Let’s be honest. At times, the fashion industry seems inherently eco-unfriendly. It’s built on the notion of seasonal obsolescence. Clothes are often manufactured in faraway lands under sometimes questionable working conditions and then shipped long distances by pollution-spewing conveyances. If you think too much about it, buying next season’s “it” bag can seem like the equivalent of backing over a harp seal with your Hummer.
Pinning down exactly what terms like “green” mean is no simple task.
“Companies are starting to throw up anything (and call it green), said Ryan Zinn, national campaign director for the Organic Consumers Association.
Even if consumers could accurately parse terms and claims such as “conflict-free,” “fair trade,” “carbon neutral,” “upcycled” and “post-consumer waste,” that’s only the beginning. Denim woven with certified organic cotton and dyed with all-natural indigo can then be bleached with caustic chemicals.
Hemp is a less energy-intensive crop than cotton, but because its cultivation is banned in the U.S., it has to be imported — which increases the amount of carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere. And wooden bracelets that one group certifies as coming from “sustainably harvested forests” may not pass muster with the standards set by another organization.
“There is a lot of green noise out there,” said Summer Rayne Oakes, an environmental activist, model and author. Her new book, “Style, Naturally” guides consumers to “sustainable style” options.
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