When is Clothing Organic?
Today we are talking about a very important topic closely related to sustainable fashion: organic clothing. We will answer the most frequently asked questions, but if after reading the article you still have questions, please contact us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
What is Organic Clothing?
A sustainable choice? A marketing gimmick? We can define organic clothing as one of the most important areas of sustainable fashion, but certainly not the only one. Sustainable fashion has evolved rapidly in recent years and today we can distinguish it through product labels.
Buying organic clothing makes a real difference to the future of the planet, both ethically and environmentally. Reducing the social impact of textile production - one of the worst industries when it comes to exploitation, child labour, discrimination - and at the same time reducing the environmental impact of textile production - the second most polluting industry in the world - are concrete and easily achievable goals, but only if we all put a little effort into spreading the right information.
Pinpointing an organic product is quite simple and we at Slow Nature are here to help you understand the various labels. We also want to show you how to recognize natural fabrics: the main aspect when talking about organic clothing because there can be no organic clothing without a fabric of a natural origin (organic).
So, we cannot use the label organic clothing if the fabric used to create the product is not certified as such and that means it is not possible to define an artificial fabric as organic, let alone a synthetic fabric. Only natural fabrics can obtain organic certification.
When Can We Call Clothing "Organic"?
Clothing is organic when it has textile certifications guaranteeing sustainable and socially responsible production, along the same lines as organic food farming standards. As we said in the previous paragraph, organic clothing can only be made with natural fabrics. There are several international labels that recognize this but the ones you will find most often are:
- Global Organic Textile Standard
- Organic Content Standard
Discover more about textile certifications
It is really important to distinguish organic clothing from ecological or ethical clothing. By ethical we mean a product that respects workers' rights throughout the whole textile supply chain; by ecological we mean a product that respects the environment; while by organic we mean clothing that respects both factors.
This is why we prefer organic clothing because the latter covers both values of social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
Distinguish is the watchword here. We have already seen that organic clothing covers both the negative aspects of the textile industry - environmental and social - but this is only certain when we see the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) label.
We have mentioned above the Organic Content Standard (OCS), but this label does not address the social responsibility aspect of textile production. While guaranteeing the organic origin of the fibre, it does not carry out controls on production and ignores the social aspect.
Organic Clothing Online and In Store
We want to be honest, organic clothing is still "rare" to find in high street shops, but it is certainly easier to find it online. This article is to help you recognize it, and we hope it will be useful as you shop consciously.
We are certain, and we hope, that these types of products will soon be easily available in stores.
Why Organic Clothing is Important
We believe that the answer to this question can be found in every line of this article: organic clothing is important to safeguard workers in the textile industry while at the same time preserving our planet by reducing its environmental impact with more sustainable practices.
In the last twenty years there have been no positive developments in the textile manufacturing sector. In many countries the big multinationals continue to victimize, exploit, enslave, steal and pollute.
We are all growing more aware today, but not all of us are able to change our shopping habits..
Would you like to buy organic products? Slow Nature is the right place to come as we offer an exclusive organic selection on our website.
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