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Ethical clothes?

Lucy Siegle

From hemp to corn, the hunt is on for the "greenest" clothes material.

IN THE EARLY 1990s, Patagonia (the ethical clothing manufacturer best known to outdoorsy types) analysed the life cycle of a number of different fibres. The results were surprising: cotton, traditionally considered a "natural" fibre, had a greater environmental impact than synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester.

It transpired that the average cotton T-shirt, for example, required 500 litres of water and 40g of pesticides to make, plus carcinogenic chemicals used in the finishing process. Globally, cotton production accounts for the use of 22 per cent of all agricultural insecticides (about $2.5 billion worth).

However, before we all reach for a pair of Crimplene slacks, it is worth bearing in mind that conventional synthetic fibres are hardly wardrobe paragons either. Nylon is reckoned to be responsible for 50 per cent of U.K. emissions of nitrous oxide (a poisonous greenhouse gas) and polyester is, of course, derived from petrochemicals.

So where is the fibre that can deliver the global wardrobe from eco ignominy? Intriguingly, the fur industry likes to suggest the answer is to be found in its stockpiled pelts of dead animals.

Fortunately, organic cotton is proving more of a draw for the fashion industry than fur.

Not surprisingly, alternatives such as bamboo, organic linen, wool grown on "biodiverse" ranches, hemp and innovative fibres such as Ingeo, derived from degradable corn starch, all look much more appealing.

Given that 80 per cent of a garment's energy use is in its laundering, ultimately, perhaps, it's not whether you wear natural or synthetic that counts, but how good a soap dodger you are.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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