Potentially Green

Sustainable fashion is coming of age in India! Janice Goveas explores the environment friendly practices and ethical path that brands are adapting to ‘go green’.

- Janice Goveas

With several companies in the apparel space catering to the growing needs of the consumer for organic clothing. Not only is sustainability important in the manner the clothing is produced but is also important from the point of view of ethical practices adopted by companies at the company and worker level.

MINIMALLY SUSTAINABLE

The fashion industry is the second largest environment polluter in the world, just after oil. Pesticides account for most of this, since the cotton industry optimises production with pesticides. It is estimated that around 20,000 litres of water is consumed when you produce a single pair of jeans. A vicious cycle of consumption and waste drives this industry, with the added effects of chemical substances in synthetic clothing, diminishing crafts and use of toxic detergents.

However, there is a growing trend of minimalism and sustainability amongst consumers. A marked focus on clothing with minimal ostentations, preferences to sober, natural colours and a general bend towards sustainable living is a growing trend. Organic fabric, however, isn’t the same as organic clothing. A lot of manufacturers use natural and organically cultivated fabric; it doesn’t make the garment organic. For a garment to be 100 per cent organic it needs to be free of toxic dyes and do not have permanent press and fire retardant finishes.

Independent designer Ramona Saboo’s Forty Red Bangles is very welcoming of organic cotton and offers a range of clothing for adults and children. While designs are made in-house, the production is commissioned to varied NGOs and women’s self-help groups.