Before giving you the 5 steps to follow to recognize an eco-responsible garment, let's go back to the very definition of the word eco-responsible:

Eco-responsibility is a way of producing or consuming that tends to preserve the environment. The aim of an eco-responsible approach is to reduce or limit our ecological footprint and environmental impact. Taking an eco-responsible approach means protecting the environment, and that's a good thing!

Why should we adopt an eco-responsible approach to our clothing consumption? Because the textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil. It alone accounts for 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. That's more than all international air and sea transport emissions combined. That gives us reason to take a dim view of the T-shirts in our wardrobe.

So, is living naked the answer? For naturists, perhaps, but if not, there's a 5-step process for recognizing eco-friendly clothing.

-> À lire : QU’EST-CE QUE LES MATIÈRES DURABLES ET QUI SONT-ELLES ? <-

Part 1:

1 - The material(s)

The first step is to find out what your garment is made of. Is it organic, recycled or petroleum-based? There are many different types of raw materials used to make a garment:

First of all, there are natural materials, but they can hide their true colours. Why? Because their cultivation and processing may not be environmentally friendly. Here's a short list of natural materials: 

Cotton,

although natural, is extremely water- and pesticide-hungry. To find out more, we recommend you read our article on the difference between conventional and organic cotton. If you're buying cotton clothing, make sure it's certified organic. That way, the planet doesn't suffer, and neither do the farmers. Cotton doesn't yet grow in France, but you can find it in Portugal and the United States.

Here you'll find our clothes made from organic cotton.

Flax 

Flax, on the other hand, is widely grown in France, requires little water, and if it's organic, it's pesticide-free. What's more, this plant is zero-waste, because everything about flax is good! The seeds are used to make oil and the fibers for clothing.

Hemp

It has many points in common with flax: it consumes little water, uses few pesticides and grows very well in France (in fact, we're the world's leading hemp producer). It's also zero-waste: its seeds, stalks and fibers are used to make oil, paper, clothing, rope and much more.

Viscose 

is made from cellulose extracted from plants such as bamboo or other wood species. However, the classic viscose process is not environmentally friendly, as it uses carbon disulphide, a toxic, flammable and polluting product. So, although the raw material is natural, the process used to extract it is far from eco-responsible.

Finally, there are natural animal materials such as wool, cashmere and leather. While natural, their use is questionable for environmental and ethical reasons. Indeed, intensive livestock farming causes deforestation problems, and animal suffering is a real issue.

What's more, animal materials undergo treatment and tanning before they can be used. We therefore favor natural or chrome-free tanning and certified chemical-free dyeing.

Recycled materials

They are a good initiative. They reduce energy consumption, avoid the need to produce fresh raw materials, and therefore limit waste. All these advantages mean that recycled materials reduce pollution and therefore greenhouse gases. Some materials, such as wool and leather, can be 100% recycled, whereas cotton has to be mixed with new fibers.

As for synthetics, we recycle polyester, polyamide, acrylic and so on. But be careful: to recycle them, they have to undergo a treatment that can be chemical. To give you a helping hand, here's a list of some of the most eco-friendly recycled materials: Econyl, recycled polyester, recycled cotton and recycled wool.

The list is far from complete for all subjects. To find out more, you can read our article on sustainable materials. We have also written an article on conventional materials and their ecological impact..

2 - The origin of the garment

The second step is to look at where the garment is made. Where is the garment made? Where do the raw materials come from? In 2013 with the collapse of the Rana Plaza, resulting in the deaths of 1,127 people, one of the main concerns around ready-to-wear is traceability.

An eco-responsible garment must be manufactured under ethical, i.e. socially acceptable, conditions. In this case, a garment cannot be eco-responsible if it is made by miners in unsanitary workshops under difficult working conditions.

Certain manufacturing countries are easily identified as ethical. These include France, Portugal, Italy and Spain. These European countries regulate work and ensure a median wage that is acceptable to support oneself and in line with the cost in these countries.

But what about the others? Because on most ready-to-wear labels, the clothes come from China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries with working conditions different from ours. Scandals concerning working conditions, indecent wages and child labor frequently come to light in the media. However, there are labels that guarantee that working conditions are ethical and comply with global standards for the protection of workers.

In conclusion, if you want to be sure that your garment is ethically sourced, choose a European design. On the other hand, if you like the shirt but it's made in China, look at the labels. And that's the third step!

You'll find the rest of the article with steps 3, 4 and 5 in part 2 right here.