Is organza vegan and sustainable? This is a question every ethical shopper asks when buying new clothes. Here are organza pros and cons. How will this material impact your home, the environment, animals and laborers? Let’s find out!
Clothes and bags are so cheap and trendy these days we buy them even when we don’t ‘need’ them. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure materials accommodate your needs but don’t hurt the planet, animals or others. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on whether organza is vegan and sustainable.
You are going to learn all about organza’s impact on animals and the planet. This will include organza benefits for you regarding the durability, versatility and accessibility of the material. You’ll find out if organza is sustainable and if organza is vegan…or maybe even impacts animals in other ways!
After learning if organza is good or bad for your lifestyle, the environment, animals and human rights, you’ll be able to make the best choices you can the next time you shop.
This post is all about asking is organza vegan and is X sustainable…something every ethical shopper must know.
Is Organza Vegan And Sustainable?
HOME
Organza is thin, sheer fabric, lightweight, plain-weave, crisp, sheer, medium to high thread count, commonly used for bags
ENVIRONMENT
Fiber source: natural or synthetic, organza is made of silk, polyester, nylon or rayon
Biodegradable: yes or no, organza may or may not be biodegradable, the length of biodegradation depends on materials used, silk starts to show signs of biodegradation after about 4 years
Destruction: high if silk is used, silk processing and transportation cause high pollution, as most silk comes from China and India, cleaning silk requires harsh, intensive treatments and chemicals, which pollute ground water, for silk to be produced locally, in the USA for example, the non-native Mulberry tree for silkworms was introduced to American soil, which quickly disrupted native habitats, the tree is a highly invasive species and upset natural ecosystems, similar occurrences in Latin America and South Asia, Mulberry trees overtake native flora due to their extreme consumption of water, leaving less water to sustain native flora
Sustainability: poor if silk is used
Organza is…
ANIMALS
Killed animals: silkworms if silk is used, silk is a fiber that silkworms weave to make their cocoons, silk producers boil silkworms alive while inside their cocoons, silkworms do have a physical response to pain
Harmed animals: silkworms is silk is used
Animals indirectly killed or harmed: wildlife and ecosystems
Organza is…
- Not Vegan, unless specified otherwise
LABORERS
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborers are often exploited, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Organza…
- May involve worker exploitation, laborer issues, human rights concerns
organza is…
For every 5 garments produced, the equivalent of 3 end up in a landfill or incinerated each year!
One reason for such wastefulness society’s ever growing desire to acquire. Fast fashion (creating low-priced items at high volumes) is problematic for a number of reasons and promotes the attitude that clothing is nearly disposable.
But another component of such a quick turnaround on clothing is because it’s just not lasting long enough. Snags, stains, warping and shrinkage render items unusable and unacceptable for the donation pile. Avoid such problems by buying better quality, more durable, long lasting materials. Timeless wardrobe favorites that last for years and years are more sustainable and reduce the need for replacements.
Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of textiles burns or goes to landfills…
Keep minimalism in mind and buy less, borrow and buy items second hand. Thrift shops offer many inexpensive, unique finds that have already proven to stand the test of time!
organza is unsustainable.
Materials from animals are natural fibers and biodegradable unless heavily treated with chemicals. However, they are not at all eco-friendly or sustainable due to the overwhelming strain on natural resources; the water needed, food needed and land usage that must happen for such abundant amounts of animals to live.
With the high number of animals unnaturally bred onto the planet in the name of human utilization, specifically ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, deer, camels, etc.), they emit high volumes of carbon emissions and contaminate air, soil and water with their waste (excrement). This is also toxic to ecosystems and wildlife.
Animal agriculture is not good for the environment, human health and of course, the animals themselves. Thus, animal derived, non-vegan materials are not only cruel and inhumane but environmentally unsustainable.
That’s not to say that all vegan materials are sustainable. There are many vegan yet unsustainable fabrics, materials and textiles. Most of us don’t realize that washing one synthetic garment releases about 2,000 plastic microfibers which then enter the ocean and food chain…or that 30% of rayon and viscose used in fashion comes from endangered and ancient forests. So because a fabric is vegan it does not necessarily mean that it is sustainable, eco-friendly and so on.
Natural fibers like cotton are actually really harmful IF they are not organic. How? Cotton seeds are often GMOs that require pesticides, which are extremely toxic! In fact, up to 16% of the world’s pesticides go to non-organic, GMO cotton farming every year. The chemicals degrade soil and pollute water as well as poison cotton pickers.
Wow! …So it’s time to start using sustainable fabrics, materials and textiles.
Read more about ‘What Makes Fabric Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
organza is not vegan.
Cows, sheep, alpacas, goats, ducks and foxes are animals commonly subject to exploitation for their skins, hair or feathers. In fact, BILLIONS of them die every single year simply in the name of fashion.
Before buying a pair of shoes, a sweater, a purse, check the materials. Common and unfortunately popular animal-derived materials include leather, suede, fur, feathers, mohair and wool -which often come from places like India and China where there can be NO animal welfare laws or enforcement. If the item does come from a more developed area of the world, such as the United States or Europe, that animal was likely a victim of factory farming. In such overcrowded farms they are confined, diseased and must sometimes live their entire lives indoors, never seeing the light of day.
Dressing and decorating vegan is easier than ever with this: Vegan Fabrics, Materials and Textiles List
organza is a product that may or may not have labor issues.
Did you know that the single largest employer in the world is agriculture?
Whether agriculture involves crops or animals, the labor behind each and every product made from cotton, leather, wool, etc. cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers.
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, sweatshops and child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence. Unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives simply by being mindful to buy items that are certified fair trade.
So, is organza vegan and sustainable? Organza is vegan unless silk is used. Organza can be made from silk, polyester, nylon or rayon and it relatively unsustainable compared to other materials.
This post was all about answering if organza is vegan and sustainable.
Sources:
Sew Guide: Fabric glossary
PETA: What’s wrong with silk?
Textile School: Textile fabric types
Global Commodities: Environmental impact of silk
The Spruce: Types of fabric A to Z: What are you wearing?
Grandview Research: Synthetic Leather Market Worth $40.9 Billion By 2027 | CAGR: 4.4%
