Sustainable Trends

At long last, environmentally responsible fabrics and development processes are coming into their own, thanks the tenacity and commitment of several manufacturers, designers and apparel makers who have refused to settle for less.

Brands such as California-based Patagonia Inc., Re:volve Apparel Project for Sustainable Living, Linda Loudermilk Inc. and Foursquare Outerwear are dedicated to using processes and materials that have as little negative impact on the planet as possible. Until recently, however, these labels’ design options had been limited by a shortage of versatile, desirable fabrics at viable prices.

Thanks to the collaboration and innovation of mills and manufacturers, the needs of apparel makers are being met with the use of fabric products and technologies such as EcoSpun’s PET recycled bottle fibers, Unifi’s 100 percent post–industrial waste content yarns and Ecolor’s waterless dyeing process.

Now that the ball is rolling, the question is: “Will the consumer fall in line?”

Fabric experts say “yes.” The problems that hindered widespread consumer use have been largely alleviated with the latest technologies, making eco-friendly fabrics more workable, available and economically feasible.

“There is a significant consumer base that has an interest in eco-friendly fabrics,” says Jim Ciccone, spokesperson for South Carolina–based Wellman Inc., developer of the PET recycled-bottle polyester fibers known as EcoSpun. “Now that we can produce consistent, first-quality fabrics at an affordable price, there is no reason not to opt for them.”

The future's in plastics

Wellman developed EcoSpun in the 1990s. Through the EcoSpun method, PET bottles are refined and purified, chopped into flake, and then melted down and extruded into spun fiber strands that are woven into fabrics by individual manufacturers. Fabrics made from recycled content, such as EcoSpun, save billions of bottles from the world’s landfills, which, in turn, saves millions of gallons of petroleum that would be used to develop virgin polyester. But, initially, Wellman encountered some problems.

“The difficulty we had at first [was] an inability to compete,” Ciccone says. Wellman still owns the technology, although Foss Industries now handles the manufacturing of the PET bottles into fiber strands. “From a consumer standpoint, the product needs to be equal to the alternative, not inferior. And, of course, pricing was an issue because there is so much more involved. We had a limited product and supply—especially at the beginning.”

Nate Simmons—director of marketing for Polartec, the company that created fleece in the 1980s and is now the largest manufacturer of recycled fabric in the country—agreed that there were many challenges to overcome with the technology. “PET [fabric] has been around for 15 years,” Simmons says. “It didn’t take off at first. The yarn supply was unpredictable—they were limited to how many bottles they could obtain. It didn’t have the feel of virgin poly fleece, and it was expensive. In addition, it was difficult to work with, and, because of the inconsistent supply, we couldn’t make any volume deals.”

Ventura, Calif.–based Patagonia, known for its pioneering commitment to the environment, was one of the few apparel companies that would even try using EcoSpun PET—“but on a very small scale,” Simmons says. Now manufacturers are able to offer high-quality, varied, functional products, and they can do so at a feasible price point. “We’ve come incredibly far,” Simmons says. “But there are no simple answers because there is a lot to it.”

Polartec collaborates with Unifi and Teijin, creators of Repreve, a closedloop yarn made largely from post-industrial content. “This is highly functional, as the source is controlled,” Simmons says. “And these are first-quality 100 percent recycled-content yarns. And because of the extruding technique, different shapes and deniers of filament yarns can be created with incredible versatility.”

According to Unifi, Repreve fabrics meet Federal Trade Commission guidelines for recycled products and save 61,000 BTUs, or half a gallon of gas, per pound of yarn. The fabrics are also available as “all-in-one performance yarns,” which the company can craft to deliver the exact properties manufacturers want and need.

Simmons estimates that 20 percent of Polartec’s fabrics in 2008 will come from recycled content. “If we could flip all the products to recycled yarns tomorrow, we would,” he says. “And as new yarns come on line, we are converting a huge percentage of our output.”

In addition to Patagonia, L.L.Bean, REI, Dillard’s and Aigle are among the many apparel companies and retailers utilizing Polartec’s recycled-content fabrics.

“As I see it, Spring/Fall of 2009 will be the tip of the iceberg for eco-friendly fabrics,” Simmons says. “There are huge programs ramping up to flip to recycled content, and with the price and quality finally in line, there is no downside.”

Other innovations blend recycled and organic fibers. Irvine, Calif.–based Foursquare Outerwear partnered with Livity Outernational, a Topanga, Calif.–based organic clothing manufacturer, to develop ski and snowboarding activewear that is 45 percent recycled PET and 55 percent hemp.

“We have developed an amazing lamination process,” said Meghan Martens, product manager for Foursquare. “This makes the fabric extremely soft and virtually water-resistant.”

A cause to dye for

The Re:volve Apparel Project for Sustainable Living develops message T-shirts and bags made from eco-friendly fabrics. “We are innovators and suppliers,” says founding partner Joe Tomlinson, who created Re:volve with his wife, Amy, upon realizing how few ethical options were available in the apparel industry. The Tomlinsons donate a portion of Re:volve’s proceeds to The Peace Alliance and Waterkeeper Alliance.

“Currently, we are pioneering a revolutionary dyeing process under the trademark Ecolor,” Joe Tomlinson says. “Ecolor is a U.S.-developed technology that will be used with Re:volve’s organic cotton and recycled polyester fabrics. It uses no water, and it is very green throughout.”

For every pound of fabric dyed, 15 gallons of water are saved with this technology, according to Joe Tomlinson. In addition, he added, the nontoxic process eliminates 70 known carcinogens and only creates by-products that are completely recyclable.

“Ecolored PET has a soft, luxurious feel. The color heathers beautifully, and it holds up incredibly well in washing,” says Katie Hunsberger of OrganicWorks Marketing, the pubic-relations firm for Re:volve.

Hunsberger said Ecolor dyes are so deeply saturated into the fabric, they are virtually fade-resistant. “You can actually spill bleach on them, and they won’t be damaged,” she says.

In the zone

Another design house–turned–innovator is Los Angeles–based eco-luxury couture line Linda Loudermilk.

“We work collaboratively with our fabric manufacturers and wash/dye/print houses to create our own brand of fabrications and manufacturing processes that will improve our design, quality and durability while remaining green,” says Laura Capron, lead designer for Loudermilk Inc.

“It takes time to develop change in any market that is used to running things one way, but it is a necessary process, and it’s getting better all the time,” Capron says.

One innovation designer Linda Loudermilk utilizes is Ozone, a wash process for sustainable-fabric denim executed at Los Angeles wash house APS. Loudermilk found an excellent bamboo denim she wanted to use for her jeans line but realized that, without an environmentally friendly washing process, it was irrelevant. She located APS, which had converted its standard machine to an Ozone washer.

“Ozone is that fresh smell in the air right after a thunderstorm. It is created by the violence of the air meeting ultraviolet light, lightning or manmade high-voltage electric arcs,” Capron explains. “This causes O2 molecules to break into two oxygen molecules, which combine with other O2 molecules to createO3, or ozone.”

“Ozone is nature’s way of destroying pollutants,” she continues. “It is a powerful oxidizing, cleaning and bleaching agent. Because it is so reactive, it attaches easily to fatty and other soils and rapidly destroys them. It attacks most organic soils and kills bacteria many times faster than chlorine bleach.”

Ozone is totally biodegradable; when it completes its function, it reverts back to O2, leaving no chemical residues behind. Water used is actually cleaner after the process than before it entered the wash.

“Ozone washes use cold water rather than hot. And, as a gas solution, it penetrates fibers faster and more effectively, allowing for shorter wash cycles,” Capron says. “This combination not only saves electricity, water and chemicals but also results in cleaner, softer and more durable garments.”

Grass-roots level

Shakiba Ghobadpour, founder of Los Angeles–based Nature’s Laboratory, has drawn upon her 16 years of experience working for a Los Angeles dye house to create high-quality organic, plant-based dyes from products currently available throughout the world. “I want nothing that will harm the Earth,” Ghobadpour said.

During her years of researching the most humanitarian and environmentally friendly colorfast dyes, Ghobadpour traveled throughout South America, the tropics and Asia. “I am committed to buying from small villages and the very poor,” she said. “For instance, there is a village in India that makes the best indigo, but to them, it is a sacred, medicinal plant. hellip; If you saw how the Indian villagers have been exploited in the past [converting natural indigo or wood to dye is a long, arduous process], it would bring tears to your eyes. I want to ensure that the people who develop products for Nature’s Laboratory are treated fairly and humanely while creating an industry for these very poor regions.”

Beware of faux green

Consumers should always be alert to exorbitant claims made by any manufacturer. And at the surge of most major trends, there are countless bandwagoners who will emerge. In this case, they will be extolling the vast eco virtues of their products.

Third-party auditing agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Scientific Certifications Systems (SCS) and Organic Trade Association (OTA) are just a few organizations currently in place making sure that claims made by the manufacturers of recycled, organic and eco-friendly products are accurate and verifiable. This helps prevent false claims by those attempting to chase the burgeoning environmentally conscious market.

All facets of eco-friendly fabrics and manufacturing are on the upswing, and, with each innovation, a broader range of desirable, accessible and affordable materials are offered to the consumer. Now that this trend has reached groundswell proportions, why on Earth wouldn’t consumers make the conscious choice to opt for environmentally responsible fabrics?

“No one is willing to pay more for an inferior product, regardless of their commitment,” Polartec’s Simmons says. “But if you can give them an excellent environmentally sound product, I think many consumers will opt for that choice.”