COLOR

In the beginnings of the eco-friendly apparel industry, coloration was limited due to the unavailability of ecologically safe dyes. Though green dyeing processes have advanced, the harshness of the coloration process is still a big issue for eco-apparel. “There is no Earth-friendly clothing, there is no Earth-friendly dye,” said Trotzuk. “It’s all harmful. It’s just about how much can you mitigate the impact, how toxic or less toxic are the chemicals… It’s about the degree of impact that you’re having on the environment by using all these things.”

So how do you mitigate your impact? Make sure your supplier has some kind of third-party certification process for its coloration work (if not its whole manufacturing process), and be sure to follow up on that certification and make sure the monitoring company is legit. “You want to make sure when you’re dying textiles that there is a system in place to recapture those dyes and resue them,” said Trotzuk. He stressed as well that if the dyes are going to escape into the environment, then it’s important that they be non-toxic and processed through some kind of waste-water treatment plants to ensure they aren’t dumped directly into local water sources.

MARKETS

With the reduction of costs of producing green apparel down, and the options for apparel being more diverse, who exactly is buying the product? “Bigger companies – Pepsi, IBM, Proctor and Gamble – they’re all looking to do the right thing’” said Trotzuk. “The bigger companies have a vested interest in doing so because they are the ones who really have to step up to the plate and show everybody else that they are doing the right thing.” He noted that this was largely due to the awareness bigger companies have now for protecting their brand. You don’t have to look far to find examples of companies that have associated themselves with a dangerous or poorly sourced brand. “The bigger companies have more to lose, which is why they’re less shy to take the step, but they’re also more inclined to do their due diligence before they purchase stuff,” he said.