Clothing

The fabric industry is a notorious polluter. Insecticides, and pesticides are readily soaked into cotton. These toxic chemicals can then re-drain into the soil, causing water pollution, which can affect humans, as well as wildlife. Awareness about the manufacturing process and the type of clothing you purchase is really important. Don’t worry though, being eco-friendly doesn’t mean you still can’t have style!

• For example, reduce the environmental effects of your clothing consumption by purchasing vintage, second hand or used clothing. Check out stores like Value Village or The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
• When purchasing new clothing, look for products that are made from earth friendly materials such as bamboo (www.bambooclothes.ca), organic cotton, or hemp (www.rawganique.com) - an acre of hemp absorbs 5 times as much CO2 as an acre of forest and grows much faster then cotton without stripping the soil. The production of cotton accounts for 10% of the world’s pesticides and 25% of the world’s insecticides, which are extremely bad for the environment.
• Great choices in Edmonton are Lululemon’s Oqoqo line, in which every item is at least 75% natural, organic or sustainable. Also, ask at Nokomis (10318 82 Avenue Edmonton, AB T6E 1Z8) for sustainable clothing and clothing from local designers (purchasing clothing from local designers reduces the energy that goes into transporting them). American Apparel also has an organic cotton clothing line with everything from short sleeve v-neck t-shirts to underwear in a range of stylish colors.
• When it comes to buying a winter jacket, avoid purchasing Gortex unless you’re planning on wearing it for a long time (i.e. the rest of your life). Under regular landfill conditions, Gortex does not decompose. As a result it must be incinerated which releases harmful chemicals to the environment.
• Avoid impulse shopping. Resist your urges and only purchase clothing you know you will get the most use out of.
• Buy Re-purposed garments. A Re-purposed garment is basically just a recycled garment. The practice of transforming old garments into new ones has been becoming increasingly popular amongst designers all over the globe.
• Take in old articles of clothing that you no longer wear and get them remade by your tailor or seamstress. Donating old threads to friends or a worthy cause is also always an option.

Also Watch For

• Chemicals: toluene adhesives were once used in shoe production. These are extremely toxic and cause high cancer rates in shoe workers. Large sportswear companies have mostly switched to toluene free, low Volatile Organic Compounds
  (VOC), water based glue due to public pressures.
• Leather: heavy metals were once used in the tanning process, causing the worst case of groundwater pollution in India’s history (pollutants included arsenic, mercury, lead, and hexavalent chromium). Better processes are used now, but animal skins are bought from meat industries, which are notorious polluters.
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is used in order to make fake leather. It emits dangerous carcinogenic dioxins during manufacturing and also emits phthalates, which are potential hormone disrupters.

Sneakers

• There are various options for eco-friendly sneakers. Look for: veggie dyes, natural rubber soles, bamboo, cork (Birkenstocks use leftover cork from the wine industry), natural latex, hemp.
• Keep your eyes peeled for these companies: Simple (tons of cool techniques - www.simpleshoes.com), Terra Plana (www.terraplana.com)
• Go one step farther - look for recycled products using items such as tires, natural recycled hemp, or even leather from old cars and surplus military jackets.