Brands sew clothes from flowers, but dye them with polluted air. How is this possible?

It’s common to hear about recycled plastic and leftovers from old collections being used in the production of eco-clothing. But many designers, together with biotechnologists, have made a huge step forward: materials have been created from plants, dust, cardboard, sewage and much more. Find out more about the technologies that make modern fashion more ethical and environmentally friendly.

Cacti

The production of cactus leather originated in Mexico, where these plants are also used extensively to create threads and fabrics. Cactus bags are one of the products of the collaboration between American model and eco-activist Amber Valletta and the Karl Lagerfeld brand. The brand will donate a percentage from the sales of these bags to The Ocean Cleanup, an organization that removes plastic debris from ocean waters.

Moreover, the leather is coated with vegetable dyes and the lining of the bag is made of recycled cotton. The bag collection is complemented by a range of small accessories produced with basic eco-compliance: a water bottle, a protective mask, a wallet made of cactus leather, and cosmetic bags.

Algae and eucalyptus pulp

To create bright things instead of dyes, it was invented to add natural color from plants. To get a rich green, biodevelopers have suggested eucalyptus and algae.

The algae is harvested from Icelandic waters every four years, allowing the natural resource to regenerate naturally, and the eucalyptus pulp is extracted from forests in quantities certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The eucalyptus is biochemically pulverized and transformed into lyocell with seaweed particles. The material is soft in feel and absorbs moisture well. It also decomposes well in water, landfills and compost.

Crab shells

New Zealand manufacturers have started using discarded crab shells to create clothing. For example, the brand Allbirds took as a basis the technology invented in 2016 by Japanese scientists: they coated fabric with powder from shells for the antibacterial effect.

Technologists from New Zealand started making fiber from shell powder.

Peppermint oil

There are t-shirts that are coated with natural peppermint oil. It neutralizes and prevents the growth of bacteria that cause bad odor. Which is very relevant for workouts. According to the Pangaia brand, the antibacterial effect lasts up to 50 washes, while the texture and color retain their decent appearance.

Peppermint also makes t-shirts feel silkier and cooler. But many designers wonder why silver, which also eliminates unpleasant odors and has an antiseptic effect, was not used for such a coating?

In response, the brand presented a research report from the Swedish Water and Wastewater Association, according to which during the washing process, water leaches soluble salts from metals (leaching). And when water with silver ions ends up in wastewater, it harms the environment.

Recycled cardboard

Italian brand Bottega Veneta released a collection of bags, which are almost entirely made of recycled cardboard. The already favorite model has acquired a modern kraft look. Thanks to the innovative coating, the accessories are not afraid of moisture – they can be safely worn in any weather and are not afraid of precipitation.

Some of them designers decided to add calfskin and cover with waterproof plastic. All the cardboard was produced by environmentally responsible companies, which is confirmed by the certificate of the international environmental organization FSC.

Field flowers and corn kernels

Usually duck or goose down and polyester are used as fillers for outerwear. Today, however, FLWRDWN, a material made up of wildflowers, is used. They are harvested towards the end of the growing season, when the pods dry out and their silky, thread-like fibers are perfect for filling outerwear.

The pods are harvested, separated from the seeds (which are then planted in the ground), and then mixed with biopolymer from corn kernels and degradable aerogel. This mass requires no additional treatment or use of water. FLWRDWN is breathable and protects against cold as well as odor.

Dust and Wastewater

Archroma was the first chemical company to learn how to extract a non-toxic black dye from sewage. Some brands have started using this dye to dye denim (which you can read their Instagram posts about recycling), and eco-friendly brand Pangaia gets its Air-Ink from polluted air, particles of which contribute to global warming and are harmful to human health, to make prints on clothes.

Pangaia achieves three things at once: it cleans the air, collects the particles and turns them into pigment, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 800g.

Chewing gum

Vivian Fischer and Hugo Maupette, budding designers from France, have come up with their own way of recycling chewing gum. They installed boards in Nantes, on which any passerby could stick the already used gum, and a week later they were removed and shredded together with the board. This is how the material called polymethyl methacrylate was obtained. Vivian and Hugo add a gluing agent and natural colors to the obtained material. This mass is used to make wheels for skateboards (one wheel requires 10 to 30 gum).

This idea was picked up by Dirol’s special campaign Don’t Drop. Together with Shane Gonzalez and Maggi the manufacturer released sneakers, the sole of which consisted of 13% recycled gum. For this purpose, the developers set up containers where anyone could throw out gum (for example, you could find them at “Khlebozavod” and “Flacon”). In addition to soles, gum polymer can be used to make pens, phone cases, notebooks, and many other everyday items.