How “Green ” is Your Shirt?

I receive at least one enquirey a week from somebody looking for organic dyes. Everything “green” is in and everybody is trying to improve their manufacture processes. What is actually required to produce a garment that can truly bear a label that says “eco-friendly”?

You have to begin right at the beginning and consider where the fabric comes from. Cotton is an agricultural crop, so you need to consider the use of hormones, chemical pesticides and herbicides used by farmers. Does the seed come from genetically engineered stock? Does the farmer correctly utilise his land and rotate his crops towards sustainability? Is water used efficiently? Does the farmer adopt acceptable labour practices? Does he employ child labour?

Only if the cotton is grown from unmodified seed; employing best practice principles of water and land use; without using harmful hormones, pesticides or herbicides; tended by a labour force that receives fair treatment and remuneration; can you say that the fibre is truly “green”.

From the farm, the raw cotton goes to a mill for processing. How it is treated in the mill will also affect its “green” status. Chlorine bleach is commonly used to strip the fibre white prior to dyeing. Chlorine is one of the most harmful chemicals used in industrial processes today. It places a heavy burden on the environment when it is disposed of into the natural water systems.

Certain dyestuffs are more harmful than others. Some contain chrome, which is carcinogenic to humans and nasty in the environment. Dyes are usually set using either acid or alkaline. Most small organisms are very sensitive to ph changes. These same organisms cannot tolerate high concentrations of salt either. This is another common chemical used in dyeing. If dye waste is not disposed of in a responsible fashion, it can have disastrous effects.

The dye process needs a lot of water which must be utilised wisely. The chemistry works best at very high temperatures. If this waste water is dumped into the environment hot, it can kill many organisms that are not built for such unnatural temperature changes. Washing powders, detergents, softeners, starches and silicones are all used in the finishing process. They are all carried away in the waste water which is often not disposed of in an ethical fashion.

The fabric must be transported to retailers and other end users. Do the trucks that transport the fabric spew out billows of black smoke into the air?

Once the fabric gets to the CMT factory (cut, make and trim), you have to think about the labour force again. The use of child labour is unethical, but widely practiced. Factories are often referred to as “sweat shops” due to appalling working conditions and long, gruelling shifts. Does the staff at the CMT receive fair treatment and remuneration for their work?

As you can see, the likelihood that the shirt you are wearing right now is completely “green” is rather slim. Unless you can guarantee every single step in this long journey from the field to the end user, it is simply not ethical to make any claim that your garment is “green”.