Book Club: Circular Fashion by Peggy Blum, Chapter 3 : Materials

• Feel free to bring snacks and a drink. 
• Its a think tank format using as our guide for discussion Peggy Blum's Circular Fashion book. This week we are diving into Chapter 3: Materials. 
• Remember to bring your creativity and passion for sustainable fashion to the book club!
• Don't forget your mending or upcycling creative fashion project. 

The question we will be discussing in our think tank, are just these four questions:

1. What fabric do you like to wear and why?

2. Where do you see the future of fashion in relation to materials and why?  

3. How do you think companies will use these in green washing techniques? 

4. We are going to look at H&M as our case study.  Can fast fashion be eco?

(Want to dig deeper, we recommend this academic paper trying to answer this question: EXAMINING GREENWASHING IN H&M´S ENVIRONMENTAL GREEN ADVERTISING ON INSTAGRAM) 

These are the key concepts from our book club book that we will look at to answer the above question:

1. Choice of materials used, why it is important?

Key quotes:

"Across market segments, it determines up to 2/3 of the brands water emissions, energy and land use". 

"If consumption patterns continue at its current rate, we will need 3 x as many natural resources by the year 2050, compared to that used in 2020"

2. The resources used- Air, water, land, natural chemicals, energy = Environmental Foot print. 

Renewable resources	Non renewable resources
Fresh water Solar energy Biomass Oxygen	Plastics Gasoline (petrol) and Diesel Coal Natural Gas

 

3. Discuss how "biodegradable materials" is being used in green washing. What prevents it from being regenerative and environmentally friendly. 

Did you know that a 100% polyester shirt takes 20 yrs to breakdown. Some synthetic fibers can take up to a thousand years!

4. What should we do about this?  Reuse, repair, remanufacture, recycle. 

5. Know your fibers to avoid green washing:

Image Source: https://gpktt.weebly.com/classification-of-textile-fibers.html

Biodegradable	Non- biodegradable
Organic cotton Silk Hemp Wool Organic bamboo Jute Ramie Linnen Organic fabrications Untreated fabrications	PVC Polyester Spandex Nylon Rayon (viscose) Conventional cotton Fur Leather Chemically treated fabrications Adhesive, glues, solvents etc

 

6. know the two verifying standards: Organic content Standard (OCS) and the Global organic Textile standard (GOTS).

Note - Different raw material requirements: OCS contains more than 5% of raw materials that meet the recognized organic standards, while GOTS requires more stringent requirements. It requires 70% organic natural fibers, no blending, and up to 10% synthetic or recycled fiber.

7. Closing the loop good examples and facts in relation to natural fibers. Discuss these in relation to main think tank question.

Re:down - recycles feathers from post consumer goods.

Wool is the most easily reused of all textile fibers.

Microsilk - has the potential to create a completely closed circular loop.

Linen- Requires little water and can survive on rainwater alone. Twice as strong as cotton.  Eileen Fisher uses organic cotton for her collection.

Conventional cotton is the most resource intensive crop produced in the world. Harmful toxins pollute water ways, soil, destroying eco systems and the health of people.  

The Better Cotton Initiative - A not for profit org who work on getting getter cotton. Its not GOTS but its a step in the right direction. 

Hemp - Grows without chemicals in any climate, minimal water and can restore soil health. Good example - DevoHome (Ukrainian Brand) the hemp is even grown near the factory. 

Accessory brand - Freitag  - Custom make your own bag from waste materials.

Cork leather - eco, recyclable and biodegradable. 

Pinatex - made from pineapple waste product.

Orange Fiber  - Silk alternative made from waste by product. 

Bananatex - made from banana leaf.

Mylium - Mushroom/ mycelium fabric.  

Bamboo - Does not require irrigation or pesticides. or fertilizer. However, harsh chemicals and lotd water are needed to make the textile, but can be done in a closed loop system . Want to know more read - How sustainable is it? 

8. Closing the loop, good examples and facts in relation to artificial and synthetic fibers. Discuss these in relation to main think tank question. Should a fabric that already exists on earth be considered an eco alternative for fashion designers ?   

Artificial = Rayon - viscose, lyocell and modal - Toxic chemicals and lots of water to make.   Lyocell and modal are derived from plant material and can now be processed by a non toxic process (NMMO). The process can be done in a closed loop. Tencel is a brand of lyocell made from sustainably grown eucalyptus forests. 

Synthetic - Strong, durable, easy to dye - CHEAP to make.  Polyester and Nylon made from petroleum. 

"262% more CO2 is emitted to make a single   polyester tshirt than a cotton one" 

Adidas and Parley collaboration  - Use  ocean waste plastic as an alternative.

9. Biowaste -Using waste products from post consumer waste. Great example is Parblex  (great for buttons and zips). Another is Agraloop .