Our fashion choices are also manifestations of our role expectations and requirements. Therefore our clothing styles vary according to our age and life circumstances. In practice, our fashion choices depend on our consumer choices and consumerism affects our self-identity. For example, fashion brands can create a sense of belonging to an affiliated group.

Regardless of this, the relation between individual values and clothing choices is not necessarily that simple. For instance, not all eco- and ethically-minded people use sustainable clothing. Often it is hard to tell how and where clothes have been made. Environmental and climate education highlights awareness and a critical approach – it is important to know what kind of environmental impact your clothes have, whatever your fashion choice might be. Sometimes it is also useful to ponder if the impression our clothes convey differs from the one we would like them to convey at heart and if it does, why.

Often it is hard to say if natural fibres are better than their synthetic counterparts due to the fact that their environmental impacts are so different. The most sustainable choice of material depends on the function of the product. The longer the product life cycle, the smaller its ecological footprint. If a product lasts only for a short period after which it must be replaced, the environmental impacts of the production will double. The right choice of material combined with proper care and maintenance extends the life of the clothing and increases its sustainability.

Comparing the carbon footprint of different fibre types is easier. Generally, natural fibres cause less carbon emissions due to the fact that production of synthetic fabrics requires vast amounts of energy. Besides, many synthetic fibres, such as polyester, are made out of oil. Production of synthetic fibre also contributes not only to carbon emissions but even more potent greenhouse gases, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

The following short list describes all the stages of a textile product’s life from cradle to grave and their environmental and social impacts. The list does not cover the overall scale of impacts at the different stages. Environmental impacts are highlighted in italics.

1. Fibre production: energy consumption, water consumption, pesticides and fertilizers, their effect on soil, employee salaries and work conditions, energy used in production of industrial nitrogen fertilizers.
2. Yarn, thread and fabric production: use of water and chemicals in the different stages of the process (for example, dyeing and finishing), work conditions, energy consumption in all phases throughout production.
3. Sewing process: employee salaries and work conditions, energy consumption throughout production.
4. Finishing process: chemical use, health and safety (for example, sandblasting), employee salaries, energy consumption throughout the process.
5. Logistics: energy consumption, transport emissions.
6. Packaging materials: energy consumption, raw materials and the emissions from their production.
7. Care and maintenance: environmental impacts of washing detergent, energy consumption from washing, tumble drying and ironing.
8. Disposal and recycling: can the garment be passed on to someone else, is the material recyclable, how to properly dispose of it, carbon emissions caused by decomposition.

The negative environmental and social impacts of the textile life cycle can be reduced in the following ways:

• Investing in energy efficiency throughout the production process.
• Setting standards for the quality of chemicals used.
• Preferring recycled materials to raw materials and taking a closed loop system of production in the early design stages.
• Setting social criteria for raw material production and manufacturing.

The environmental impacts of textiles during the use phase will be discussed later in the chapter.

Asian Development Bank

Over-production in the textile industry can be as high as 20%, and in factories about 10% of fabrics go to the trash. In Finland, the amount of textile waste is annually 16.8 kg per inhabitant and the number has gone up in the 21st century. Typically most of the textile waste has ended up in landfills. However, textiles should be seen as valuable and ecological raw materials since recycling would reduce environmental impacts and emissions caused by fibre production and disposal.

Textile waste minimization includes the following practices:

1. Waste prevention and avoiding pointless purchases.
2. Re-use of products.
3. Recycling products or materials (up-cycling, remaking, supplying raw material for industries).
4. If recycling is not possible, textiles could be burned (waste-to-energy combustion).
5. In theory, the last option is a landfill, but with some reservations. For example, in Finland the government put a ban on the dumping of textiles in landfill sites beginning in 2016.

Re-use or recycling should be taken into account early in the design process. For instance, Finnish army clothes are sold to consumers when no longer in use for the military. So far there are not too many textile brands manufacturing products out of recycled fibres. In Finland, Pure Waste makes ecologically sustainable 100% recycled quality fabrics and yarns.

Petteri Sulonen

Considerable environmental impacts of textiles occur during the use phase. Washing in particular has many negative impacts.

Information about environmentally friendly washing varies. Some suggest you should follow the instructions on care labels, whereas others criticise washing at too low temperatures claiming it can ruin fabrics in the long run, even though it consumes less energy.

Washing clothes less often, using lower temperatures along with energy-saving or eco programs reduce environmental harm. It is also a good practice to avoid tumble drying and cut the amount of ironing. Also, the following guidelines are good to keep in mind:

1. Buy only clothes you really like, wear often, and use them a long time.
2. Do not use too much laundry detergent. Forget about fabric softener.
3. Perform washing machine maintenance regularly. Empty the lint filter and use the 90°C program for maintenance washing.
4. Consider carefully the purchase of dry-clean-only clothes. If you happen to own such clothes and are about to dispose of them because they are dirty, try washing them in the washing machine.
5. Buy organic cotton.

-JosephB-

Different certifications give consumers a vehicle for choosing a more sustainable textile supply chain over the standard one. Certifications and labels serve different purposes and therefore some textile products have a number of certifications. Although some of the clothing manufacturers are embracing the use of renewable energy sources, so far environmental certifications for textiles do not provide guarantee of environmental performance, but rather, are standards for environmental health and safety in the manufacturing process.

The following chapters focus on four common textile certifications:

• NIKE and Levi Strauss & Co are one of the founding members of a business climate change advocacy coalition (BICEP=Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) committed to having an impact on climate legislation in the USA.
• Many fashion brands (Patagonia, Adidas and Kering, including brands like Gucci and Puma) invest in developing environmental and ecological materials.
• Many textile brands have committed to net zero emissions (for example, through Kering, The B Team) or signed up for sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewables (for example, H&M and Nike through the RE100 campaign).