Textiles
The following materials are divided into traditional natural examples, synthetic examples derived from polymers and a section on materials that have been created as more sustainable and/or ethical alternatives.
Understanding the ‘real’ sustainability of a material:
What to look out for when making your material preference choice;
Vegan materials aren’t necessarily more sustainable and can result in higher energy requirements and shorter lived products than the animal derived options. However, some vegan materials are made from natural alternatives and can often perform as good if not better.
Take a comparison of PU (vegan) leather vs animal leather vs cactus leather. PU leather - often called vegan leather, is made of plastic (PolyUrethane) and is therefore reliant on fossil fuels and, after use, will take 500+ years to degrade into micro-plastics.
Whilst natural animal leather relies on the slaughter of animals, alongside land, water, fertiliser use and feedstock resources, it will typically break down within 50 years into a natural matter, replenishing the earth in the process. Leather production, however, contributes to the an industry responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions.
A more progressive alternative which comes out on top, is the cactus leather. A renewable material requiring minimal processing and water consumption that is durable enough to last for 10+ years of use. This leather alternative has a similar texture and finish to cow leather, without the environmental impacts, and at end-of-product-life will break down naturally in the same way. Whilst perhaps not yet as widely available, it has the potential to undercut cow leather in price as well.
In summary, it’s important to consider the full lifecycle of a material as well as the context of use when deciding on the ‘best choice’ of textiles.
The recycling of textiles
Recycling can be done in two ways: mechanical (i.e. shredding) or chemical (dissolving). The most common method is mechanical and has been going on for many years. Clothes are shredded for items such as; car insulation or mattress stuffing.
Alternatively, fibres can be re-spun into yarns and then rewoven into cloth. Recycled cotton is becoming more common; you might have seen this in some RTW jeans.
The clothing that gets recycled is typically things that are unlikely to be resold second hand. Using the UK as an example, you can give your clothes to a charity store or put it in a textile bank. If it’s not good enough to sell in stores locally, and not good enough to be exported to other countries for resale in the second-hand market, then it gets recycled. Well, it’s certainly more likely to than if you put it in your general waste bin!