Vegan Food & Living - October 2017

Balance your blood sugar

112 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBER

How green are your garments

companies, the use of harmful dyes and chemical

treating agents on clothing is common practice.

Do these organisations have a way to dispose of

potentially toxic waste from their factories? Sadly,

Greenpeace have exposed many factories dumping

chemical waste water into oceans, rivers and

reservoirs. Greenpeace reported gross misconduct in

Bahasa, Indonesia, with 68% of local factories on the

banks of one of the main rivers, the Upper Citarium,

devoted to garment production. So common was the

dumping of waste products into waterways that the

river is now deemed one of the dirtiest in the world.

Everything from dyes to chemical residues, including

arsenic, mercury and other hazardous discharges.

Factories are pumping out a caustic pH 14 level of

waste, suggesting zero prior treatment has occurred.

The ill eff ects of pollution for the 5 million people

that reside on the riverside, not to mention the

environmental costs of this misconduct, is terrifying.

Cotton on

Looking at the constituent parts of a garment, you

will more often than not come across cotton. Cotton

is in an estimated 40% of all clothing. The fashion

and agricultural industries like to paint a clean

and fl uff y, picturesque image of gently harvested

cotton farms, with the crop being harvested with

care as a part of a sun-ripened cooperative farm.

Unfortunately, this is almost always not the case.

Growing cotton on such a large scale involves

the common usage of pesticides and herbicides,

making cotton one of the most chemically

dependent crops in the world. Cotton is responsible

for 18% of global pesticide use and 25% of global

insecticide use. Genetically modifi ed cotton is also

estimated to constitute around 90% of total global

cotton plantations, with organically grown cotton

constituting just 1%. While GM crops are deemed

safe by regulatory bodies, there has been little

experimentation upon the impact of genetically

modifi ed crop growth on the ecosystem that could

occur in the future, making this a risky process.

Cotton is also one of the most water-hungry crops

in the world, resulting in rivers being diverted, via

man-made practices of damming and riverbed

dredging, in order to supply mass crop plantations

with water. This often leaves areas of desert, barren

land and the upheaval of local communities that rely

on these waterways. All in the name of fashion.

Detox your wardrobe

After all this information about a pair of jeans, I was

left feeling pretty disappointed and lied to by the

fashion industry. The extent of what I discovered

was attitude changing. I began searching for eco-

friendly fashion designers, mainstream high street

shops with a conscience, online outlets that sourced

responsibly and were proactive in the fi ght against

fashion’s poisonous ways. That’s when I came across

Greenpeace’s Detox campaign.

Launched in 2011, Greenpeace set up the Detox

campaign to expose the links between fashion

and textile production and the pollution of the

environment. The campaign has gathered the

interest of bloggers and mainstream fashion

retailers alike, all of whom have demanded

ethical transparency when revealing the truth

behind the labels. Greenpeace’s Detox Catwalk

has been revolutionary in encouraging more and

more brands to take an ethical standpoint. They

encourage participating brands to be accountable,

be transparent to the public and pledge to eliminate

11 chemicals identifi ed as hazardous immediately,

with all other toxic chemicals to be eliminated

from production by January 2020. So far they

have managed to encourage 20 large scale global

producers and retailers of clothing to pledge to their

Detox campaign, and continue to place pressure on

those lagging behind. Check out the website and join

the fi ght to get fashion retailers to clean up their acts.

Green is the new black

So what can we do as consumers? There are a few

ways that we can help infl uence the fashion industry

to change their toxic ways. After all, we as consumers

have the ultimate choice in the companies we

support by choosing to, or not to, shop with them.

Choose responsibly: Check the Greenpeace

website for the companies helping pave the way in

the fi ght against fashion pollution. Brands online

such as PeopleTree, and in-store brands such as

H&M, Zara and M&S, are all Detox leaders.

Up-style: That pair of jeans you’ve been pushing

to the back of your wardrobe for months now? Try

cropping them into a pair of shorts. That vest with a

rip in it? Spend a Saturday afternoon with a sewing

kit and channel your inner thrifty side. Repair and

upcycle clothes rather than throwing them away.

Sell on or donate: If garments simply refuse to

fi t , donate them to a charity shop or clothing bank.

Or, try your luck and sell the clothes online.

Invest now, benefi t later: Try minimalistic

clothing buying of higher quality, well-made items.

Yes, it may be more fanciful to blow your hard-

earned spending money on the latest trend, but think

about the garment in three years time. Will you still

want to wear it? If the answer is no, think about

fi nding a better quality item with a longer lifespan. I

opt for block colours and simple styles for the bulk of

my clothes, and buy the occasional seasonal piece.

For the Detox campaign: http://www.greenpeace.org/

international/en/campaigns/detox/fashion/

CHARLOTTE

WILLIS

Charlotte is a

freelance journalist

and health writer

who has worked with

the Vegan Society and

other online vegan publications. Her

fi elds of expertise and interest include

vegan nutrition, holistic healthcare,

mindfulness and fi tness. She is

currently researching and studying

the various links between food and

psychological health while pursuing a

doctorate degree in counselling.

112 VEGAN FOOD & LIVING OCTOBER

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