What are SUSTAINABLE products in the apparel industry?

As the news said 66 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for Sustainable Products. Most buyers and manufacturers know a lot about SUSTAINABLE products, but not everyone.

What are SUSTAINABLE products?

Are wools and silks sustainable?

What is Lyocell?

Organic cotton and regenerated cotton sustainable?

What are the differences between Lyocell and Cuprammonium fibers?

What is the difference between Viscose, Modal, and Lyocell?

What are the advantages of Lyocell? Does Lyocell have defects?

Are TENCEL™ and Lyocell the same thing? 

Can we wash the clothes made of Lyocell ?

Since its importance, we would like to privately share this with buyers, merchandisers, or designers. Let's learn about them.

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The fashion industry is one of the largest sources of pollution in the world. The materials that make up the fabric directly affect and contribute to consumption, micro-plastic pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, rainforest destruction, and landfill.

In the background of global advocacy for environmental protection, sustainable fabrics emerge in endlessly.

Sustainable clothing is embodied through ethical business practices, supply chain transparency, minimum impact policies, feedback plans, and sustainable materials in clothing manufacturing. They are mainly as follows:

1 Sustainable natural and Vegan fabrics

01 Organic cotton

02 Regenerated cotton

03 Organic hemp

04 Organic-Linen

05 Organic bamboo (bamboo hemp)

06 Cork Fabric

2 Sustainable synthetic fabrics

01 ECONYL

02 Recycle polyester

3 Sustainable semi-synthetic fabrics

01 Lyocell

02 Modal 

03 Bamboo Lyocell

04 Ecovero

05 PINATEX

06 SCOBY LEATHER

07 S.CAFE

08 QMONOS

09 BREWED PROTEIN

10 APPLE ECO LEATHER

11 WOOCOA

12 CUPRO

13 QMILK

4 Natural fabrics of animal origin

01 Sheep Wool

02 Merino wool

03 Alpaca Wool

04 Cashmere

05 Camel hair

06 Yak Wool

07 Down

08 silk

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1 Sustainable natural and Vegan fabrics

01 Organic cotton

Organic cotton is one of the most natural fabrics. There are no pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in its growth process, and no chemicals in its processing process. From an ecological perspective, organic cotton uses 62percent less energy and 88percent less water than traditional cotton. The relevant certification proves that the cotton is grown without any chemicals, and is not processed without any chemicals, so as to ensure that the final clothing does not contain chemicals.

Certification: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Better Cotton Standard, Fair Trade, Bluesign, Oeko-Tex 100

02 Regenerated cotton

Regenerated cotton is produced from waste after industry or consumption. Many slow fashion brands use it, which means your favorite cotton underwear or sustainable jeans are made from industrial waste or other recycled cotton clothes.

Certification: Global Recycle Standard (GRS), Recycled Content Standard (RCS), Oeko-Tex 100

03 Organic hemp

Hemp is one of the most environmentally friendly natural fabrics. It has a high yield and is beneficial to the growth of soil, and it needs much less water than cotton. It is considered a negative carbon material, absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Because it has so many benefits (such as natural sun protection and anti-bacterial) and is more difficult to grow, hemp tends to be slightly more expensive than other sustainable organic fabrics.

Certification: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Oeko-Tex 100, Bluesign

04 Organic-Linen

Linen is almost the same as Hemp in terms of sustainability. The fabric is super light and breathable. The only difference is that Linen is extracted from Linen plants. Its growth requires little fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation. However, unlike hemp, the yield of Linen is not high.

However, Linen is still popular, from linen clothing to linen sheets and other textiles.

Certification: USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Oeko-Tex 100, Bluesign

05 Organic bamboo (bamboo hemp)

When harvesting bamboo, it can be done without killing the plant itself. This means that bamboo can regenerate very quickly, and it is also one of the fastest-growing plants on the earth. Like hemp, bamboo consumes more carbon dioxide than some trees. And it doesn't need a lot of investment, it can live on rainfall.

Organic bamboo can become one of the most sustainable fabrics, but that doesn't mean it will always be. Depending on how it is processed. Only when it's avoided from chemical-intensive processes and harmful effects, the fabric is sustainable.

Certification: Forest Stewardship Council, USDA-Certified Organic, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Fair Trade, Oeko-Tex 100, Bluesign

06 Cork Fabric

Cork Fabric has left the wood and bottle from the inherent concept and is close to our clothes. This material has become a popular material for vegetarian bags and shoes. Cork is picked from cork oak trees by scraping off the bark.

When cork oak trees regenerate their bark, they consume more carbon dioxide than most types of trees. Therefore, cork plantations can actually act as carbon sinks. Once the cork is picked, it can be dried in the sun and can be turned into fashionable products with only water.

2 Sustainable synthetic fabrics

01 ECONYL

ECONYL is recycled nylon, which is a new nylon fabric synthesized from marine plastics, waste fishing nets, and waste fabrics.

Although it feels exactly the same as nylon, this fabric is made with a closed loop system and does not require so much water.

Certification: Global Recycle Standard, Recycled Content Standard (RCS), Oeko-Tex 100

02 Recycle polyester

Recycled polyester is also known as RPET. It is obvious that disposable plastics are causing serious damage to our environment. Many brands have come up with ways to let buried plastic bags, bottles, and textiles get a second life.

Regenerated polyester has a wide range of uses and can present many different feelings and functions. Regenerated polyester can be used to make light and flexible sports, and can also be used to make thick and fluffy sustainable products.

Certification: Global Recycle Standard, Recycled Content Standard (RCS), Oeko-Tex 100

3 Sustainable semi-synthetic fabrics

01 Lyocell

The fiber obtained by the organic solvent spinning process is collectively called Lyocell, which is a kind of regenerated cellulose fiber.

Lyocell fiber is made of pulp from renewable natural plants, such as bamboo and wood, and its solvent recovery rate is as high as 99.7percent. It is energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.

Lyocell fiber is known as the most valuable product in the history of man-made fiber for nearly half a century. It has many excellent properties of natural fiber and synthetic fiber, and its raw material is inexhaustible cellulose in nature.

Viscose fiber will release carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and other harmful gases in the production process, polluting the environment, while the Lyocell production process has no chemical reaction, and the solvent used is non-toxic.

Certification: Oeko-Tex 100, Forest Stewardship Council

02 Modal 

The raw material of Modal fiber comes from natural wood, which is made by beating and spinning. The raw material is 100percent natural, harmless to the human body, natural decomposition, and the environment.

It has the strength and toughness of synthetic fiber and is famous for its comfort and breathability. It uses the same closed loop production process of circulating water and solvent as Lyocell and involves much less waste and chemicals. Their products are also carbon neutral and are only made from wood harvested from certified sources.

Certification: Oeko-Tex 100, Forest Stewardship Council

03 Bamboo Lyocell

Nowadays, the popularity of bamboo is soaring, and its ingredients can be seen in environmental underwear, sunglasses, and other products.

Bamboo Lyocell, like the Lyocell or TENCEL ™, is also manufactured by a closed loop process, which can reuse chemicals and water.

Certification: Oeko-Tex 100, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), Forest Stewardship Council

04 Ecovero

Lenzing™, the brand responsible for most ofLyocelland Modal in the world, released a new viscose fiber EcoVero. Compared withnormalviscose fibers, the emissions and water consumption of these fibers are reduced by 50percent. They come from various sustainable wood and pulp sources and meet the highest environmental standards.

Certification: Global Recycle Standard, RecycledContent Standard (RCS), and Oeko-Tex 100, FSC Certified, PEFC Certified

05 PINATEX

PINATEX is a kind of vegetable leather made from pineapple leaves and has entered the sustainable fashion industry as a sustainable and pollution-free product of leather.

It is essentially a food by-product, which is made from waste pineapple leaves to reduce resource waste. It can also be naturally degraded even if it is often used in combination with wooden PLA.

Certification: Oeko-Tex 100

06 SCOBY LEATHER

Those who like to drink Kombucha should take attention. Those floating objects that look ordinary at the bottom of the bottle may be the leather of the future. Kombucha is fermented with a living culture called SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), and this paste bacteria can also be turned into leather.

SCOBY leather obviously does not need animals, is biodegradable, does not need heavy metals and other tanning chemicals, and is much cheaper than real leather. 

07 S.CAFE

Because of S.CAFE,your coffee go further. This process involves using ground coffee beans and turning them into yarn. The finished product dries quickly and provides natural UV protection. The clothes made of CAFE may make you smell the coffee all day long and keep you comfortable and environmentally friendly.

08 QMONOS

If you wear clothes made of Qmonos, you will feel like you are in a science fiction film. This is because this Japanese fabric is made of synthetic spider silk, which is produced using microorganisms and spider silk genes.

This kind of fiber is harder than steel, but still very light and comfortable. It is completely biodegradable. As they said in the film, no spiders were hurt when making this kind of fabric.

09 BREWED PROTEIN

Spiber from Japan, the same company that brought us Qmonos, introduced a new environment-friendly fabric: BREWED PROTEIN.

Similar to the combination of SCOBY and QMILK, Brewed Protein is a filamentous protein fiber produced by the fermentation of plant-derived biomass. Its versatility is one of the strengths of its sustainable development because it can be processed into filament yarn, cashmere yarn, or hardened into resin similar to turtle shells.

In addition to its wide application, it is completely biodegradable (not decomposed into microplastics), vegan, and produces much fewer greenhouse gases than similar animal-derived protein fibers.

10 APPLE ECO LEATHER

APPLE ECO LEATHER (or Pellemela, originally called Pellemela in Italian), another kind of vegetable leather, is made from the waste of the apple juice industry.

It is manufactured by the Italian company Frutmat, which specializes in the recycling of biological waste. In itself, it is fully biodegradable, waterproof, breathable, and durable.

Certification: Oeko-Tex 100

11 WOOCOA

Alternative vegetable wool has become popular all over the world, including wool made from hemp, coconut fiber, and mushroom enzyme. This pure vegetable wool is not only animal friendly, but also sustainable!

12 CUPRO

Cupro (also known as Cupra) is a substitute for silk, which is made of recycled cotton clothing or cotton linter. Cotton linter is a by-product of cotton planting and a short lint stuck to seeds after harvest.

Similar to Lyocell and Modal, natural cotton fibers become semi-synthetic fabrics after chemical treatment. Of course, this is done through a closed-loop process, where almost all water is recycled.

Certification: Global Recycle Standard, Recycled Content Standard (RCS), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), ISO 14001, Oeko-Tex 100

13 QMILK

QMILK claims to be "the material of the future". This material uses casein, a by-product from the dairy industry, to make a natural, compostable, flame retardant, silky smooth fabric.

4Natural fabrics of animal origin

01 Sheep Wool

As a natural fiber, wool can be considered as a substitute for plastic/petroleum-based synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester. It is durable and usually does not require large quantities of chemicals during the processing phase. Moreover, wool fabrics can be naturally biodegradable.

Certification: Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Certified Organic Wool, Certified Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane® Label, Soil Association Organic Standards, Climate Beneficial by Fibershed

02 Merino wool

Merino sheep are different from other types of sheep. Their skin has wrinkles, which means more wool. Many merino wools in the world come from Australia.

The wool fiber is fine, and the woven fabric is fine, soft, considerate, and comfortable. Merino sheep produce new wool every year, making Merino wool a sustainable and renewable fiber source with biodegradability.

Certification: ZQ Merino Standard, Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Woolmark, Climate Beneficial by Fibershed

03  Alpaca Wool

Alpacas are related to camels. Most alpacas in the world are still raised in their native habitat (generally in Peru). Alpaca wool is considered one of the most ethical and environmentally friendly wool. Alpaca hair has at least 22 kinds of natural colors. It can avoid chemical hazards during processing, and is more gentle to the skin and more friendly to the environment

Certification: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Trade, Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Woolmark, Climate Beneficial by Fibershed

04 Cashmere

Cashmere is one of the most popular fabrics in the world. Its fiber can be as thin as 15 microns. It is used to make soft and comfortable environment-friendly sweaters. It is also a fully biodegradable fabric.

It comes from goats raised in the mountains of Mongolia and other Asian countries. As far as the working conditions of goat herders and the ecological environment of goat breeding are concerned, some environmental protection concepts may be different. However, as far as cashmere itself is concerned, it is sustainable and degradable.

Certification: Recycled Claim Standard (RCS); The Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Re.VerSo, Good Cashmere Standard ® (GCS), Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) Cashmere Standard, Kering Standard on Cashmere, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Trade, Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Certified Organic Wool, Certified Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane® Label, Oeko-Tex 100, Climate Beneficial by Fibershed

05 Camel hair

Camel's hair is considered one of the most sustainable animal fiber types. The type of camel used belongs to Bactrian camels, which are naturally shedding hair. This means that the possibility of causing harm or suffering to camels is reduced, and these camels are usually raised by small-scale family farmers, which also helps to reduce the damage to the environment. Camel hair is completely biodegradable and does not require dyes or chemicals during processing.

Certification: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Oeko-Tex 100, Woolmark

06 Yak Wool

Yak hair is a substitute for cashmere, and it is very soft and warm. It is harvested from the outer skin (producing thicker fibers) or the inner lining (producing softer fibers) of yaks that are free ranging on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Yaks shed a lot of hair all year round. Therefore, harvesting fur does not directly involve animals but uses something that will be biodegradable in nature.

Certification: Fair Trade, Oeko-Tex 100, Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)

07 Down

Down comes from ducks or geese. From the perspective of sustainable development, down jackets make use of the byproducts originally wasted in the global food industry, reducing the waste of feathers.

Certification: Responsible Down Standard (RDS); Global Traceable Down Standard

08 Silk

Silk is good for the skin (due to its antibacterial properties) and good for the earth (due to its full compostability). It is produced by "wild silkworms" or, in most cases, domesticated silkworms.

Peace Silk is a unique fabric that is sustainable and cruelty-free. It uses humanized silkworm rearing methods, and its production is verified under the guarantee system of the World Fair Trade Organization. Silk collection is carried out only after the silkworm moth breaks the cocoon. The nonviolent production process makes the silkworm live a natural and humanized life, and eventually evolve into a butterfly.

Certification: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OTEX-Certified Organic Silk and World Fair Trade Organization Certified

Hope you could get know more about all of them. 

The next post, we will share with you something about Lyocell.

Who we are?

We are a Reliable Clothing Manufacturer/Vendor with our own factory of over 20 years of experience in Faux Fur Coats, Silk/Viscose/Rayon Dress, Blouses, Wool Suits, Jackets, and Blazers. GRS certificated, BSCI full audited, in China.