Choose Organically

Who doesn’t own a shirt that is 100% cotton or has a mix of cotton in it? Everyone does. Cotton is one of the most popular fabric choices when it comes to the production of apparel.  There is more to cotton production than what goes into the construction of making a classic Hanes t-shirt. Have you ever thought about the effects growing cotton has on the environment? There are various environmental factors that come into place in the cultivation of cotton including that of water and pesticides.  

Referring to the reading, The Sustainability of Cotton, Cotton is a challenging crop to grow because it is delicate to drought, does not settle well with low temperatures, and with cotton being grown in a field insects attacking the crop become a huge factor. With this said, cotton production is taking place in more than 100 countries and China is the leading country in the production of this crop which means environmental factors are occurring in more than just the US.  

Yes, farming techniques have improved vastly over the past few years which means new technologies have been created to preserve ways water is used in the production of cotton. In the video, Cotton and Water: White, Blue, and Green, they have come up with a new development called the “smart crop.” This tool reduces the amount of water consumption moisture running into the fields, which cuts down the amount of water used. Before this technology, at times there would be access water surrounding the cotton plants that was going to waste.  All of this makes conventional cotton sound like it might have an advantage, but that is not necessarily the case because there is another way to go about it.

Organic farming systems are rain-fed which are considered to be “low-input organic,” which indicates that the use of water supply is not being put to waste. My reasoning of believing that the cultivation of cotton is on its way to being sustainable is reinforced by the following statement found in the reading, “most organic cotton systems are rain-fed and the majority of conventional and IPM systems are irrigated, often unsustainably.” The impact of producing organically grown cotton is more than sounding like “we care about the environment.” Improving the quality of our land’s environment is a characteristic that all of the resources above have listed as a main priority and concern. The fact that organic cotton gets its water source from natural rain, this saves on the amount of water used and even at times wasted due to over-watering the crops. The Sustainability of Cotton reading points out that more field-work needs to be accomplished to evaluate the environmental effects the cotton system has. So, with that said think sustainably and go organic.   

Synthetic Designs

When designing women’s apparel, there are more factors to consider other than that of illustrating which silhouette best fits one’s body shape. Selecting fashion fabrics to use for construction of a new collection is more than just picking out color swatches from the fabric store. The efficiency usage of synthetic materials compared to natural materials can be controversial at times; however, researchers are trying to find solutions that better enhances our environment and its surroundings.

Synthetic fibers are sometimes viewed as bad because they are destroying our environment; however, this is not the case. Both natural and synthetic produced fibers will have an impact to the environment as well as effecting people with its development process. In the reading, Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, it points out that even though conventional synthetics are “natural” they are associated with substantial impacts to the environment. Some of these negative effects deal with problems in the landfilled, dealing with greenhouse gasses, and the flow of energy.

Using synthetic materials in designing not only helps reduce the amount of water consumed when producing cotton fabrics, but it also influences ecosystem-inspired concepts of diversity throughout our environment. With the guidance of research, we have been given additional options in the way textile production is manufactured. There is a way to replace the use of conventional cotton with organic or “low-chemical” cotton including that of flax and hemp. Research shows that these examples can help reduce pesticides and water usage. In the video, Charline Ducas from Textile Exchange, she referenced a term called crailar. Crailar is a technological development for the use of hemp and linen. She briefly explained that this development would become profitable, saleable, and in demand soon because it has the same feel as cotton. Sustainable Fashion and Textiles provides a statistic that exemplifies this development, 80 percent of cotton and polyester represents the usage together which impacts the market worldwide. Consumers not only want what is fashionable, but they want what is comfortable as well, and this percentage demonstrates that.

Producing textiles naturally or synthetically will use up quantities of water, especially with cotton growth. One very important difference between the two is that organic production is more than agriculture practices, but is being integrated into a “tool for social change.” In the video, the speaker mentioned that by everyone coming together and helping with eco-efficiency we will create a value chain. Researchers are finding that with the use synthetics, alternatives are evolving to better our environment. Organic production is not the easy way out. More farmers are adapting to this process with the outcome being costly and the development being slow, but it reduces the amounts of chemicals used and they are willing to take this chance. It’s all about creativity and providing apparel with synthetic based materials that maximize our environment, while leaving a positive long-lasting impact to our future, is why I selected to work with synthetics.

It's More than Fashion

Many risks are taken in the fashion industry that several people are not aware of. Fashion is not just about wearing the right outfit, or designing the most fashion forward garment. This risk-taking, competitive, desirable industry consists of much more than being in style. Did you know that in the production of water use in cotton production, garments chemical usage, animal welfare, human rights, and social pressure are issues that are present within the fashion industry today.  These are extreme concerns that are circulating within the industries that are not mentioned on a daily basis when shopping with friends or flipping through Vogue.

Think about how many pairs of jeans you have in your closet. Now, think about everyone you’re surrounded by on a daily basis and the odds are they are going to be wearing jeans almost every day.  In the construction of a single pair of jeans, it takes 10 tons of water to grow enough cotton in order to produce them. Have you ever considered that? As our climate changes, the usage of water is vital. In central Asia, bodies of water have already been influenced by cotton production, shrinking in size by great quantities. A substitution for cotton use is hemp, which can be formed with fewer chemicals. This is solution to how we can keep natural fabrics sustainable.     

Fashioning Sustainability is a report that makes clear the issues created within the fashion industry; as well as, justifying solutions in a reasonable way. For as long as I can remember, fur within the garment industry has been a huge topic. Groups like that of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaign for ending fur and leather production. Fur has been reintroduced numerous times in many designers’ collections, which entices shoppers to want what is “in.” There is a solution that specifically raises awareness in FS that suggests buying products from the meat industry instead of slaughtering animals for a single purpose of making a couture fur coat.

Implementing these recommendations contributes to the report ESMA based on their “promising interventions” by supporting consumer preference. Also, it’s about managing how the ecosystem can survive in a way that is beneficial to the manufactures, the ultimate buyer of a product, and everyone in between. I believe that these issues and suggestions have great potential in bringing about a change in the fashion production industry.

In the reading by Walsh and Brown, there was a comparison given between conventional farming techniques and organic growing techniques. This study indicated that these two types of cotton have the same life-cycle records; however, the growing of conventional cotton is higher in cost. Research points out that “going organic” can reduce environmental cost in a drastic way. Switching over from conventional cotton practices to organic, the overall economic cost of producing cotton would fall by $4.7 billion. Pesticide use, water consumption, and soil erosion are environmental factors that would be reduced.  I believe that this study on pricing is a good way to start thinking about how pricing is a factor that we need to be more aware of. This method has potential to develop more as a product’s environmental cost becomes more understood by the public eye.

Water consumption is a key element that everyone is involved in. Next time you do a load of laundry consider this, the water per load you use every wash significantly affects our environment. If you do several loads of laundry a week, which puts a drain on our environment, challenge yourself to limit that to one. Browse through your closet, switch up your wardrobe, and wear something different every week. This is not just a way to stay fashionable by not repeat wearing, but it can limit the amount of laundry you do; which ultimately can help reduce the impact of water consumption on our environment.  

Too Hi-Tech for Your Environment?

Natural disasters are events that occur when unexpected.  Different factors of pollution include: the visible sources of automobiles releasing gas; causing environmental pollution, oil tank spills; which affect aquatic life, nitrogen; according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment “leads to the loss of agricultural and forest productivity,” and even acid rain; which is a gas that has been contaminated by substances throughout the atmosphere.

According to an online article on Toxic Rain, places like that of Long Island, New York are experiencing signs of acid deposition and have been for years.  Acid rain is capable of decomposing elements of nature that we not only enjoy spending time in, but also acid rain can affect the health of any persons around it.  

In the reading, Ecosystems and Human Well-Being, people of the 21st Century have “doubled the flow of reactive nitrogen on the continents.” The effect that pollution has on the environment, people, animals and plants was not as well-known years ago like they are today.  

Relating back to, The Lessons of Easter Island, the people of this time constructed technologies that were “irreversibly damaging that environment.” The people of Easter Island wanted to build up their environment with advancements; however, just like in current times taking a risk with technology does not always benefit society.  Their waters hardly contained fish, and now we have more food offered to us than we can consume.

Environmental problems we face today are not new.  They do; however, keep occurring so make it a point to keep the environment that we live in clean. Try not to take advantage of what you have. Think about these factors that deal with pollution when going about your day. We can’t get so lost in our hi-tech world that we forget about our surroundings.  

http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/toxic_rain_the_effect_of