15/12/2022 By acomputer 607 Views

How to dress in an ecological way?

We too often neglect the environmental impacts of our clothes, however very real.Often contradictory, fashion and sustainable development are however not irreconcilable.This of course requires changes in our consumption modes: for example, buy fewer items but better quality.To dress in eco-citizenly, and know in particular which textiles to choose, there are several little things to know.

What is the impact of my clothing on the environment?

Too many people ignore it: culture and treatment (to use, to tackle, to divert, to embroider the garment)) of certain fibers are very polluting, because they require the use of chemical materials such as chlorine.And this persists during washing and during the end of the life of the habit.In addition, the manufacture of clothes can be very energy -consuming.It is therefore up to us, consumers, to make the right clothing choices and to opt for the clothes whose manufacturing impacts the planet as little as possible.

However, it is very difficult today for the consumer to minimize his impact and to navigate, follow the guide, we help you!

What are the reliable ecological labels for clothing?

Faced with the multiplication of labels, ADEME reacted by publishing on its website a list of reliable labels.Here are a few :

L'écolabel européen la « Fleur »

The logo of this Ecolabel guarantees that manufactured products comply with strict environmental standards (limited pollution of water and air during production, few allergic reactions)), without sacrificing the quality of the clothes (resistance of colors to washing to washing, in friction and light, resistance to narrowing during washing and drying)).

La certification Oeko-Tex

Recognizable to the “Textile Confidence” label, OEKO-Tex certified products have no health danger (no pollutants in harmful proportions)).The International Ouko-Tex association which brings together 14 textile research and control institutes is responsible for independent controls on harmful subjects.

L'écolabel Nordic Swan (Le Cygne Blanc))

These textiles comply with strict standards in terms of environment, health and quality: plant fibers from organic farming, prohibition/limitation of certain dangerous substances, limitation of polluting discharges in water, limitation of water consumption andenergy.

These three labels are the most reliable for environmentally friendly textiles.

What is "ethical and organic" fashion?

Inspired by the fair trade model, ethical and organic fashion also involves real environmental and social concerns.It tries to reduce impacts at all stages of production, notably via the use of biological renewable materials (cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp)) or recycled materials.It employs manufacturing modes in water and energy.It does not use animal raw materials such as leather or fur.

Ethical and organic fashion of course respects the principles of fair trade: ban on child labor, application of a minimum charter of social rights in order to respect the rights of employees, etc..This type of trade pays for the right price producers.

How to choose a clothing with low environmental impact?

Labels and certifications are there to help you in your choices.For the choice of your jeans, you can use the ADEME calculation tool, which shows the associated impacts with the choice of jeans (textile type)), maintenance methods, lifespan, treatment inend of life...Thus, the more sophisticated the jeans ("aged" aspect that is to say artificially faded or worn, glitter, etc..)) and the more pollution and overconsumption of natural resources.

The consumer can reduce the environmental impact of his jeans: he can for example carry it five times rather than three times before washing it, cleaning it in an energy efficient machine, and at low temperature, and let it dryopen air while avoiding ironing it.

What vegetable fiber to favor for the purchase of my clothes?

Between false advertising and received ideas, difficult to opt for good raw materials and to know which garment most respects the planet.

There are three types of fiber: natural, artificial and synthetic.

Les fibres naturelles

Comment s'habiller de manière écologique ?

Natural fibers are of plant origin (cotton, linen, hemp, nettle, etc..)) or animal (wool, silk)).Their transformation into fiber is essentially mechanical.Then they can be chemically treated.

Les fibres artificielles

Artificial fibers are produced from natural resources (cellulose)) but by chemical transformation processes.For example, viscose, and Lyocell, and modal are produced from wood cellulose.The main drawback: these fibers need a lot of water to be transformed.

Les fibres synthétiques

Finally, synthetic fibers (polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane...)) are produced from petroleum, non-reversal resource.Their environmental impact is considerable.Their production requires a large amount of energy to be produced and the recycling sector is still underdeveloped.

Natural fibers therefore seem preferable, although they are not always perfectly "organic".For which textile to choose?Here are some items to keep in mind before choosing your clothes:

Cotton: a disaster for the environment

Today, it sells 2 billion jeans per year, the overwhelming majority being in cotton.However, this plant is very greedy in water (the production of a t-shirt requires 25,000 liters of water)).In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea is gradually drying up, especially because of the phenomenal quantities necessary to irrigate cultures.

Cotton is the most polluting culture in the world: it uses a quarter of insecticides produced by humanity, for 2.4% of the cultivated world surface.A t-shirt requires 140 g of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and emits 5.2 kg of CO2 (as much as 27 km by plane)).The pesticides used pollute the groundwater and intoxicate workers: according to WHO, cotton cultivation kills 22,000 workers per year.The conventional cotton culture is therefore catastrophic with regard to sustainable development.

The rest of the process is just as polluting, since cotton is treated three times: to whiten it (generally with chlorine)), to dye it (taints based on heavy metals such as chrome, lead...)) and to make the finishes: treatments to make the fabric shiny, unspeakable, etc..(carcinogenic chemicals: cyanide, etc..))

On the market, the damage continues: the subsidies granted to large American producers lower the course of cotton and lead to ruin the small producers of Africa, Asia or Latin America.

Le coton biologique : oui, mais...

Biological cotton is an attempt to response to the disaster for health and the environment caused by conventional cotton cultivation.It is cultivated according to the principles of organic farming: farmers use natural insecticides and biological control techniques [1].GMOs are prohibited, crops are manual and the technique of crop rotation makes it possible not to take over the floors too much.

However, very often, only the cotton flower is organic, not the garment.In this case, once harvested, this cotton also undergoes chemical treatments.The mention "organic cotton" therefore does not guarantee that the finished product is organic.

How to do in this case?The Ecocert and Eko-Gots labels guarantee such an organic production process: toxic chemicals (caustic soda, ammonia, synthetic resins, chlorine...)) are replaced by natural products (cassava starch, soap, etc..)), mechanical or enzymatic processes.However, truly organic culture now represents only 1% of cotton produced in the world.

There remains an unresolved problem, that of colorful textiles.Chemical dyes include heavy metals, allergenants, carcinogenic products...Vegetable dyes find it difficult to impose themselves, because of a lesser color outfit. Pour parer (partiellement)) ce problème, certaines marques ont choisi d'avoir recours à des teintures chimiques respectant la norme Oekotex (cf."What are the reliable labels?"»)).

La Better Cotton Initiative : généraliser la production de « coton meilleur »

Considérant toutes les difficultés à garantir une fabrication écologique des vêtements en coton et une parfaite transparence pour le consommateur, l'ONG Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)) a réuni tous les acteurs de la filière pour rendre le processus de production plus responsable, du paysan au géant de la distribution.The criteria are a little less demanding than those of organic farming.Indeed, the BCI takes into account the realities of cotton cultivation and strives not to be too restrictive: the world cotton industry implies a very large number of small farms (about 80% of the farms)).Around the world, 300 million farmers and agricultural workers work in this production, and culture is very, very gourmet in water.The NGO therefore collaborates with farms to set up new irrigation techniques that reduce water consumption by 40%.

The NGO hopes to produce 300,000 tonnes of "Better Cotton" in 2012, by involving 100,000 cultivators worldwide. Soutenue par plusieurs géants de l'habillement et du textile (Gap, H&M, Levi Strauss, Adidas, Nike, IKEA, etc.)), the small Swiss -based NGO strives to make cotton production more sustainable and more responsible. Cultivé par des paysans d'au moins 18 ans, dans des conditions respectant les principes de l'Organisation Internationale du Travail (OIT)), le coton utilise un minimum d'eau et de pesticides.A downside, however: GMO cotton cultivation is tolerated, the program limiting to inform peasants about this technology.In addition, the NGO does not intervene in the fixing of selling prices.Cotton is sold on an open market, often at higher prices than conventional cotton.

Début 2011, seulement 65 000 paysans étaient membres du programme et cultivaient 245 000 hectares de coton (au total, on comptait dans le monde 33,3 millions d'hectares de coton en 2007-2008)) suivant les méthodes recommandées.BCI hopes to convince other cultivators to join the network to generalize the production of "Better Cotton".

The BCI logo allows you to recognize clothing using this cotton.Be careful, if this cotton is of better quality than classic cotton, it should not be confused with organic cotton, and be wary of the communication campaigns of clothing giants.

Linen and hemp: promising materials

These materials used for millennia have a renewed interest with sustainable development.

Le lin

Linen is not really "organic" but its environmental impacts remain significantly lower than those of other fibers.Thus, it requires 5 times less fertilizer and pesticides than cotton and does not need irrigation.Its transformation into fibers is a mechanical process, which requires neither water nor solvents.Linen can however receive some chemical products (so that the fabric does not crush, for example)).As a garment, linen is an excellent thermal insulation: it keeps hot in winter and it is refreshing in summer.It is also anti-allergic and anti-bacterial.

Le chanvre

Hemp is a plant that grows very quickly: in a few months, it can reach up to 6 meters in height.It is robust and can therefore do without pesticides.However, the transformation of hemp into fiber is long and unprofitable, which explains the high price of these textiles.The fabric is very solid and comfortable: anti-bacterial, insulating in winter, fresh in summer and very absorbent.

L'ortie : elle gagne à être (re))connue

Formerly used to make ropes, wires and even clothes, nettle offers an interesting alternative to cotton.Almost everywhere in the world, nettle has been replaced, but in Himalayas, the use has continued until today.

Today, nettle is again of the textile industry because it has many ecological qualities.Indeed, the rod of nettle is a textile fiber of excellent quality: natural, light and solid.Its fiber is hollow, it therefore imprisoned air in the fabric, which gives it significant thermal insulation properties: it protects cold as well as from hot.In addition, the culture of nettle does not require irrigation or polluting products because it is a perennial plant [2].

La marque néerlandaise Netl (anciennement Brennels, du nom de la ferme d'où sont issus les produits)) est spécialisée dans les vêtements respectueux de l'environnement.It thus offers ecological jeans based on nettle, mixed with cotton or organic linen, wool...Nettles, not stinging, are cultivated next to the company.After the summer harvest, the leaves are removed and you get a kind of straw, quickly crushed and ready to be used to make fibers.For the time being, the nettle jeans cost the modest sum of 230 euro.However, the price should drop when this production technique is popularized.

Bamboo: Beware of appearances!

Increasingly frequent, bamboo has been presented as the ecological material par excellence, while cotton was criticized.Is this label deserved?

It is true that unlike other natural fibers, bamboo is quickly produced (more than one meter per day)).Its culture requires four times less water than cotton, and above all, does not require pesticides or fertilizers because it is naturally resistant, even invasive (which can cause problems in terms of biodiversity)).Bamboo helps fight soil erosion.

Thus the bamboo culture seems much more interesting than that of cotton in terms of environmental impacts.However, things are spoiling from the treatment of fibers.Bamboo textiles is silky and unspeakable: it is viscose that gives this effect.However, it is an artificial fiber obtained chemically by the transformation of plant cellulose.The process that allows it to be extracted is polluting because it requires the use of products dangerous for the environment and health (caustic soda, carbon disulfide...)) In addition, we add to the viscose of quaternary ammonium to avoid the proliferation of bacteria, or the tissues are in direct contact with the skin.

Thus, although at first sight the bamboo appears more ecological than cotton, the production of bamboo textiles requires a large amount of polluting chemicals for the time being.Namely: there is also Bamboo Lyocell, a material close to viscose and less polluting (solvent recovery, better wastewater management)).

An element not to be forgotten: transport

The ecological footprint of a garment does not only depend on the raw material used and its manufacturing process.The question of its transport is essential, because the more the clothing travels, the greater its energy consumption.It is therefore preferable to buy items made near us. Et ce n'est pas chose aisée ; d'après l'INSEE, en 2006, une dépense de 100 euros en articles d'habillement et de cuir se décompose en 37 euros d'articles importés (contre 2 euros en 1960)) et en 27 euros d'articles produits en France (contre 73 euros en 1960)).The rest corresponding to commercial margins and transport.French clothing imports have continued to grow since the 1960s: evidenced by the famous "made in China"...

Notes

La définition officielle (de l'OILB-SROP)) stipule que la lutte biologique est « l'utilisation d'organismes vivants pour prévenir ou réduire les dégâts causés par des ravageurs ». L'homme exploite à son profit une relation naturelle entre deux êtres vivants, ce qui lui permet d'éliminer un organisme indésirable, ravageur d'une plante cultivée.
Une plante vivace est une plante qui vit au minimum deux ans. C'est une plante herbacée qui résiste aux mauvaises conditions météorologiques : gel de l'hiver ou sécheresse des étés caniculaires. Elle survit grâce à la souche restée dans le sol, même si ses feuilles sont mortes.