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08 Apr

Fashion’s Footprint In Our Forests

We’ve heard about deforestation caused by the mass production of products such as palm oil and timber, but the fashion industry leaves a destructive footprint in our precious forests too. But in a time where we shop online and things land at our doorstep almost instantly, the connection between fashion and the lungs of the earth might not be a clear one.

Fashion’s impact on forests comes mainly from the production of textiles. There are many fabrics are derived from plant pulps or from plants themselves. These can be found in our shirts and pants, right down to the rubber in our shoes. Common ones include viscose, rayon, modal and lyocell. The forest campaign group Canopy revealed that dissolving-pulp (the base material for rayon/viscose) wastes approximately 70% of the tree and involves a chemically intensive manufacturing process.

Plant pulp is not the only footprint that intensive fashion production has on forests, with cotton being a big culprit for land clearing. Given that, approximately half of all textiles are made of cotton we can begin to see the kind of impacts this can have.

To shine a light on the urgency of the threat fashion poses to forests across the planet, Canopy has launched the CanopyStyle campaign, engaging brands and promoting awareness around the increasing issues of endangered species and disappearing forests. The program also looks to develop new innovations for clothing waste, such as the fibres from disposed clothing, or resources such a straw to replace the high demand for these currently forest-derived materials.

The drive to protect our forests is urgent, and not just for endangered species such as Orangutans. Forests play a big role in the more complex ecosystems of our planet, and the balance of the gases in our atmosphere. Not only do forests produce the oxygen we breathe, they are efficient at cleaning our air too.  In fact, Approximately 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide – one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels – is absorbed by forests every year. These beautiful landscapes have a big job to do, especially as we see the increasing effects of climate change.

150 million trees are logged and turned into fabric every year. If placed end to end, these trees would circle our earth’s equator 7 times over. It’s a big problem, and with fast fashion increasingly shaping our purchasing behaviours we need big solutions!

Canopy

Sustainable alternatives that support the forest:

Fortunately, we are seeing a shift in the fashion industry to promoting more sustainable practices and a large sense of advocacy for the natural environment. These brands ensure forests are not destroyed in their processes, or work to replenish and revegetate these ecosystems. Here are some notable brands doing their bit.

TAMGA Designs

Rated: Good
Someone in pink ruched dress by Tamga Designs.

The Canadian based, sustainable driven clothing brand have a whole program set up to give back to the forest. They specifically reference Sumatra in Indonesia and the devastating loss of over half their forest in the past 20 years, as a result of the fashion industry. Tamga now donate 1% of their annual sales to organisations who are replanting the forests, tree by tree. This is part of a large program called 1% for the Planet.

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Shop TAMGA Designs.

Veja

Rated: Good

Veja are another environmentally-aware, sustainable footwear brand setting some high standards in their production line and how they source their materials. The french label manufacturers in Brazil and exclusively uses materials within close range of their supply chains. Veja is particularly renowned for its Rubber project, which is sourced directly from the Amazon Rainforest and supports the care and protection of the rubber trees in the Amazon.

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Shop Veja.

Shop Veja @ Luisa via Roma.

Shop Veja @ Outerknown.

Shop Veja @ Threads 4 Thought.

Stella McCartney

Rated: Good

Stella McCartney is known for the sustainability overhaul the brand saw a number of years ago, and was one of the leaders in ethical luxury fashion. For the forests, Stella McCartney works with sustainably managed and certified forests to source its viscose, ensuring its clothes that do not harm the species, are full traceable and do not partake in large scale deforestation. The motivation for this activism and support for forests comes with the stats that every year, 150 million trees are cut down to create fabric. Transparency isn’t optional. It is a must.

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Shop Stella McCartney @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Stella McCartney Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Stella McCartney.

Author bio: Madeleine is an experienced content writer who specialises in all things personal sustainability, environmental awareness, and minimal consumption. She loves using her writing and research to clearly communicate these key solutions to environmental issues, and endeavours to help people do more in their everyday lives to minimise their footprint on the planet. To do this, Madeleine also manages the online platform Our Simple Gestures, and in her spare time loves being outdoors and enjoying life! Find her at LinkedIn, Instagram and at the website.

Editor's note

Feature image via Unsplash. All other images via brands mentioned. Good On You has big plans for ethical fashion in 2019! To support our work, we may earn a commission on sales made using our offers code or affiliate links.

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