Sustainable Fashion: Zero-Waste Bra to T-shirts Made From Plastic Are New Ways to Save The Environment
The textile industry, not many are aware but is the second largest pollutant in the world. It is need of the hour to turn to a sustainable fashion forward.
From the World Environment Day celebration on June 5, the discussion to beat plastic pollution is once again making the rounds. Plastic has become a big menace globally. Each country is trying its best to fight the problem and develop sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives. The textile industry, not many are aware but is the second largest pollutant in the world. It is need of the hour to turn to a sustainable fashion forward. Helping to undertake the habit are some designers who have already pledged to reduce the carbon footprint by introducing zero waste or recycled waste clothing. Alcis Sports has an eco-friendly theme wherein they make t-shirts made from plastic. Besides an Australian lingerie designer, Stephanie Devine launched The Very Good Bra, which is the world's first zero-waste bra.
Bras have a lot of environmental impacts as they are made from a variety of unsustainable materials like water-intensive cotton, spandex, petroleum-based polyurethane foam for padding. So while you're done with the usage, it takes years for these synthetic fabrics to be recycled and only ends up in landfills. This newly introduced biodegradable bra is so eco-friendly that according to Devine one "could bury it in your garden at the end of its lifespan and it would leave no toxic waste." The bra has no wire and its made from textile made from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees. The resultant material is soft and durable for long. Thus it lives up to its name of the 'Very Good Bra.' It is currently available on the crowdfunding site for roughly US $65 and comes in 24 cup sizes.
Alcis Sports is a performance wear brand that has discarded plastic completely. And they use recyclable plastic instead across its entire polyester-based range. They have been making t-shirts made out of plastic for 2 years. “Alcis, which has been making t-shirts from waste plastic bottles since the past two years, has decided to go entirely plastic free and use recyclable polyester wherever it uses polyester,” a statement by the company said. T-shirt use polyester in their making which uses huge quantities of water, chemicals and use of fossil fuels. Since the material and both the byproduct being toxic, it can be hazardous.
There are other younger designers who are using reclaimed textile waste through handloom weaving and creating a fashion using sustainable design techniques. Designer students too are trying out ways to develop textiles that will minimize carbon footprint. They are going back to traditional ways like block printing, hand embroidery etc which will reduce pollution at all levels. Using sustainable fashion is indeed a way of contributing to save the environment.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2018 06:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).