What Are the Most Sustainable Fabrics?

The foundation of fashion is fabric and thus one's fabric choice carries considerable consequences. For this reason, it is imperative to develop an understanding of materials to make ethically informed decisions and the most comprehensive way to assess a fabric is by examining its life cycle: the raw material sourcing (farming and petroleum drilling impact), processing (chemicals needed to turn it into fiber), and the end-of-life prospects (ways a garment can be disposed, recycled or composted). Whether you are a designer or a fashion lover, knowledge is the key to maximizing your social impact and minimizing your environmental impact.

However the task of researching the sustainability of fabrics is a daunting one, especially when considering their entire life cycle. Does natural always imply good? Are synthetics bad? What happens when we wash or dispose of our clothes? What about longevity? The list is seemingly endless.

Thankfully there is now an easier way. Every year Textile Exchange releases the Preferred Fiber & Material Report, an online resource that details the environmental and social impacts of various materials so that companies and individuals can make conscientious decisions. Based on their recent findings, we divided the most common fabrics into 3 categories (1st being the most sustainable fabric category).

Source: Textile Exchange PFM, Benchmark Program 2019

Preferred fibers | Category 1

- Recycled cotton

- Organic linen

- Linen (natural retting)

- Organic hemp

- Hemp

- Recycled polyester (mechanically)

- Econyl

- Recycled wool

- Organic wool

- Alpaca wool

- Recycled cashmere

- Lenzing Ecovero Viscose

Preferred fibers | Category 2

- Organic cotton

- Lenzing Modal

- Lenzing Tencel

- Lenzing viscose

- Enka viscose

- Lyocell

- Triacetate

- Recycled polyester (chemically)

- Recycled polyamide (chemically)

- PLA (polylactic acid)

- Wool

- Yak wool

- Mohair wool

- Monocel

- Silk

- Kapok

Preferred fibers | Category 3

- Linen (chemical retting)

- Ramie

- Modal

- Polyester

- Thermolite

- Acrylic

- Cashmere