Report 1 (of 5): Eco Fashion - Denmark

Introduction

Organic clothing is the production of garments that takes into consideration the environment, the health of consumers and the social aspects of the workers. These areas are covered by organic certifications and standards for sustainable agriculture and textile production as set out by SKAL - the inspection organisation for the processing of natural fibres.

Earth A’Wear

Earth A’Wear is the first shop in the Danish capital of Copenhagen which stocks entirely ‘green’ clothes. Everything in the shop is made from organic raw materials of one type or another. For example, skirts have been made out of pineapple fibres and jumpers out of peat. Fashion accessories, such as belts, are being made out of bicycle tyres. The clothes and accessories are as fashionable and desirable as any other designer label.

Sustainable Solutions Design Association

Sustainable Solutions Design Association (SSDA) is a consultant agency, managed by Kristian Dammand Nielsen, where industries, manufacturers, designers, consumers and others can obtain help and knowledge concerning sustainable textiles. Sustainable Solutions Design Association works for private companies and governmental institutions as a consultant in all issues concerning textiles and the environment. Sustainable development aims to fulfil the needs of the present without jeopardising the needs of future generations.

Earth A’Wear and Sustainable Solutions are now working together for the purpose of expanding the market of organic and environmentally friendly clothing products in Denmark.

The Responsibility of Designers, Producers and Consumers

Changing production patterns in the fashion and textile industries is dependent on many factors. The designer can put sustainable products on the agenda, because designers do have an influence on the choices of raw materials and production processes. The consumer’s priority is to wear clothes that have a good design, so it is up to the designer to design clothes that people want to wear and that are environmentally sound. It is the responsibility of the producer to make environmentally friendly clothes with reliable eco- labels acquired through certification systems.

A t-shirt which is neither dyed, coloured nor bleached is not necessarily environmentally friendly because the production of any piece of cotton involves the use of resources, such as, growing the cotton, transporting the goods and weaving the clothes etc. All of the resources used in the production process need to be environmentally correct before a piece of material can be given an eco-label.

Furthermore, it is not simply a matter of buying sustainably-produced clothing as this alone will not help. The most important issue is to reduce the overall consumption of clothing. This can be achieved through buying clothing that is more expensive and of a high quality to ensure that it will last for a longer time. Sustainable garments are often more expensive than traditional clothing.

The Production of Conventional Cotton

Cotton is cultivated in over 60 countries and covers an area of more than 80 million hectares which is equivalent to 5 per cent of all cultivated land. The production of cotton uses 25 per cent of all pesticides consumed annually by the world’s agriculture. Of the 300 million kilogrammes of pesticides used in countries in the South every year, half is used for the production of cotton.

A range of pesticides is used in the control of a whole variety of insect pests attacking the plant during its vegetative stage and being a non food crop, cotton has attracted the most deadly and highly toxic pesticide formulations. Due to the high toxicity of these formulations and the regularity of application, the natural predator population in cotton areas has been greatly reduced.

The cost of production has been rising steadily but neither cotton yields nor income is increasing at the same rate. Cotton farming is becoming a more risky business as profit margins for the farmers decrease.

There are many environmental, heath, socio-economic and structural problems associated with cotton production. Empty pesticide containers are being dumped around small farmers’ households even in the remotest locations.

Other indirect problems caused by the use of pesticides are created through contamination. For example, when cattle are put to graze on the leaves of cotton after the harvest or when cattle are fed on the oil cake - a high protein feed - made from the cotton seeds, the livestock can be poisoned and may die.

The Production of Organic Cotton

The first serious step towards the cultivation and processing of organic cotton began in south eastern Turkey in the early 1980s and has been steadily increasing since then. Production of cotton fibre in 1993 was around 6,000 tonnes. It rose to over 9,500 tonnes in 1994 and nearly 13,000 tonnes in 1995. Organic cotton is now grown in 18 countries and over one hundred companies now manufacture and sell organic cotton goods.

Cotton Yields

Conventional cotton is subjected to large amounts of pesticides and fertilisers to ensure that yields are kept artificially high. It is therefore anticipated that yields will initially fall when farmers convert to organic methods. For example, in the Kahramanaras region of Turkey, the conversion to organic production created an initial drop in yield from 3,160 to 1,500 kilogrammes per hectare but the yield recovered significantly and production increased to 2,750 kilogrammes per hectare.

Although on average, organic yields tend to be about 14 per cent lower than conventional farmers, income tends to be about 6 per cent higher because production costs are lower. Organic fertilisers have helped increase yields, reduce pesticide costs and increase incomes. Soil fertility, pest management and natural controls have reduced the presence of aphids, whitefly and bollworms etc.

Textile Recycling/Re-use

By increasing the recycling and reuse of textiles, the over-consumption of raw materials can start to be addressed. New clothes designed in new styles can be made from old textiles and secondhand clothing. Jackets, dresses, pants and shirts etc. can be unstitched and used in a new context and form. New impressions can be created from old materials and it is certainly possible to create new high quality designs from sources other than raw materials. Evening dresses have been made into shirts; tailored jackets have been turned into skirts and an underskirt has become part of a blouse.

Landfill sites are filling up and new ones are becoming harder to locate so the costs of dumping are increasing. In the United Kingdom, it costs between £35 and £40 per ton to get rid of household textiles, 95 per cent of which could be recycled and reused.
 

For further information, please contact:
 

Intermediate Technology would like to thank Itch magazine, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, Earth A’Wear and Sustainable Solutions/Design Association - in particular, Nick Paxevanos and Kristian Dammand Nielsen - for providing the original materials on organic cotton growing and organic clothing.
 

Further reading available from ITDG Development Bookshop

Fabric Manufacture: A handbook
Alan Newton
Aimed at small, rural communities this book offers an introduction to simple methods of making textile fabrics which are used throughout the world. Includes sections on weaving, knitting, fibre entanglement, lace-making, braiding and knotting (Published in the Small-scale Textiles series).
£6.95, (ITP), 1993, ISBN 1 85339 133 6

Hemp Horizons: Past, present and future of industrial hemp
John Roulac
£14.95, (Green Books), 1997, ISBN 0 93003 193 8

Organic Cotton: From field to final product
Dorothy Myers and Sue Stolton
This book provides the first overview of organic cotton production, processing and consumption for everyone involved with cotton. Organic agriculture is gaining ground rapidly and organic cotton provides important environmental, economic and social benefits compared with conventional cotton production. In addition, policy makers, journalists, farmers' organizations, environmentalists, agronomists, those involved in commerce and industry and informed consumers will find much here of interest.

Commercial organic cotton production is a new area of activity - barely ten years old - and is still very much 'work in progress'. Research and analysis is still at an early stage, but what written material exists is presented here with material commissioned specially for the book. The book is organized according to the stages in the 'cotton chain', from farmer to consumer, and covers each topic authoritatively with contributions from over 50 people in 20 countries. Illustrative case study material is particularly important and most of the current organic cotton projects worldwide are discussed.
£14.95, (ITP), 1999, ISBN 1 85339 464 5

Plant Fibre Processing: A handbook
Cyril Jarman
This is the last of the Small-scale Textiles series and covers the pre-spinning processes which make plant fibres suitable for textile manufacture.

The book includes not only familiar plant fibres such as cotton, sisal and jute, but also less well known fibres from plants such as Himalayan nettle, pineapple leaf and kenaf, which are of great value to small communities where they are used for both utilitarian and decorative purposes.

As well as extraction and other pre-spinning processes, there is background information on the growing areas, soil and climatic requirements and methods of harvesting, and details of equipment suppliers and sources of further information.
£6.95, (ITP), 1998, ISBN 1 85339 385 1
 

TVE/ Practical Action gratefully acknowledge support for the HANDS ON programmes from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), the UN Foundation and UNDP/The Equator Initiative in collaboration with the Government of Canada, IDRC, IUCN, BrasilConnects and the Nature Conservancy.