Photo: William Lords
When buying a new item of clothing, how often do you check the clothing label to see what it’s made out of? Do you know that your wool-blend sweater may contain polyamide (most likely nylon)? Or that your satin or mesh dress is actually made from polyester – another fossil-fuel derived synthetic?
That’s why The Woolmark Company has launched its new Filter by Fabric campaign, which calls for retailers to use accurate material descriptions for their garments, as well as allowing customers to filter their searches accordingly online, to help them make more conscious purchases. “Everyone’s trying to develop their own version of what sustainability means,” John Roberts, Woolmark’s CEO, tells Vogue. “And the first step in doing that is actually understanding exactly what’s in your garments.”
The use of the term “fleece” – often made from polyester – is one example of confusing labelling, says Woolmark, which represents merino wool producers across Australia. “Fleece by nature is a product that comes from sheep or an alpaca,” Roberts continues. “A synthetic garment using the term fleecy is a bit misleading, intentionally or unintentionally.” Another example is the word “silky”, which again is frequently applied to clothes made from polyester.
According to a Woolmark survey, 60 per cent of people say they would find it easier to make more sustainable purchases if they were able to filter by material, or if brands included the fabric in the product name. The Filter by Fabric campaign says it could help shoppers move away from synthetic materials and opt for natural fibres instead, with one of its slogans reading: “Synthetic clothes will outlive our grandchildren. Choosing better fabrics should be easier.”
While there’s no doubt that fashion needs to kick its addiction to synthetics (around two-thirds of our clothes are made from materials like polyester), some experts argue that the move could actually create more confusion. Just because a material is natural, doesn’t mean it’s sustainable per se – particularly as the likes of leather, wool and silk can have a higher carbon footprint than polyester.
“Having this filter is a very good thing to raise people’s awareness, but at the same time you’re risking having way too much of a simplistic, black and white view,” Nina Marenzi, founder of The Sustainable Angle and Future Fabrics Expo, says. “I’m a bit worried about making it so simple that people [think] ‘You can just search for wool and hey, presto, everything in your shopping basket is now sustainable.’ That’s not necessarily the right way forward, I think.”
However, Marenzi agrees that there needs to be clearer information provided on material labels, from whether a fibre is recycled to if it is certified as being organic. “It’s fundamental to have as much information as possible on the labels because of circularity; if you really want these garments to be [recycled] at the end of use into the next garment,” she adds.
Legislation will be crucial when it comes to improving the information given about the material composition of our garments. While the law currently requires fibre content to be included on clothing labels in the UK and EU, it is worth noting that even though a label might say that an item is 100 per cent organic cotton, it will usually contain other materials, including polyester, in the threads and trimmings (any decorative matter that makes up seven per cent or less of the garment is not included on the label).
The EU is currently looking into introducing Product Environmental Footprint labels for clothing, although there is much debate around what environmental impacts should be included, as well as what methodology should be used to assess this. “This is where there is more work to do as an industry to align on how to do this in a consistent, holistic way that provides meaningful information with ‘good enough’ data,” Beth Jensen, Textile Exchange’s climate+ impact director, says.
In the meantime, though, there undoubtedly needs to be more transparency from brands, as well as more education for consumers around material choices – from choosing organic, recycled and regeneratively-grown fibres, to looking out for certifications. “We’re so disconnected from everything; nobody knows where materials are [actually] from anymore,” Marenzi concludes. “I think we need to ensure that everyone learns what they’re wearing.”
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
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