Where did your trousers grow?

Textile production and eco-labelling of clothing

Cotton boll. Half of all clothing is made from cotton.

CUT OFF SEW ON NEW POCKETS

Trousers dont grow on trees

The fabric in most trousers comes from plants. Half of our clothing is made from cotton, which is a plant. Some fabrics are made of a blend of cotton and artificial fibres, which are produced from a type of soft plastic. The plastic is made from oil. Nylon, acrylic and polyester are all examples of fabrics made from artificial fibres. Linen comes from the flax plant. It can be grown in Sweden, but today only linseed oil is made from the flax grown here. Rayon fabrics come from trees. They are made from paper pulp. Wool fabrics are made from sheeps wool.

Cotton before being cleaned and carded, and an alpaca in Peru. Alpaca wool is soft and fine, with long fibres.

TURN TWO INTO ONE

Prickles in your trousers?

Long ago, fabric was made from stinging nettles! Nettles have long, strong fibres in their stalks, which can be used to weave fabric. Fortunately, the nettles small, stinging hairs are removed from the fabric. When producing cotton, fluffy balls as big as eggs are collected from the plants. The fluffy part is actually seed hairs, which protect the plants seeds and help to spread them in the wind.

To produce one kilo of cotton fabric, roughly one kilo of chemicals and 350 litres of water are needed from fibre to fabric! Cotton is: grown and harvested carded and spun into yarn woven into fabric or knitted bleached, cleaned, dyed and printed sewn, transported and sold

The long voyage of fabrics

Many people around the world work with the production of clothing and fabrics. The most commonly used natural cloth fibre is cotton. Cotton is a plant grown in many countries. India, China and the USA grow the majority of the worlds cotton. But cotton is also an important product for many smaller and poorer countries, which export to wealthier countries. The cultivation of cotton alone provides employment for more than 100 million people. Millions more work to handle cotton, produce yarn, weave yarn into fabrics, bleach, dye and sew fabrics into clothing, towels, sheets and other textile goods.

MOMS R E U SE G OCK I N OL D ST CA P

There are many different stages in textile manufacturing that require water and chemicals. Fibres and fabrics are cleaned several times. Different chemicals are added to help retain colours and dyes. Cot ton is the fabric that causes the most environmental problems. The path from a field of cotton to a pair of trousers sold in Sweden is a long journey with many stops along the way and many hazardous chemicals follow in its tracks.

A story of water systems

Until the middle of the 1900s, almost all of our clothing was produced in factories in Sweden. When fabrics were dyed, their colours could be seen in the water of the streams and rivers surrounding the textile factories where our clothing, sheets and towels were produced. This production has now been moved abroad, where it is cheaper to run factories. Workers earn less money there, and the work is difficult and often dangerous to their health. Unlike wealthier countries such as Sweden, these countries have fewer regulations regarding protective equipment, working standards and waste treatment. Along with the factories, the environmental problems have moved abroad, too. We get cheaper clothing, but poor cotton farmers and factory workers pay a high price through environmental destruction and health problems.

The manufacturing of fabrics and clothing affects the environment. The photo to the lower right shows a riverbed in India, where many textile factories are located. The dyeing of fabrics can destroy the groundwater if waste water goes untreated.

A cotton plantation in India is sprayed with insect-killing chemicals.

M I X PA IRS OF SOC KS

Fertilized and sprayed

Because we buy more and more fabrics and clothing every year, more land for growing cotton is also needed. Increasingly, people are starting to grow in areas where the soil is actually too poor or dry for cotton plantations. In these places, extra water and fertilizers are needed. Often, artificial fertilizers are used. A lot of energy is used to produce artificial fertilizers, which can also contain hazardous substances that remain in the soil. Even more energy is used to run machines at the plantations, in factories, and for the transport of fabrics and clothing around the world. Insects and diseases spread easily in large plantations with only a single kind of plant. This is why such large amounts of chemicals are used. The plantations are often sprayed by workers without protective equipment. They inhale hazardous substances and get chemicals on their hands and bodies while working.
S, F ARM CU T OF HOOD THE MOV E

Eco-labels you can trust

Organic cotton is widely available. It is grown without chemical pesticides or artificial fertilizers, most often along with other plants on smaller plantations. Certain types of cotton have a naturally unique colour, so the fabric doesnt even need to be dyed. Cotton that is grown organically can be marked with an eco-label. The label can also mean that the product has been produced in an environmentally friendly factory. These are the most common eco-labels for textile goods:

What can you do?

Ask for eco-labelled clothing and textile products when you shop. Buy eco-labelled products. Buy less clothing and trade with friends. Sew and reuse your clothes. Buy second-hand clothing. Take good care of your clothes, and repair them when they get worn out. Dont do laundry unnecessarily. Remove spots and stains when possible. Choose eco-labelled laundry detergent, use smaller doses, and fill the laundry machine completely. Dont do laundry at unnecessarily high temperatures 40 degrees is usually enough.

N E. ECK L I N EW N S ST L E T CU T A WRI N N EW SE W O

PR I N T

A N EW

PAT T E R N.

Children of organic cotton farmers in Peru.

What does the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation do?

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation works to ensure that companies who import cotton and other textile goods to Sweden place demands on cultivation and manufacturing in order to guarantee that the environments within and outside factories are favourable to both people and nature. We have our own eco-label, Bra Miljval, which certifies that the textile has been manufactured in way that is as environmentally friendly as possible. Eco-labels help everyone choose the right products to purchase. We collaborate with organisations in the countries where many products are grown and manufactured. They help us to identify local challenges and gather information, which we then can spread to companies, adults, and children in Sweden. We suggest solutions that are better for people and nature. We aim to prove that everyone can help by contributing to efforts towards a better environment.
This pile contains 24 kilos of clothing.

On average, each person in Sweden purchases 24 kilos of clothing and textile products every year. 10 years ago, we purchased 15 kilos per person.

How much do you know about cotton, trousers, and eco-labels?

01. Which materials can be used to make fabrics? 02. Which is the most common fabric in our clothing? 03. Why is most clothing now produced in countries other than Sweden? 04. Why do people need to use extra water and fertilizers in order to grow cotton? 05. Why are fabrics and clothing eco-labelled? 06. What amount of chemicals is necessary to produce one kilo of fabric from cotton fibres? 07. How many people in the world work in cotton farming? 08. What can be done to improve the health of people who work in textile factories? 09. What is the name of our eco-label? 10. What can you do to reduce the environmental effects of clothing and fabrics? Were there any questions you were unable to answer? All answers can be found in this brochure. Good luck!

You can find eco-labelled clothing and textile products at: www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/ekotextil

Naturskyddsfreningen. Box 4625, 11691 Stockholm. Phone + 46 8 702 65 00. info@naturskyddsforeningen.se The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation is an environmental organisation with power to bring about change. We spread knowledge, map environmental threats, create solutions, and influence politicians and public authorities, at both national and international levels. Moreover, we are behind one of the worlds most challenging ecolabellings. Bra Miljval(Good Environmental Choice). Climate, the oceans, forests, environmental toxins, and agriculture are our main areas of involvement.
Naturskyddsfreningen 2009.

www.naturskyddsforeningen.se
Produced with economic support from Sida. Sida has not participated in the production of the publication and has not evaluated the facts or opinions that are expressed. Illustrations: Eva-Lena Neiman/Naturskyddsfreningen. Photos: Kentaroo Tryman (cover), Emelie Envall, Jeorg Boethling/StillPictures. Pauli Kuitunen/LO-TCO Bistndsnmnd, Curt Carnemark/World Bank, Birgitta Nilsson, Jessica Andrason/Naturskyddsfreningen, Matthew Chadwick, Sara rberg Huss/ Naturskyddfreningen.