How One Fashion Brand Is Helping To Save Our Environment

Updated on12th June 2019 at 4.29pm

The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, coming just after the oil industry. The damage that our clothing obsession has on the environment is catastrophic, and it only seems to be getting worse with the rise of fast fashion as the industry increases.

Fashion, as fast-paced as it is, has become disposable, and this leads to huge amounts of textile waste. According to a report by Sustain Your Style, 'a family in the western world throws away an average of 30 kg of clothing each year. Only 15% is recycled or donated, and the rest goes directly to the landfill or is incinerated.'¹ That's an awful lot of unused goods being dumped in our environment. Greenhouse gas emissions are also a concern, with the apparel industry accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions, due to 'the energy used during its production, manufacturing, and transportation of the millions garments purchased each year [and] synthetic fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon, etc.) made from fossil fuel.'¹

In addition, the lucrative fashion industry has implications on our oceans. In most countries where garments are produced, toxic waste waters from fashion factories are dumped into rivers, ultimately leading to the ocean. This toxic waste is extremely harmful for sea life and coral reefs, as well as to people who use the water for things like bathing. The fashion industry is also a major consumer of fresh water - it uses 1.5 trillion litres of water each year in order to produce garments¹ - so our fashion addiction isn't only polluting ocean water, it's also reducing the amount of clean water available.

But, it's not all doom and gloom: there is one skinwear brand who is tackling the growing and overwhelming issue of ocean pollution. Wolford is the first and only brand with Cradle to Cradle Certified™ gold products in both biological and technical cycles worldwide in the textile and apparel industry. This stamp means that their stylish Aurora collection is qualified safe for biological cycles, and is 100% biodegradable. For example, other products either aren't biodegradable, or are made from non-biodegradable garments like nylon which releases unwanted microfibres and chemicals into the water system when washed. These microfibres consequently make their way into the ocean and can be ingested by aquatic animals, causing them harm.

Chemicals are one of the main components in clothes, however, Wolford's biodegradable Cradle to Cradle Certified™ collection has been created using chemical-free, eco-friendly colorants, textiles and technical cycles that have been extensively researched to help combat environmental waste. Essentially, they're ultra-safe, and you can find out more by watching the video below.

Plus, after the life cycle of your item has naturally come to an end, you can return them to a Wolford store for a 10% discount off your next Cradle to Cradle Certified™ product. In return, Wolford will take your piece of clothing to an industrial composting station to begin new life as nutrients for our planet. See, your shopping habit doesn't have to be detrimental to the environment! Let's break the habit together and take care of our planet in style, for a world beyond next season.