If you are curious to learn more about sustainable fashion, you might be interested in learning which fabrics and materials leave a smaller footprint on the planet. But what is it that makes such materials sustainable?
Sustainable fabrics are eco-friendly materials for apparel that minimize environmental impact. Sourced responsibly, they involve fewer chemicals, use less water, and are often produced in closed-loop systems. These fabrics are typically animal-friendly, ethically sourced, and highly durable, offering excellent performance.
Here's the quick overview of characteristics of sustainable fabrics and examples for each:
| Characteristic | Example Fabrics |
| Certified and/or Responsible Sources |
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| Little or No Chemicals |
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Cause Less Waste |
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Use Less Water |
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| Are Made with Love |
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| Don’t Harm Animals |
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Are Durable |
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Are Emotionally Durable |
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Are Harmless to the Body |
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Are Reusable / Recyclable / Reclaimed |
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Can be Fixed |
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Are Biodegradable |
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The good news is that anno 2025, so much is possible when it comes to finding sustainable fabrics. But, there's a lot to it to know how and when to make the right choices. Read on to find out!
1. Sustainable Fabrics Are Sourced from Certified / Responsible Materials
Our clothes are made of fabric. Fabric is produced in a million different ways and can consist of a million different fibers. But from wool to cotton, and from polyester to piñatex, everything needs to be produced. Trees don’t grow T-shirts, right?!
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 22% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the industry sector. This sector includes all the products and materials we use, like food, clothing, and general STUFF.
To make the industry sector more sustainable and eco-friendly, we can do a couple of things:
- Become more energy efficient
- Use better, more sustainable energy sources
- Recycle materials
The Textile and Fashion Industries
The production of clothing covers two important parts: the textile industry and the fashion industry. The textile industry involves the process from plant/tree/animal/raw material to fabric, and the fashion industry covers the process from fabric to garment.
Plant/Tree/Animal/Raw material → Fabric → Garment
(Resource → Material → End-product)
It is important to understand that every piece of clothing undergoes at least two different processes before it becomes a garment: from resource to material, and from material to end-product.
Synthetic Fibers vs Natural Fibers
Within the textile industry (the production of fibers and fabric), you can divide different types of fabric into two different categories: synthetic fibers and natural fibers. The most important synthetic fibers are polyester and rayon. Natural fibers can be plant-based (cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo) or animal-based (different types of wool or silk).
The production process of each fiber is very different and the degree of sustainability can vary incredibly! In general, natural fibers are more sustainable than synthetic fibers, but with recent technology synthetic fibers can be recycled and reused, cutting in waste, energy, and water usage.
What Is the Most Sustainable Fabric?
It is hard to pin one fabric down as the most sustainable fabric, as it will depend on the production process and the manufacturer. Besides, every fabric has its pros and cons, since everything is processed.
If a fabric is truly sustainable also depends on how you will use it. For example, if you’re looking for active wear, synthetic fabrics are probably the best, but if you’re looking for quality or durability, an animal-based product might serve you better. So, unfortunately… There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
Now it is time for the good news! As of the present (anno 2025) there are so many initiatives, possibilities, alternatives and options available to help you make a more sustainable decision.
Here are some of my favourite examples of responsible fabrics:
- Organic alpaca wool
- Organic rayon (check for Eucalyptus!)
- Organic cotton
- Organic linen
- Recycled PET (Polyester)
- Post-consumer recycled denim
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Funky new fabrics like leaf-leather, piñatex and cork-leather
And certifications:
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GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): A very broad baseline for ecological and social standards, including organic farming, no harmful chemicals, ethical labor conditions, and environmentally responsible processing.
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OEKO-TEX® Standard 100: Textiles that are free from harmful chemicals, very helpful when looking for fabrics that are in direct contact with the skin.
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FSC (Forest Stewardship Council): Anything made from wood or plant-based materials—ensures sustainable forestry practices and protection of the (local) biodiversity.
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Fair Trade: Focuses on the social aspects of production: fair wages, worker safety, and ethical working conditions.
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GRS (Global Recycled Standard): Ensures your recycled products are tracked and verified.
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C2C (Cradle to Cradle): “Product circularity, verified”, a very cool certification that ensures products are optimized for circularity. In other words, products are made to be either recycled, reused, or redesigned.
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Vegan Society Trademark: Ensures the product is vegan and free from animal exploitation.
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RWS/RMS/RAS (Responsible Wool/Mohair/Alpaca Standard): Focuses on ethical and sustainable farming, including animal welfare, sustainable farming practices, ethical treatment, and environmental responsibility in the respective industry.
Keep in mind that obtaining these certifications can be costly, which might exclude small brands using innovative fabrics that could be even more sustainable!
Sustainable Fabrics Don’t Use (Much) Chemicals
The production process of many materials can be highly chemical. Imagine, petroleum is turned into a fitness outfit. How, really? Wood pulp is turned into a cool T-shirt. How, really? A bamboo branch is turned into socks. How, really? A cocoon from a silkworm is turned into a fancy dress. How, really!?
Really, HOW?!? Of course, fabrics are made in a chemical process where stuff is added in order to get the desired outcome. It is logical, but also why the fashion industry has a negative environmental impact.
Why Do We Use Chemicals In the Production of Fabrics?
Chemicals are used during different stages of the production process. Some materials are treated with chemicals before they become an actual fabric, like silk, wool, or cotton. Other materials require chemical processing, like leather and rayon. Other fabrics are just made of chemicals altogether like polyester (yikes, petroleum!).
Even natural fibers can be chemical, as large-scale production often requires chemicals and pesticides to prevent infestation of the animals, plants, or fibers themselves. Especially cotton, silk, and sheep wool are infamous for the amount of chemicals used. But also leather uses a lot of different chemicals in order to get the look and feel that is so desired of leather items. And while there are many different ways to create the materials, they all come with their pros and cons.
The Problem with Chemical During the Production Process
The chemicals that are used during the production process often end up in the water during the washing stages (either at the factory itself, or even when you wash items as a user!) and this will end up with Mother Earth, polluting rivers, forests, even entire oceans!
During the production process of fabrics and other materials used for clothing, it is important to keep in mind that the factory workers might be at risk, too. And I am not talking about sweatshops! (They are terrible, too, and I will talk about that further down below!!!) I am talking about the chemicals that are used that can harm workers.
For example, to produce rayon, Carbon Disulfide is added to the wood pulp to extract the cellulose from the fiber. CS2 can cause serious harm to workers, especially when limited or incorrect safety measures are taken.
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The chemicals used to produce fabrics not only harm the environment, but the workers, too!
Fabrics that use little or no chemicals are therefore a better option. Here are my personal favorites:
- Organic cotton with baby alpaca
- Certified wool
- Rayon products (LOVE Patagonia)
- Oeko-tex certified linen
- Cork leather
Sustainable Fabrics Cause Less Waste
Every production process causes waste, which is possibly inevitable. However, the amount of waste can definitely be improved to obtain a more sustainable production chain. A significant portion of waste in the fashion industry comes from the leftover fabric cutoffs during the manufacturing process. These are the scraps of material that are discarded after the pieces are cut to make garments.
While many people quote the fashion industry as one of the most polluting industries in the world, these numbers are incredibly hard to track and pin down because everything is related, and everything we do causes waste. Here are some numbers though that will help you draw your own conclusions:
- Fashion is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste per year globally, representing 4% of the 2.12 billion tons of waste we dump globally each year. (Source: Ecocult)
- To make a single cotton t-shirt, 2,700 litres of fresh water are required according to estimates, enough to meet one person’s drinking needs for 2.5 years. (Source: European Environment Agency)
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Washing clothes releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles. (Source: Earth.org)
Some of the waste causes water pollution when chemicals end up in rivers, oceans, and through the earth. Other waste-related problems cause air pollution and are caused by emissions. Then there is land pollution due to exhausted terrains, cutting forests, pesticides…
Chemicals often end up in the environment when products are dyed, when chemicals are added to make items waterproof, windproof, colorproof, non-iron, wrinkle-free, odor-free, softer, and ironically enough even to make them more durable!
To decrease your ecological footprint, opt for garments that are untreated and naturally resistant to water, wind, wrinkles and smells. Opt for garments that are undyed, or if you do want something colorful, opt for items that are easily dyed, so that less chemicals are used. You can even look for natural dyes!
Here are some of my favorites when it comes to materials that cause less waste:
- Fabrics that take dye well: alpaca wool, rayon, silk or cotton
- Fabrics that are naturally wind-resistant: wool (from alpaca, merino, qiviut, yak)
- Fabrics that are naturally water-resistant: wool (most types)
Sustainable Fabrics Use Less Water
If the production process causes waste, and chemicals are added to the material, and fabrics are painted, it probably needs something else to mix all that with, right?! Yes, water, ladies and gentlemen. A lot of water is used to produce clothing.
Cotton is infamous for using large amounts of water. Cotton is naturally prone to shrinking, so in order to give customers a non-shrinkable product, it is washed. And washed. And washed. Until there is nothing left to shrink. And when you wash, you use water. Other materials, too, like wool use large quantities of water to rinse the fibers before they are spun into yarn.
Levi’s has developed a technique that helps them produce jeans with a reduced water usage of 96%! Read more about their Waterless Techniques by clicking the link!
Here’s a list of my favorite fabrics when it comes to saving water:
- Organic linen
- Recycled polyester
- Alpaca wool
- Hemp
Sustainable Fabrics Are Made With Love
When discussing sustainability, we need to talk about social impact. Ethical production processes of fast fashion brands are basically absent, and many of their products are produced in infamous sweatshops.
Sweatshops are known for their lack of labor rights and legal standards. In sweatshops, you might find employees who work illegally, without formal contract, who work long hours, and earn low wages. Legal baselines like minimum wages, limited working hours, and social benefits like maternity leave are not always respected, and even child labor can still happen! On top of that, the workers might be exposed to health hazards as they often work with dangerous chemicals.
Sustainable fashion not only focuses on the environmental aspects of the fashion industry, it also recognizes the need to improve its social standards. Anti-sweatshops movements have surged and have earned successes big and small.
The difficulties with fighting for workers’ rights in sweatshops is that many laws are regulated on a local level and governments often don’t want to acknowledge their lack of legal protection. On the other hand, people are often happy to get their hands on any work, and they will take up any work available to them—illegal or not. Just closing down a factory might cause thousands of people to lose their jobs, income and way to provide for their families.
Another negative aspect of the sweatshops is that their focus is on quantity, not on quality. The materials used, the production process in general, and the way garments are finished, all decrease its quality.
Most sweatshops use materials that are available in large quantities, are easy to work with and are cheap, like polyester, cotton, wool, and rayon. In other words: mass production.
More exclusive fabrics are therefore often used in garments made with a bit more love, especially locally grown or sourced materials. The best thing you can do is always research the brand that you are buying from to see if they really treat their workers well!
- From big brands you can expect certifications like Fair Trade, B Corp, SA8000, and OEKO-TEX).
- For smaller brands, I recommend you check their social media and website for insider stories, worker interviews, etc.
Here are some of my favorite fabrics that are (most often) used for fair production:
- Alpaca wool
- Organic wool
- Organic cotton
- Organic linen
- Super exclusive wool fibers like yak, qiviut, vicuña and cashmere
- Anything from newly surging brands that go for quality over quantity (hemp, cork)
Sustainable Fabrics Don’t Harm Animals
Mass production is not good for workers, nor for the environment. It is also really bad for the animals that produce the fiber for the material that is used. Sustainable, animal based fibers should therefore treat the animals with care.
Wool is one of the most used animal fibers for clothing, and many sheep are bred for mass wool production. Mass production focuses on quantity over quality, and the animal treatment is often far below par. Tiny cages and limited space to move, poor quality food and rough treatment are some of the problems that arise in the wool industry.
Other cases are known that are even more extreme, like mulesing, accidents during shearing, castration without anesthesia, and hurting the animals on purpose. Honestly, the sheep industry is not very pretty.
On top of that, large-scale production of cattle can cause an increase in greenhouse gases. According to The Conversation (link to article from 2016), farming livestock can contribute up to 18% of greenhouse gases globally!
Fortunately, there are many ways to improve the quality of animals’ lives, and many organic brands, ethical sheep farms, and sustainable wool producers are emerging!
Looking for organic alternatives is important, as small-scale farmers can ensure the quality of life of the sheep, goats, alpacas or rabbits. Which essentially means that:
- animals receive proper nutrition and have access to clean drinking water
- animals receive veterinary care accordingly
- animals are shorn carefully and in agreement with their natural shedding season
- animals have the opportunity to live in their natural habitat and/or climate
Another rule of thumb is that when you look for more exclusive fibers, you will automatically find more small-scale production. It comes with a price-tag, but it’s worth it if you ask me.
Here are some of my favourite animal fibers that you can often find organic and sustainable:
- Alpaca wool
- Organic sheep wool
- Organic merino wool
- Yak wool
- Qiviut wool
- Organic cashmere (hand combed)
- Camel wool
If you want to avoid animal fibers altogether, opt for vegan fibers. Be careful to avoid highly processes synthetic fibers like polyester, or controversial fibers like bamboo, seaweed, and vegan leather. While they are often vegan-friendly, they might still harm the environment!
- Organic cotton
- Linen
- Hemp
- Recycled PET
Sustainable Fabrics Are Durable
The first six characteristics show how important it is to find ethically sourced materials, fabrics that leave as little impact on the environment or the workers as possible, and are as natural and animal-friendly as possible. Additionally, the durability of a fabric can make a huge impact on the climate.
When an item is durable, it means it lasts for a long time, even with frequent use. Think of your coat that will keep you warm every day during winter, shoes that you wear often, or a scarf that never loses its shape.
Durability means that you don’t need to replace an item after wearing it five times. A durable fabric is designed to do what it should do: be worn and used without falling to pieces.
One of the great disadvantages of synthetic fibers is that they are not durable. They will lose their shape, start to pill, will easily get holes in them, or just start to look old after only a few wears. Natural fibers are generally stronger.
Durability can chemically be added to synthetic fibers, but of course, this might negatively impact the environment through water and waste or the safety of the workers. Luckily, Mother Nature knows what’s up and you will find many fibers that are naturally resilient to:
- Wear and tear
- Damage
- Heat
- Reshaping
- Pilling
- Fading
- Moisture
- Staining.
Fun fact, alpaca, like many other types of wool, is naturally flame retardant. Burning desire to know more? Read more about flame-retardancy in an article I wrote specifically about alpaca wool: Is Alpaca Wool Fire-Resistant (coming soon!)?
Here are some examples of natural fibers (animal and plant based) that are praised for their durability:
- Linen
- Alpaca wool
- Bison down
- Qiviut
- Hemp
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Bamboo
Sustainable Fabrics Are Emotionally Durable
For an item and fabric to be sustainable, it is important that they are emotionally durable, meaning that they are not part of some kind of rage or hype or fashion trend. For many of the newly discovered fabrics, this might be bad news, as many of them are marketed as sustainable, without actually knowing whether or not they really are in the long-term.
For all other fabrics, the importance of emotionally durable fabrics is that they are everlasting, classic, timeless. Many fabrics (think glittery tops, jeggings, ripped jeans, see-through fabrics, and-so-on) are designed to last a limited time, to match a certain fashion trend. Emotionally durable designs avoid this and focus its design on a style that is not necessarily linked to fashion.
- Emotionally durable fabrics go beyond design longevity; they also focus on the fabric's long-term durability.
Of course, whether or not you are emotionally attached to a garment also depends on its design. And I happen to find a lot of very comfortable items in my wardrobe for a very long time. The tight, uncomfortable, but oh-so-pretty designs just don’t seem to last as long (skinny jeans, brrr)
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Slow-Fashionista Tip: Avoid one-hit wonders! If you're buying something for just one occasion, like a party dress, it might be tempting to go for the cheap option. But instead of opting for a cheap polyester piece, think twice: Can you reuse it for another event, or maybe borrow something from a friend? Mindful investing pays off.
One trend that is absolutely timeless is comfort. Nobody will argue against something that just sits nice, right? So, when you are researching your emotionally durable item, remember to look for fabrics that feel good, and will feel good a year (or five) from now.
Opt for emotionally durable fabrics instead of trendy, fast-fashionable items:
- Wool—Nothing beats a chunky sweater
- Silk—Always stylish and shaping!
- Alpaca wool—Luxurious and comfortable
- Linen—Great for every occasion (summery!)
- Cotton—Classic and versatile
Sustainable Fabrics Are Harmless to the Body
You might be aware of the impact of the environment, but have you ever thought about the impact on your own body!? Natural fibers like wool can cause skin irritation for people with sensitive skin, depending on the quality of the wool fiber. Many synthetic fibers can cause a range of discomfort to the body, like rashes, skin irritation, and even skin infection. Opting for fabrics that are harmless to the body is a sustainable decision.
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Itching to learn more? I wrote a full article on whether or not Alpaca Wool is Itch-Free (coming soon!). Click the link to read it!
Breathability Matters
The problem with synthetic fibers is that they are often not very breathable. When a fabric is breathable, it will move the air around so that the fabric doesn’t feel clammy on the body. When it is not breathable, it means that the air stays underneath the fabric, causing the body to overheat.
When the body overheats, it naturally produces sweat to cool down. The sweat, then, needs to go somewhere, and the best place to go is by getting absorbed into the fabric, which natural fibers are great for! Synthetic fibers: not so much. When the sweat is not absorbed by the fabric, it gets trapped underneath the fabric and can cause skin infection.
While many synthetic fibers can be to become more breathable, the fiber itself is not naturally breathable or good on the skin. When they have been treated, it is done with chemicals, like formaldehyde, which can be harmful to the skin and the environment. Not only your skin will be exposed to the chemicals, but also our planet as garments get washed and chemicals end up in the water.
Choose Natural Features over Chemical Treatment
According to Business Insider, chemicals that are used to make clothing waterproof, wrinkle-free and stain-resistant have been linked to adverse health effects, sometimes even worse than skin irritation! (Click the link to go to the full article!)
To be safe, clothes that have been treated to be waterproof, stain-resistant, wrinkle-free, non-static, or any other versions of -proof, -resistant, and -free, are best to be avoided. Chemical dyes used for coloring can be potentially harmful, too, especially jeans (as most producers have swapped the organic indigo dye for a synthetic one).
All types of wool, alpaca, merino, yak, qiviut, cashmere, camel, etc. are known for being harmless to your skin, especially undyed and untreated. If you have sensitive skin, stick to low-micron count fibers (the extra soft ones!). While they might be more expensive, it is worth the investment as they will be naturally wind-resistant, water-resistant, stain-resistant, odor-resistant, wrinkle-free and non-iron.
Natural materials come in beautiful natural shades. For example, alpaca wool is available in 22 natural colors—enough choice without using toxic dyes!
To cover your body in fibers that won’t cause any harm, it is best to stick to natural, undyed fibers:
- (Baby) alpaca
- Yak
- Qiviut
- Cashmere
- Merino
- Vicuña
- Organic hemp
- Organic (undyed) silk
- Organic (undyed) cotton
- Organic linen (natural earthy colors)
Sustainable Fabrics Are Reusable and/or Recyclable and/or Reclaimed
To improve your sustainability as a consumer, it is good to know that some products are reusable. When a garment as a whole is reusable, it makes total sense, but did you know that other materials are reusable by turning them into an entirely new product?!
One of my favorite denim brands, Kuyichi, uses recycled denim. This reduces the amount of water, electricity and resources significantly! To turn an old pair of jeans into a new pair of jeans, the fabric is shredded into pieces, and then processed back into yarn. Then, it is turned into a new non-fashionable jean. What!? Yes, one that will look good on you for a lifetime!
Another cool way to incorporate recycling into your wardrobe is by looking for clothes that are made of recycled PET. What? Yes. Recycled bottles and other plastic trash! Many brands are now embracing the possibilities of recycled polyester, often made of old PET bottles, plastic found on beaches (Adidas Parley Plastic) or old polyester clothing. And it makes some pretty awesome new clothes!
There is another type of fabric that might be new to you: reclaimed fabrics. Reclaimed fabrics are different from recycled fabrics, because they are actually not even used yet! Reclaimed fabrics are bound to get thrown into the trash, without having been used! That’s heartbreaking!!! Reclaimed brands use such fabric rolls into their products to make sure they serve their purpose on Earth :)
My favorite fabrics to recycle:
- Wool - any type
- Recycled polyester / PET
- Recycled denim
- Recycled nylon
- Reclaimed cotton
- Reclaimed wool
Sustainable Fabrics Are Fixable
Here’s a trick for when you are shopping for sustainable clothes: quality garments should be fixable. A hole, a lost button, making pieces shorter, taller, smaller, you name it. High quality fabrics will make sure the fabric has some extra space left on the inside, for several reasons.
First of all, it makes the production process easier. Working with an ample amount of fabric prevents fidgeting and struggling to make the ends meet. It also shows that there is enough fabric to use and that quality is more important than quantity.
The seams of your garments should be nicely folded and finished with an extra border, not just cut off without a proper finish. The finishing touches of garments are important, not just to define the quality of a product, but also to create space in case adjustments need to be made. You can use the extra fabric to make a piece larger or shorter, without being afraid of not being able to piece the item back together (if you have the right experience, that is!)
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A VERY cool project and social enterprise is Unsume.eu. They fix your stuff hassle-free!
One of the problems in our current society is that we are not used to fixing things anymore. When something breaks down, we’ll just throw it away and buy a new one. And this is not just the case for clothing!
Admittedly, it might be tough to fix a hole that is burned in a silk dress as the fabric is very delicate, or knit a woolen sweater back together when it breaks, but generally, even such holes should be avoidable given that sustainable, durable materials are often stronger, too. Or sometimes even fire-retardant :)
Your best choices for fixable fabrics are of course... Fixable. In this case, it might actually be more dependent on the design, rather than on the fabric. Opt for materials that choose quality over quantity.
It will also depend on your personal skill set, as woven fabrics might be easier to fix than knitted fabrics… unless you’re a knitter! Synthetic fibers on the other hand will have a tendency of breaking more easily, so you might want to avoid those.
Sustainable Fabrics Are Biodegradable
And then… What happens when the inevitable happens and the love is gone? An item you thought you would own forever and ever, until you didn’t... And then, what!? Many items that are disposed of end up in landfills where they keep polluting the Earth.
So not just during the production process of the material, or during the production process of the garment, or during its lifespan, but even after it is used, many clothes can still damage our planet. Sustainable fabrics should therefore be biodegradable in order to diminish the amount of garbage that is dumped and pollutes the environment.
When a fabric is biodegradable, it means that nature itself can break it down. This is an important process in order to maintain a balance between what we take from the Earth and how we dispose of it. Biodegradable items can serve as compost and basically they will be decomposed by bacteria and other living organisms back into natural elements.
It’s the circle of life :)
For an item to be biodegradable it is important that it is free of chemicals. Mother Nature does not like to compose chemical dyes, formaldehyde, and synthetic blends.
Opt for undyed, unblended, pure and natural materials and they will be biodegradable when discomposed. Organic materials are even better:
- Wool - all types, from merino to alpaca and yak to qiviut
- Linen
- Cotton
- Hemp
- Silk
