Here is a list of sustainable fabrics and materials. Unsustainable fabrics and materials are also listed.
Click on each fabric to see further explanation of a material’s impact on the environment. A textile’s eco-friendliness depends on several factors. How do you determine if a material is sustainable or unsustainable? That topic is discussed in detail here: ‘What Makes Fabric Sustainable Or Unsustainable’
Sustainable Fabrics + Materials
- abaca
- Aertex®
- alcantara
- apple leather
- bamboo
- Bananatex®
- Brewed Protein™
- burlap
- cactus leather
- canvas
- coconut fiber
- coffee fabric
- cork
- cupro
- deadstock
- ECONYL®
- ECOVERO™
- hemp
- jute
- kapok
- kombucha leather
- linen
- lyocell
- mango leather
- modal
- natural rubber
- nettle
- nullarbor
- orange fiber
- organic cotton
- Piñatex ®
- QMILK
- qmonos
- raffia
- reclaimed fabrics + materials
- recycled cotton
- recycled fabrics
- recycled polyester
- repurposed fabrics + materials
- rPET (recycled PET)
- S.Café®
- scoby leather
- SeaCell®
- second-hand fabrics + materials
- tapa
- TENCEL®
- woocoa
Examples Of Sustainable Fabric And Material
Perhaps the most sustainable of all fabrics and materials would be a natural fiber that is plant-derived, requires little to no pesticides and is biodegradable.
Bamboo, hemp and jute are materials that match this description. Regarding resources, bamboo for instance, does not require much land and needs very little water to grow. It’s hardy, yield is plentiful and it is a non-invasive plant species with numerous uses and applications.
Read more about ‘What Makes Fabric Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
Unsustainable Fabrics + Materials
- aba
- acrylic
- alpaca wool
- alligator leather
- angora wool
- beaver cloth
- boar hair
- cashmere
- camelhair
- cheviot
- deerskin
- down
- feathers
- felt
- fur
- horsehair
- lambswool
- leather
- merino wool
- mohair
- mother of pearl
- non-organic cotton (regular cotton)
- pigskin
- plastic
- polyester
- rayon
- satin
- sheepskin
- sheep wool
- silk
- suede
- viscose
- wool
- yak wool
Examples Of Unsustainable Fabric And Material
Leather is a natural fiber and biodegradable. However, it is often tanned with toxic chemicals that contaminate the environment. As previously mentioned, sourcing materials from animals is quite problematic. Cows require land, water and food. Being ruminant animals, they have multiple stomachs and emit high volumes of carbon emissions, bad for air, water, soil, etc.
Polyester is a synthetic fiber, a common plastic, essentially derived from fossil fuels or petroleum. Its production contributes to the oil manufacturing industry -the world’s largest pollutant. Polyester manufacturing uses energy-intensive heating process, requiring large quantities of water for cooling. Furthermore, polyester does not biodegrade quickly may take up to 200 years to decompose.
Read more about ‘What Makes Fabric Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
This post provided a list of sustainable and unsustainable fabrics and materials.
Sources:
Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Textile Exchange
Global Organic Textile Standard
Textiles: Material-Specific Data | US EPA
