FYI!! This blog has moved! Hop on over to our new and improved site at www.EcoFashionFlorida.com! =)
Ok guys, I’m here to break it down for you . . . Here are the facts!
Unless they are organic and fair trade, virtually all clothes sold in stores today are harmful to you, the people who made them, and our environment as a whole. Here’s a briefing on two of the most popular fabrics and why they’re harmful.
First up, cotton. Yes friends, “the fabric of our lives” isn’t as pretty as its commercials paint it to be. Cotton is heavily sprayed with petroleum-derived pesticides and insecticides. Those toxic chemicals are absorbed into the cotton, which you eventually put on you and your baby. Additionally, cottonseed is used as feed for livestock. Yep, that means that if you’re eating meat that’s not organic, you’re eating all of those toxic chemicals that the animals were given in their food – yumm! The farmers and field workers are also affected by these chemicals as well. Last time I checked, breathing in toxic fumes wasn’t healthy for anyone! Aside from all that, the impact the chemicals are having on our environment are extremely detrimental. The crops are sprayed with pesticides and insecticides, which get absorbed by the cotton plants and the surrounding soil, then run off into our lakes, streams and rivers, destroying wildlife and entire vital ecosystems. The bottom line here is, just because cotton is toted as a “natural” fabric does NOT mean it’s good for nature! Learn more about cotton!
Next up, polyester. I sheepishly admit to buying clothes made of polyester for years, without even questioning what it was really made of. In fact, I honestly never paid much attention to fabric labels, until now. Wanna take a guess at what polyester is made from? If you said crude oil, you’re right! Yes ladies, that cute little dress in your closet with polyester on the tag began its life as black muck. Guys, that club shirt is guilty too. Yes, the same black muck that translates into over $3 a gallon that you pump into your car! Without getting political and going into too much detail, making clothes from oil is just plain unnecessary when we have better, earth-friendly alternatives, and it’s just another way we have become dependent on a non-renewable resource. (Non-renewable means that once it’s gone, it’s gone, as opposed to a plant – a renewable resource, that we can keep growing year after year.) Learn how oil becomes fabric!
In addition to these two heavy hitters having health and environmental concerns, there are some major ethical concerns around them as well, and you’ve all heard of them – yes people, I’m about to say the ”s” word - sweatshops. It’s pretty easy to buy something at the store and not think of the person thousands of miles away who made it for you. Here’s the reality though, people in countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Honduras and many more, ARE working in sweatshops. It is really going on! They are not getting paid a wage they can actually live off of, they’re living in dirty, cramped quarters, and are sometimes forced to work non-stop until the work is complete. However, there is now something called Fair Trade which means every person that helped produce the item was paid a fair wage and treated fairly as well! I encourage you to learn more about fair trade and what other human beings around the world are being subjected to – all for a cheap piece of clothing that goes out of style or falls apart in 3 months. It’s just not worth it! There’s a film out there called China Blue which is a great eye-opener. See the trailer!
Ok, so I’ve told you the bad news, now here’s the good news! Companies all over the world are acknowledging how environmentally and socially detrimental the apparel industry has been for the past half a century or so, and they are offering wonderful alternatives. Additionally, most of these companies adhere to Fair Trade standards. The clothes they are producing are made from organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, lyocell, seaweed, and even recycled plastic! All of these fabrics are eco-friendly options, and some are better than others. In another blog, I will compare all of the eco-friendly fabrics available, and point out the pros and cons of each. For now though, let me at least tell you about organic cotton! Simply put, organic cotton is cotton that has been grown without the use of toxic chemicals. Instead, farmers use methods such as intercropping, crop rotation, and flame weeding to accomplish the same tasks as those nasty chemicals! Learn more about organic cotton!
So, with all this in mind, you can see the driving force behind The Blue Butterfly! I wanted to introduce the concept of eco-friendly, fair trade clothing to South Florida and provide people down here with an alternative, a choice! I’ll be posting more blogs in the future answering any questions you have, providing resources, and sharing with you how you can make easy, earth-friendly choices in your everyday life!
In love & light,
Amberlina =)
