An Easy Way To Pay For Your Organic Clothing While Saving The Planet!

An argument I regularly hear about buying organic clothing is that the raw materials

typically come from overseas and all the green houses gases generated in the shipping of those clothing articles to North America far outweighs the eco-friendly benefits.

A lot of big companies have spent considerable effort analyzing the carbon footprint of their clothing from cradle (where it's made) to grave (the point when the clothing item has been retired by the consumer). Many of these studies are readily available. I have read a number of these LCA or Life Cycle Analysis reports and the conclusions are all the same: energy consumption through shipping is but a small part of total energy consumed.

In one such analysis carried out by Mark's and Spencer (February, 2002) it was found that energy consumption resulting from transporting the cotton from India to Egypt for manufacture and then from Egypt to the UK for retail was insignificant, only accounting for less then 1% of total energy consumed!

In contrast, the study found that over 75% of the energy consumed for a typical clothing item was at the consumer level as a result of washing, drying and ironing activity over the lifespan of the clothing item.

So, what does all this mean?

We can all agree that buying organic clothing is extremely important. Organic clothing eliminates pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that are polluting our environment and helps elevate the livelihood of workers in third world countries through fair trade. But at the consumer level, we need to take greater responsibility for our clothing.

By hanging our clothing out on the clothesline during the summer and drying racks during the winter, we could significantly reduce green house gases.

If we went with energy efficient washing machines, re-examined our washing decisions and used less hot water, we could further reduce energy consumption. For example, do you really need to wash that shirt after just one wearing? How about those jeans or pants? Yes, please wash the undies after each use; let's not get radical!

But the biggest energy consumer in a washing machine is in the heating of water. By modifying our hot water usage during the washing process, significant energy can be saved. For example, try warm water as opposed to hot water. Or go with a cold water wash and use an enzymatic detergent. But regardless of what warm water/cold water washing trick you go with, always use a cold water rinse.

Yes it's true that women's organic clothing costs more then conventional clothing. Paying a fair wage to workers and costs associated with certifying and auditing the growing and manufacturing processes gets expensive. But when you buy that organic clothing item, don't you feel so much better about yourself, knowing that you have made a difference?

And by taking responsibility for that clothing item after you've purchased it by air drying and by reducing hot water usage, not only will you increase the clothing's lifespan and significantly reduce green house gas emissions but you will also recover the cost of the premium you paid. It's a win/win scenario!

by: Adrian Desbarats

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