-chemically derived atomsartificially formed into polymer plastic fibers. No natural cycle with which to partner.

Growth cycle questions DO NOT APPLY TO SYNTHETICSNATURAL FIBERSSYNTHETICS

O – oxygenN – nitrogen

H – hydrogenC – carbon

from:OIL

COALGAS

Polyester

NylonAcrylicHemp

WoolSilk NATURAL FIBERS SYNTHETICSPET plastic

Cotton

Synthetics

inexpensive

stay lightweight in the wet

easy care

Compelling for several reasons:

BUT -- Synthetics

arrive & persist

toxic & bio-accumulative

consumed by

animals + people

shed MICROBEADS in the laundry

UNESCO estimates there are 245 metric tons of plastic particles shed from fleece fabric per year globally

Fibers derived fromnaturally occurring and sustainable

earthly cycles with which we can partner.

Petro-chemically derived atomsartificially formed into polymer plastic fibers. No natural cycle with which to partner.

REMEMBER: Growth cycle questions DO NOT APPLY TO SYNTHETICSNATURAL FIBERSSYNTHETICS

O – oxygenN – nitrogen

H – hydrogenC – carbon

from:OIL

COALGAS

As with food, we can IGNORE EXTERNAL SOCIAL PRESSURE and DEMAND DETAILS ABOUT THE VALUE CHAIN of textile products.

Some comparatively responsible clothing brands:

+But the more fundamental questions/challenges are around buying LESS.

+Purchasing more responsibly produced items made of natural materials are steps towardsmainstreaming sustainable textiles and garments.+Instead of asking ourselves what to do with so much waste, let’s ask how to create less waste.