7 natural fibres to consider if you want to ‘go greener’ in your wardrobe

Did you know that the denim in your favourite pair of jeans probably contain plastic? Especially jeans that are ‘stretch’? It’s time for a change, time to reduce the plastic in your wardrobe!

Remember the image of the jeans that were left to biodegrade for a year? After all the natural cotton fibres had gone this was the result – so much plastic. Yuck! It’s. stark reminder of the plastic we’re wearing.

So it’s time to try to remove plastic from our wardrobes. Let’s look to only buy clothes that say no to synthetic fibres. Search for clothing and accessories that are made from 100% cotton or one of the seven natural fibres listed below.

The Plastic Left by Jeans. Image courtesy of Waste ED

Ethical clothing is better for the environment and for you.

Here are just some of the ethical and natural fibres that are creating clothing today. Try to find clothes that use these in your next wardrobe makeover.

Silk, made from silkworms, is light-weight and long-lasting, but does break down eventually. Take a look at “Peace Silk” to find out more about the process that doesn’t involve killing the worms.

Linen, made from the flax plant, which is light on water and chemicals to grow, is also energy efficient to produce. Linen can be compostable and recyclable.

Hemp, made from the plant, which is hardy and fast-growing. Used to produce denim, canvas and fleece, hemp is a very versatile product. Check out our article on hemp plastic too.

Bamboo, grows quickly and needs minimal pesticides. There are lots of Bamboo products on the market today from clothes, kitchenware and even toothbrushes.

Lyocell, made from wood pulp from renewable trees that require little water and chemicals to grow. It also produces less pollution than most others.

Alpaca Wool – great for warm winter clothes.

Which wool should be in your wardrobe?

Alpaca Wool, from the Peruvian grazer, is similar to cashmere. But note that we don’t include Kashmir in our feature because there’s a downside. Alpaca wool is the better option.

To explain further, while Kashmir is a natural product, it’s only available from Kashmir goats. These are often now overgrazed and have been mentioned as a contributor to deforestation. Kashmir goats only produce around 113g of cashmere fibre each annually. It takes around two goats every year to produce enough fibre to make a single jumper.

Organic Wool, comes from sheep farms which don’t use chemicals on pastures or the sheep, relying on nature to nourish the earth.

The main thing is to shop around, do research and ask questions so that you know what you are buying.