Nature serves humans and is the source of our bare necessities. Nowadays, the global trend is towards saving nature. In the light of this awakening, the trend is changing in textiles from manmade materials to eco-friendly ones. The demand of the consumers is also changing from polyester and conventional cotton to eco-friendly garments.

These kind of eco-friendly garments are made from different products like Lycocell, Ingeo, Organic cotton, Hemp, Bamboo and Soy. The fibre which is made of wool-pulp cellulose is known as Lycocell. This is a good alternative of rayon.

Hemp fibre does not need pesticides. Just a small quantity of water is enough for the production of this fibre.

Ingeo is a fibre made of bio-degradable material. This is a fibre made by man by converting corn into polymer. Organic cotton is the material which is made by using organic materials. No pesticides are used in its production. The amount of water being used is also 25% less than what is used in conventional cotton production.

The fabric being produced from bamboo is soft and has anti-bacterial qualities. The fabric made by using different soy products like soybean oil, soy-milk and others are similar to silk in look and even in feel.

All these eco-friendly materials are produced using less water than others. They are manufactured without using any pesticides and bio-degradable materials. So, even the working environment is good for the health of workers.

It is a common belief that natural cotton is the most environment-friendly. In reality only those cottons are environment-friendly in the production of which no pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides pollute the soil and thus they harm the environment. When cotton is dyed using chemical dyes, it contains heavy metals. These heavy metals contaminate the soil and crops. Thus the cotton being produced by these kinds of materials is not eco-friendly. Only those fabrics and materials are known as eco-friendly ones which do not harm the environment in any way and do not pollute the air, water or soil.

Soy fibers are fibers obtained from soy plants. In the year 1999, soybeans were used in a different way. He made underwear from the fibers made from soy plants. It was a good and economical alternative to conventional cloth. This cloth was smooth to touch and was very popular in the U.S. and Europe. China is a leading exporter and manufacturer of soy fabrics in the world, which is growing day by day.

Till date, the concept of this Soy fabric is new and a demanding one. Some of the designers are using these eco-friendly garments. A range of eco-friendly jeans was launched by Armani in 1999. Nowadays, the world share of this collection is 15 percent. The cloth is known as Soy silk because it is similar to silk in feel.

A remarkable change is also seen in fashion. The newest change in fashion is preference for eco-friendly fashion. This includes clothes made by using organic raw material. Even bleaches and hard colors are not allowed in printing and dyeing. These are the garments manufactured from fabrics which are produced without using any hard chemicals. The production process is environment-friendly to the workers also. Synthetic fibers are cheaper than these natural ones, but more harmful to nature.

As evident from the London fashion week, green is the new color taking the place of black. Consciousness towards the environment is becoming a new concept of style.

As per the survey by ‘Organic Exchange’, in the year 2006, 18 percent of the consumers showed interest in environment-friendly fashion and products. Between the years 2001 and 2005, the sale of environment-friendly products increased to 55 percent.

The concept of eco-friendly garments is now not new in foreign countries, but in India, it is still new. In India, this concept was introduced late.

People are now ready to pay a higher price and by doing so, they want to save the environment. In India, the manufacturers started the use of organic cotton late. Still the scenario is that only a few companies are making garments from eco-friendly fabric and yarn. Maral Overseas, Super Spinning Mills Ltd., Classic Spinning Mills P..Ltd. and Kishore Apparels P..Ltd are some companies producing garments from eco-friendly fabrics. These units have given the surety that their eco-friendly material remains pure and does not get merged with other non eco-friendly materials.

With the high degree of pollution, depletion is seen in the ozone layer. So the need to save the future is of the highest importance. Bio-degradable materials are the best option to save the world from pollution.

Now Indian companies have to set their mind to the production of organic fabric and yarn because this is going to be the new trend in the running and upcoming year. The use of harmless pesticides and fertilizers is also required at the farmers’ end. The waste of humans and animals can be used as natural fertilizer, and these even cost less compared to hard chemicals. Thus, we can conclude that the eco-friendly materials are friendly to both humans and environment in the real sense.


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