Eco-fashion: the truth about going green

The economy may be in the red due to the credit crunch, but our appetite for all things “green” is booming.

With the increasing popularity of eco-conscious clothing, its prices are falling and the locations from which it is available are proliferating.

However, balancing consumers interests between consumption and the environment is an exhausting task. The reason being that the pros and cons of green fashion are complex and need to be thoroughly understood.

In recent years, eco-conscious clothing has become more mainstream, with a variety of celebrities and designers embracing this trend – from Angelina Jolie to Ralph Lauren.

Recently released government figures reveal that the clothing and textiles sector in the UK produces around 3.1m tonnes of CO2, two million tonnes of waste and 70m tonnes of waste water each year.

Moreover, 1.5 million tonnes of unwanted clothing ultimately ends up in landfill, a figure that has increased in recent years as the shift towards wider use of man-made fibres has made recycling more difficult.

As a result of this, London Fashion Week 2009 saw many of the fashion industry’s biggest names signing up to the government’s new Sustainable Clothing Roadmap – an agreement to cut the industry’s giant environmental footprint.

More than 300 organisations, including retailers like Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s, clothing giant Nike, emerging green fashion firms such as Adili and charity shops agreed to undertake a wide range of measures designed to cut its environmental and carbon footprint across its global supply chains.

Many are worried that all of this talk about going green is just that – talk.

Serious concerns

Bamboo is being heralded as the newest eco-fabric to hit stores across the world. Although at one point of time, organic cotton and hemp were the most widely used substitutes for non-organic apparel.

Indian fashion designer Savio Jon says, “The concept of eco-friendly clothing was completely alien to India a couple of years ago. But now, many fashion designers, including myself, use fabric made from bamboo. Its texture is extremely close to that of satin, in comparison to organic cotton.

“Also, my clothes aren’t very expensive as organic clothes can be found in a number of shopping outlets in India,” he said.

Fabrics made from bamboo or hemp are promoted as having been raised without pesticides and also for growing much faster than cotton.

However, organic cotton which is also a favourite amongst environmentally-conscious designers and consumers, is also grown without the use of pesticides, but is not always used in its pure state.

The major downside for bamboo, hemp and cotton, is that once they have been harvested, they may be chemically treated, or printed with toxic dyes, and still be labelled as organic.

Julian Riley, an Environmental Science teacher at Watford Grammar School for Girls says, “These chemicals are extremely toxic and can cause severe health problems to the workers handling them.”

Even with all these health effects bamboo is still more environmentally friendly than many other materials. For example non organic cotton uses approximately 150 grams of pesticide per pound of raw cotton – enough to produce just one T-shirt.

Naturally softer fabrics made from soy have a mild impact compared to the three mentioned above.

According to several environmental groups, clothes made from soy wear out faster and have to be replaced more often – which has an environmental cost of its own, whereas bamboo or hemp fibres are naturally tough.

And there are still other serious factors that have to be considered.

For instance, how can clothes assembled in factories far from the fabric mills and shipped from one end of the world to another be green?

In addition to this, how eco-friendly is the packaging that contains these clothes?

Julian Riley glancing at the pair of socks he just bought over the internet makes an interesting point also. “Although I am a frequent buyer of organic clothes, what really gets under my skin is why do a lot of them have these huge cardboard information tags pinned to them, discussing their organic nature? Isn’t that a waste of paper?,” he asks holding up the newly bought socks.

Given such criticisms, are the bamboo-based and organic clothes really “green?”

“Perfect doesn’t exist and we’re probably never going to get there,” said Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge, a non-profit group that promotes sustainable development and technologies. “We all make compromises every day. Making them with your eyes open instead of arbitrarily is the best piece of advice I could give.”

From scribbling on walls to excellence

Nicky Thomas, a down-to-earth contemporary Indian artist, based in Goa, speaks his mind about his art, inspiration and marketing.

Nicky Thomas, an eminent artist in Goa’s art circle, has been residing here for nearly a decade. Originally from Kerala, he spent several years in different parts of Northern India.

He reveals, “During my stay in Delhi, I would often holiday in Goa. However, it was never a happy feeling going back to a town I didn’t like. Around 1999, my wife and I decided to trade it in for Goa.”

He says that towards the end of his stay in Delhi, his art exhibited the turmoil and restlessness brewing within. Delhi was just not the spot for him.

At present, he resides in Saligao and is involved in graphics and print making (monoprints, woodcut), in addition to painting.

His artistic creations have been exhibited at numerous shows in Delhi, as well as at the Fontainhas Art exhibition and Art house in Goa.

Art talk

Nicky elaborates on his art technique, “Goa is a great place to derive visual inspiration. For me, art is about people. My work is very down to earth and I am opposed to this whole gallery culture.

I do not commercialise my art. People come to me and ask if they can display it or if I could design posters or hand paint T-shirts for them.

A sample of Indian Popular Art; Source: Wikipedia

I do Indian Popular Art (Pop Art), emphasising the banal elements of our culture. Pop art targets a broad audience, marking the return to sharp paintwork and representational art.

Stencilling, one of the earliest known techniques, allows me to create a limited amount of pictures and enables me to experiment with colour.

People are definitely able to pick-up on the ideas portrayed in my paintings. They are able to appreciate the funny side of it. I play with typography, as I like ‘type’ to be a part of art. I also like to incorporate humour in my work.

My paintings are not very big in size, so people can hang them up on their staircases or in the kitchen,” informs this artist on the rise.

Fine Art Training

Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda, Department of Fine Arts is known the world over as the cradle for art expression in India. Being a part of this vibrant community exposed Nicky to a diverse creative interaction.

Later, he completed his Masters at the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

He says, “In my opinion, attending a fine art school is important to a large extent. It gives you a foundation to do art and to stand on your feet.”

He continues, “Many a time, an artist can face a block for various reasons. For me, this is resolved when I see something I like. I could be passing by a ‘chai’ (tea) or juice shop and notice that their sides have drawings on them. It is this ‘naiveness’ that brings the humour out of it.”

Nicky’s earlier projects were environment-related. “Greenpeace; Down to Earth and India Magazine are some places that I have worked at. I have also done logos for organisations like People for Animals and The Organic Farming Association of India.

Apart from these, I have designed book covers for Birds of Goa; Backyard Birds of South India; The Book of Trees; Bhopal, The Inside Story and Where There Is No Psychiatrist.”

According to Nicky, making art is the easy part, as it is something that he enjoys doing. Handling the marketing side of his work is the most challenging, he says.

A bright future

“I want to be doing a lot more than what I am presently doing. Once my studio cum gallery opens at Palolem – Goa, I am looking forward to incorporating various types of art in my work.”

Thomas reveals that his wife is tremendously supportive of his art career, although the rest of his family was against it. For them, a career in fine art was unheard of. He has no regrets though. Art is his passion and will continue to be so.

Some of his all time favourite artist’s are the legendary Andy Warhol; Roy Lichtenstein, a prominent American Pop artist and the exceptionally talented F.N. Souza.

“Art should be fun and appealing to everybody, whether rich or poor. It should not be made only for the intellectual or the elite of society. It is essential to keep doing what you like,” is his message to aspiring artists.

Butterfly numbers plunge after wet summer

Wet summers and changes to countryside are behind the dramatic fall, leaving some species threatened with extinction.

The small Pearl-bordered Fritillary is on the brink of extinction.

Britain’s butterflies have suffered their worst year for more than a quarter of a century as a series of wet summers have hit species already struggling with changes to their habitat, a study revealed today.

The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme found 12 species – the highest number ever recorded – have suffered the worst summer on record, since monitoring began in 1976.

Some of the rarest butterflies such as the high brown fritillary is one such species, with fewer than 50 colonies in many parts of the country, many of them small.

Other threatened butterflies include the pearl-bordered fritillary and the wood white, which have less than 100 colonies.

The small tortoiseshell experienced a 45 per cent decline and is becoming scarce in some areas. And the orange tip, easily recognisable in Scottish gardens due to the distinctive colourings on its wings, was down 26 per cent.

Charlotte Rogan, a 2007 Zoology Graduate from the University of Reading said if there is another dire summer this year, butterflies could suffer long-term damage.

“In the summers of 2007 and 2008 especially, we had heavy downpours which prevented butterflies from performing two tasks essential for their survival – flying to reach flowers that supply them with nectar and mating. They require the sun to become fully active,” she said.

“The butterfly population is important because it acts as an indicator of the wider environment. These new figures reflect a degradation of their habitat such as flower-rich meadows, thought to be lost due to climate change, intensive farming and other human impacts.”

Huw Irranca-Davies, the Wildlife Minister, promised to support conservation schemes to boost butterfly numbers.

“Climate change is having a detrimental effect on a number of our butterfly species and in parts of England we’re in danger of losing some species all together,” he said.

“Butterflies need good habitats to thrive and the Government will continue to support schemes to promote the recovery of butterfly numbers.”

The survey, run by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, involved 1,500 volunteers who monitored butterflies in 920 sites across the UK.