DESIGN EMBRACES NATURE
DESIGN EMBRACES NATURE
During the last decade, wonderful, hard pioneer work has created a lot of sustainable and socially engaged businesses and a green conscious at the consumer level. Today more and more designers are joining the sustainability movement and green fashion is slowly becoming mainstream. This could be realized and seen at the fashion week in July 2012 in Berlin, Germany. The designers don't only have some organic pieces to feed their marketing machine, but they are standing fully behind the concept of sustainability for the textile and fashion industry. Processes are being changed and permanently adjusted to improve quality and add design features without poisonous chemicals or synthetic materials. As a result outstanding designs have been manufactured without compromise in quality and sophistication. Beautiful garments have been shown, made of hemp, silk, cotton and other natural and organic fibers, many of them carrying the certificate of the Global Organic Textile Standard (link GOTS). They are seamlessly blending in with the not-sustainable fashion world.
I mentioned GOTS, and I believe it makes sense to look out for this label, since it is indeed a pretty amazing achievement. GOTS holds astonishingly far reaching standards. Some key requirements include organically certified fibers and fabrics. It prohibits the use of poisonous chemicals (e.g. heavy metals) during the manufacturing process. It requires waste water management and last but not least sets a baseline for socially responsible work conditions. GOTS covers the entire production chain, extending the meaning of organic beyond organic fibers and agricultural production processes. Another key achievement is its international availability as a recognized and established label. A certification process is available worldwide and there are certified suppliers, manufacturers and traders in the US, Europe, India, China and Bangladesh, a.o., covering the main supplier and consumer regions of today's world. The global availability and certification infrastructure allows sustainable designers and businesses to source and operate worldwide, scale better and enter 'regular' markets. They are reaching an audience who doesn't think "green first" through the backdoor.
Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a similar label for every consumer product ? If you don't have to do your research where the baby and kids toys are coming from, how the lumber has been treated and what the impact of the mining activity is on the environment where the precious metals for our jewelry is coming from ?
I wanted to share my optimism and confidence seeing the sustainable textile industry taking leadership, leaving the start position to take off and become mainstream - and only the sky is the limit.
Check it out!
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