Why Sustainable Fabrics Matter: Understanding the Impact and How to Make Informed Choices

With lots of big companies jumping on the eco-bandwagon, the word ‘sustainability’ isn’t what it used to be. It’s been slapped onto all sorts of products that are far from eco-friendly, and the cacophony of greenwashing has made it hard to put much faith in the term anymore.

Even the Good Fabric team, who are all for eco-friendly options, has become tired of hearing it used in marketing. Sometimes you just want to roll your eyes when you hear something is sustainable 🙄

That being said – and bear with us here! – sustainable fabrics do matter. 

By understanding why eco-friendly fabrics are important, along with how you can separate the authentically eco from the ‘ehhh, not really’, you can have a significant impact on our planet. A little bit of knowledge in the fabric world goes a long way, putting the power to make a difference in your hands – and we’re here to help.

We’re grabbing our magnifying glasses to take a closer look at what sustainable fabric really means and why it’s important. Ready to dive in?

Making Sustainable Fabrics Easy to Swallow

The topic of sustainable fabrics can be pretty overwhelming. To make this easier for everyone, we’re breaking down the industry’s impact into smaller, bite-sized chunks:

• Chemical compliance and health
• Morality and ethics
• Environmental impact

These are pretty good lenses to look through for all aspects of life, actually, from the food we consume and the travel choices we make, to – of course – the clothes we sew or buy.

Chemical Compliance and Health

Sustainable fabrics shouldn’t harm our health. That’s pretty simple.

But, what if we told you that a lot of fabrics could be killing you?

That’s not us being dramatic, either. Exposure to the super high levels of phthalates, formaldehydes, and azo dyes found in some fabrics has been linked to a whole heap of negative side-effects, including cancer, hormone imbalances, and respiratory issues. We won’t dive too deep into the science, but Allergy Standards has a great breakdown of some of the common chemicals, what they’re used for, and how they might harm your health.

A (not so fun) fact: chemical compliance requirements when producing fabrics are based on regional laws. This means that a product sold in Europe might not be able to be sold in the US or Canada as it wouldn’t be deemed safe there, and vice versa. Why? Go figure. It’s not as if human biology changes when you cross a border, nor do the very real, very scary risks of these chemicals. That’s a pretty major red flag in our books.

So, how do you ensure the safety of fabrics?

It could be easy for fabric producers to lie about the chemicals they’re using, particularly when they know they’re dealing with eco-conscious clients. Luckily for us, third-party certifications and credentials are here to save the day.

These eco-warrior organisations review fabric manufacturers to see just how sustainable they really are. There’s regular testing of the fabrics at the production level and the finished stage, and manufacturers have to meet strict rules in order to secure certification.

In other words? The big dogs in the fabric world have to prove they’re worthy of an eco credential before they’re handed one. Don’t you just love that?

There are some really amazing credentials out there doing great work. Oeko-Tex 100, for instance, shows that manufacturers are meeting standards for health, safety, and chemical compliance, while REACH ensures chemicals used in manufacturing are registered, evaluated, and safe for both people and the planet.

If you’re interested in learning more about the credentials of sustainable fabrics, we’ve put together this handy eco credentials glossary featuring all our faves.

Morality and Ethics

Okay, this can be a bit of a tough subject, and we wanted to add a warning before we get into it. This isn’t going to be our normal happy, good vibes sort of content, but it’s important we don’t shy away from the hard stuff.

The fabric supply chain can be incredibly exploitative. Men, women, and children are harmed, abused, taken advantage of and discriminated against all in the name of turning over a profit and creating the next on-trend collections.

This isn’t anything new, we know. There are tons of articles and images out there already showcasing the horrors of sweatshops and the disasters that surround them. Unseen UK, for instance, has an in-depth article on modern slavery, highlighting cases of forced and child labour found in multiple fabric production companies across numerous countries.

The problem is that, when shown a pretty dress or a lovely roll of fabric, our minds don’t always put two-and-two together. This isn’t really surprising. To constantly think of the deeper story behind an impulse purchase of length Cotton Jersey fabric is difficult, and bearing the weight of the world’s pain on our shoulders isn’t something any of us want to do.

Luckily, though, making these connections can be simpler. We’d like to introduce you to our good pal GOTS (nope, not Game of Thrones) – the Global Organic Textile Standard.

GOTS is one of those eco-friendly certification bodies fighting the good fight for the rest of us. They’re tackling poverty, improving working and living conditions, creating access to clean water, boosting crop rotation, and ridding the fabric production industry of toxic chemicals. All in a day’s work, eh?

This is just touching the very tip of the iceberg of what GOTS are doing. In fact, they have 17 clear goals that they’re pushing for in the fabric and fashion industry, all of which are designed to make the world a cleaner, kinder, and more sustainable place.

By looking out for the GOTS certification when shopping for sustainable fabrics, you can push back against the darker side of the industry in a manageable way.

Environmental Impacts

We talk a lot about the impact of plastic-based fabrics on the environment, so we’re not going to repeat that for now. (If you aren’t aware of the harm that fibres like Polyester and Nylon can have on our planet, Study Smarter has a fantastic guide full of information.)

Instead, we want to draw your attention to the fabric industry’s impact on forests. Not two categories you would’ve paired up? You’re not alone, but mass production of some typically ‘sustainable’ fabrics is having a pretty awful impact on the world’s natural woodlands.

Viscose, which brings its A-game to flowy dresses with the most gorgeous drape, is derived from trees – Beech, Pine and Eucalyptus, to be precise. Its origin is very much botanical, which makes it easy for organisations to slap an ‘eco-friendly’ label onto their clothing and call it a day. The truth about mass-produced Viscose fabric, though, isn’t quite so simple.

As Viscose’s popularity rises, so too does the demand for more and more trees to be chopped down. Even as a renewable resource, the rate at which manufacturers are destroying forests is unsustainable, and the trees (and the habitats they create) simply don’t have time to renew themselves before more are chopped down. This is a one-way path to deforestation. Yuck!

The most annoying part in all this is that Viscose fabric doesn’t need to negatively impact the environment. The bad rep it’s been getting because of deforestation is totally preventable, which is where the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) steps in to take the lead. 

You’ve probably seen the FSC logo dotted around on paper products and wood, and it’s a sign that what you’re buying comes from a sustainably managed forest. When shopping for sustainable Viscose fabric, you can also find the FSC stamp of approval. In simple terms, this means that your Viscose comes from woodlands where:

• No single species of tree is over-forested.
• Trees are left to naturally replenish to prevent deforestation.
• Animal habitats and biodiversity are prioritised.
• Local communities are respected.

In the words of FSC themselves: “When we nurture forests, we fight climate change, prevent biodiversity loss, and protect workers and Indigenous communities around the world.” Learn more by taking a peek at FSC’s Sustainable Fashion guide.

A quick word on Tencel and EcoVero

Our fabric intellectuals out there (we see you, sewists!) might be thinking, “but what about Tencel and EcoVero?”. Good point. Both of these sustainable fabrics are also made from botanical origin, but where they differ from Viscose is that FSC is an integral part of their sourcing. You can’t buy Tencel and EcoVero that isn’t from responsibly managed woodlands, so big thumbs up from us!

How We Can Make a Change

Sustainability can be hard to keep track of, especially when almost everything has some sort of impact on the environment. Our hot take? Just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we should do nothing.

By breaking down sustainability into health, ethics and the environment, you can start making more informed decisions when browsing eco-friendly fabrics and fashion. A quick think of “how does this product affect my health, other people, and the environment?” should be enough to kickstart your eco-friendly evolution and switch your fabric shopping mindset.

Of course, a lot of responsibility here does lie with manufacturers and businesses. The Good Fabric team recently went to a fabric sourcing event in London, and we were heartbroken to see that most of it was polyester, with barely any natural fabrics and even fewer eco certifications on display. The truth of it is that money speaks, and exploitative practices create cheaper fabrics.

But, on the other hand, money speaks. By being conscious of where we spend our hard-earned pounds, we as buyers can make a difference. We can show manufacturers that we want eco-certifications and plastic-free fabrics, and that sustainability is the future.

As Mahatma Gandhi says, “Be the change you want to see.” That just about sums it up, doesn’t it?