Would you prefer vegan clothing?
Climate change and the climate debate are accelerating the popularity of vegan lifestyles. Raising animals for human consumption is a major cause of emissions.
Animal agriculture produces environmentally harmful carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. In addition, the production of animals for food affects water bodies, water resources, land use and biodiversity.
Traditionally, veganism has sought to respect the rights of animals, opposing their exploitation and for example using them for entertainment purposes.
Veganism is increasingly extending to clothing for several reasons. Vegan dressers avoid animal-derived materials such as leather and wool clothing.
Animal-derived materials in clothing
Fur has been judged as an extreme unethical material for clothing. Other animal-based materials in the wardrobe are leather, wool, silk and down.
The sourcing and production of animal-based materials for transparent clothing brands takes into account the welfare of animals and the environment.
For example, down in responsible winter coats can be replaced by eco-synthetic materials or Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certified down.
For leather products, it is possible to seek to use recycled or waste leather. Leather can also be dyed with vegetable dyes to avoid harmful chromium emissions.
Cork and vegetable leather
Topical "vegetable leather" is made for example from coconut, pineapple, apple or cactus as an alternative to traditional leather.
Vegetable leather materials are used to make accessories - such as bags and shoes - similar to animal leather. Well-known vegetable leather materials include Piñatex® and Desserto®.
The vegan Piñatex® is made from fibres from pineapple waste. The waste leaves are a by-product of the existing pineapple crop, so no resources are required to produce the raw material.
The fibres are washed, dried and cleaned, then mixed with corn-based polylactic acid. The material is dyed with GOTS certified pigments.
The vegan Desserto® material, on the other hand, is a remarkably soft and durable vegetable leather made from cactus. Desserto® is grown on rainwater without pesticides.
Desserto® cactus leather is used, for example, in the internationally acclaimed Plant Leather collection of the Finnish accessories brand ASK Scandinavia.
The trendy vegan accessory material is also a cork. The responsible cork is made from ecologically harvested bark. The renewable cork is biodegradable as an organic material.
The visual appearance of the cork fits well with Scandinavian style and aesthetics. You can currently find cork in bags, backpacks and even party shoes. In the IVALO.COM selection cork products are offered by Nae Vegan, for example.
At IVALO.COM you will find vegan alternatives to conventional leather products from brands such as Canussa, Ikon Sweden, Nae Vegan and ASK Scandinavia.
Vegan textile fibres
Vegan textile fibres are not necessarily more environmentally friendly than animal-based fibres, as there are many factors that influence the ecology and carbon footprint of the materials.
Cotton, for example, is a vegan and sustainable plant fibre, but cotton cultivation has a negative impact on the environment.
Cotton is widely available on the global clothing market. From a sustainability perspective, it is important to pay attention to its quality and production conditions. Cotton is also available in certified, organic and recycled forms.
In addition to cotton, vegan clothing is also made from other natural fibres such as flax and hemp. Flax and hemp are strong plant fibres with a smaller environmental footprint than cotton.
Vegan materials are also available in man-made and artificial fibres, which are at best better choices from an ecological point of view.
These include bamboo, cupro, TENCEL™ lyocell and ECOVERO™ viscose.
Innovative textile fibres
A range of materials known as innovative fibres have come to the front to help tackle the environmental burden of the global garment industry.
As fashion and clothing is a huge industry, new textile fibres are also seen as having great business potential.
As a major forestry country, Finland is well placed to develop new cellulose-based eco-materials.
Innovations aim to improve the circular economy, for example by using waste as raw material, making production more efficient and improving the recyclability of end products. The innovative new materials are also suitable for vegans.
