Ecological accessories

The demand for such goods is growing, so many manufacturers are working in this direction. In today’s reality, it became fashionable to be “eco”. The trend was quickly discerned by specialists in the field of marketing. It was they who had a hand in supplying the market with eco accessories in maximum quantity. It is a question of covers and pads on phones, other goods. The market is full of ecological accessories, and it is through the Internet that they are most often purchased. Although some people have doubts about the environmental friendliness of such things, in order to dispel these prejudices, we need to understand the history of its appearance.

How long have environmental accessories appeared?

Such accessories have been used on Earth since ancient times. People used a variety of necklaces and jewelry many centuries ago. This trend is not outdated, it is easy to integrate into modernity.

Eco-accessories are as old as the planet itself. Cavemen decorated themselves with stone necklaces, linen fabric dresses were worn by our grandmothers. These trends are not new at all, designers only bring back outdated trends, integrating them into the life of a modern person in a different way.

Accessories made of natural materials can be made of wood or stone. Even plants are used to make them. Recycled materials are also used. There are really exotic variants, such as cases for phones from wheat bran, bamboo coasters, shoes from wine corks. There are even “cardboard cafes” in Europe.

Eco-products are used everywhere. They include paper backpacks, rice rubber for vehicles, algae foam for shoes, and bamboo dumbbells. And what about water bottles, which have the ability to self-clean. Artificial dentures are increasingly being replaced with wooden ones. Ecological recycled materials are being used everywhere, replacing metal and plastic. This is not just a tribute to fashion, but a contribution to the preservation of nature.

The most popular ecological accessory is considered a bag, they are used by all modern bloggers. The industry continues its development, offering bamboo toothbrushes, wooden sunglasses and kitchen utensils. Even computer mice are made of wood.

Special attention deserve eco-gifts: bed linen sets, all kinds of ceramic, wood and glass products. Exclusive handmade vases, kitchen utensils, flower pots, lampshades belong to this category. And there are also cufflinks, watches, business card holders made of natural wood. Wood is also used to make all sorts of constructors, puzzles – a great gift for the child. Such products do not contain chemical components, so they are completely safe.

What are the advantages of eco accessories?

Eco accessories have an impressive list of advantages, the most important of which is safety for the environment. Other advantages include:

-ease of use;

-original appearance;

-Adding individuality to the image.

Such goods can be decorated in different ways, bags, for example, decorate with applications, use beads.

Such products are pleasant to the touch, well resist the action of moisture, accelerated wear and deformation. On their surface do not form creases and cracks even during the most active use.

Buying eco accessories allows you to look fashionable, to stand out in the crowd. The materials from which they are made, do not cause negative reactions, they can be used even by allergic people. Such products are easy to care for, they can be used in different weather conditions, they perfectly hold their shape.

Manufacturers are constantly improving the quality of eco products. Products from this line do not harm the environment, and this largely explains its popularity.

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What is sustainable fashion?
With the growth of eco-consciousness among young people and entire corporations, “green” trends, whose main goal is to take care of the environment, are increasingly appearing. However, even more often brands are using the popularity of eco-ideas to promote their products. That is why it is extremely important to know what lies behind the new slogans and loud statements.

The most popular current trends in fashion are Slow Fashion and Sustainable Fashion. The first trend appeals to abandon the rapid change of trends and consciously consume goods of all categories, while sustainable fashion implies a change in lifestyles, both for consumers and manufacturers.

The term first sounded in 1987 during the report of the UN Commission on the Environment. At the heart of the sustainable-worldview are ethical, ecological, economic components, designed for the long term.

What it means for brands: The footprint of textile production must be minimal for eco-systems and the production process must be transparent, safe for workers and customers.

What it means for consumers: Sustainable Fashion encourages you to think about whether the items you buy are really necessary (in excess); what company philosophies you support when you purchase their products; what materials and under what conditions the product was made.

Why sustainable fashion is important
About 98 tons of different raw materials (from fabrics to chemical dyes) and 93 billion cubic meters of water are used each year for textile production. About 2,700 liters of water are required for the complete production cycle of one cotton T-shirt.

According to estimates of the American company Levis, it takes 3,780 liters of water to make one pair of jeans (from cotton growing to washing), and it is still very economical. Other brands require at least 7,000 liters to produce jeans. And this despite the fact that the number of countries with a shortage of drinking water is increasing every year.

During the manufacture of clothing, 1.2 billion tons of CO2 were emitted into the atmosphere. According to the UN, if this process is not slowed down, instead of the 8 percent of greenhouse gases that the textile industry leaves behind today, by 2025 the industry will account for 25 percent of the carbon “budget.”

But the situation is critical not only with water and air: thousands of hectares of forests are destroyed in order to set up pastures and farms in their place. Not only to provide meat products, but also leather, to make clothes, shoes and accessories.

In addition, clothes of budget brands are of low quality, and even with careful use can not last for several seasons. Do not make the mistake that less raw materials were used in the production of low-grade clothing, even the opposite: the use of chemical dyes, large amounts of synthetics further poison the soil, water and air.

Environmental “mantra”: reduce, reuse, recycle

Basic principles of conscious fashion:

careful use of natural and human resources (reducing);
Reusing and upcycling;
recycling;
Sustainable fashion, as well as the Zero Waste concept, does not advocate asceticism, but only a rational approach to consumption, including calling for large companies and corporations to openly conduct production.

The consequences of manufacturing clothes in the world
This information is necessary so that each consumer knows what materials are used to make a T-shirt or dress, what components have been used, what working conditions have been created in the factory to support the company philosophy close to him.

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Proven: there are blue islands even among the red oceans.
Since 2005, when the book “Blue Ocean Strategy” (by Kim Chan and Renee Mauborgne) was published, the concept of blue (free) and red (oversaturated) business niches is known to many. And every start-up, company or startup is initially recommended to pay attention to this aspect: how much competition there is in the segment, for which the production is planned.

For Allbirds the forecasts were extremely disappointing, because they were going to produce comfortable shoes, and their main competitors were Nike, Puma, Reebok and other giant companies. But neither the high competition, nor the difficulties they had to face as the idea developed, could become a “verdict”. Today Allbirds is a company with a multi-million turnover, more than 400 employees, and unique products that have found their consumer.

And it all started with soccer and biotechnology.
Indeed, the company was founded by Tim Brown (a New Zealand soccer player) and Joey Zwillinger (a Silicon Valley biotech engineer). The idea of creating comfortable shoes made of natural materials came to Tim Brown’s mind long before his soccer career ended in 2012. In addition to his love for sports, he had another hobby – design. His first experience was creating leather shoes, but not very comfortable. Friends, to whom Tim presented his shoes, complained that they were uncomfortable. Then he thought about developing a model that would look just as good, but would be more comfortable. The decision came to the entrepreneur – the best material would be sheep’s wool, of which there is no shortage in New Zealand. In addition to the material, which eliminated the need to wear socks under the shoes, special attention was paid to design: laconic, calm, without the screaming logos.

In action: in 2014, Tim Brown launched a fundraising campaign to launch his production on the popular Kickstarter platform. In less than a week, $120,000 was raised. But the joy was replaced by fear of failure, and the campaign was scrapped. According to the creator, at that time he could not believe that it would actually happen.

Joey Zwillinger was also promoting his project at the time, but in his case it was different: he had confidence in success, but not enough support from investors. His startup was developing algae oil that could replace gasoline. The idea was considered good, but too expensive.

Tim and Joey were introduced by their wives, who had gone to Dartmund College together. And during one of their meetings, the families decided to join forces and create a joint project to produce eco-shoes – Allbirds. The startup got its name from the words of the pioneers of New Zealand: “It’s all birds”.

Models, variants, materials.
The first models of eco-shoes (and in 2016 there were only two: for leisure and sports) were made of high-quality ultra-thin (17.5 microns) sheep’s wool. At first sales were not very active, but after publications on the expanses of social networks, the situation changed: if previously the products were of interest mainly to the female audience, the interest of men in wool shoes grew with each new day. Today the main assistant in the promotion of these products is still Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to wool, Zwillinger and Brown also use in their production their own patented development – “sugar foam”. It is an environmentally friendly material that is obtained by mixing black cane molasses, yeast and a special reagent. The exact recipe is kept in secret, but the result is shoes made of “sweet foam” which, unlike competitors, is completely harmless to the environment.

They also use special wood fiber, which uses 95% less water than cotton, recycled plastic bottles, and castor oil. Even the packaging in which a purchased pair of shoes is packaged is made from recycled cardboard.
Reincarnation is beautiful, at least that’s what Allbirds claims.

Today the main arenas of sales are the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the company does not stop there, continuing to work on creating new models using safe materials.

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Social Factors
According to a June 2012 report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), some 14.2 million workers worldwide are trapped in forced and exploitative working conditions, including in the garment industry. Cheap knockoffs and a variety of “no name” garments, in huge quantities on markets and street folds, are most likely made this way.

How does fabric production affect the environment?
All factory production is not environmentally friendly. Fabrics are no exception here. Making them requires pesticides that are used to treat plants for future fabrics, dyes (which often contain heavy metals), and many manufacturers use chemical coatings to enhance the fabric’s protection against fire, stains, and prevent wrinkles. Fiber treatments can also require complex chemical reactions. Viscose, for example, requires the use of a toxic solution to turn cellulose into fabric.

Why can’t all clothing be made eco-friendly?
Eco-clothing technologies, involve manual processing and the use of natural, but significantly more expensive substances. Such clothes simply can not be made in the necessary quantities due to the huge labor costs. The high production cost also does not facilitate mass production. We can’t help it – the world population is growing and our basic needs can only be satisfied by mass production.

Is linen environmentally friendly?
As stated above, the large-scale production of any fabric requires complex processing which has an impact on the environment. Another thing is that the degree of this impact is different for different fabrics and linen wins here. It requires much less water than cotton and does not need a lot of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Making the fabric itself is also less harmful. In addition, linen clothing is biodegradable.

Eco Fabrics
The following is a list of fabrics that are actually “eco”, although the production of some of them can only be recognized as clean conditionally

Eco-Friendly Linen
Recently, linen fabric has become a favorite of “sustainable fashion” and is widely used in the production of eco clothing. And there are good reasons for this. For hundreds of years, linen clothing has been known around the world for its durability. It is a breathable, wear-resistant, lightweight, absorbent, antimicrobial, moth-resistant and cool (because it lowers your body temperature in summer, unlike cotton) fabric.

Hemp
This is perhaps the most versatile plant on the planet. Hemp is the only plant that can feed you, clothe you, build you a home, and provide you with natural beauty products.

Hemp is also ideal for creating eco clothing. It is a breathable, warm, absorbent, antibacterial, biodegradable and very durable fabric that becomes softer when worn and after washing.

Growing hemp requires little water, and the plant itself can produce four to five times more fiber per hectare than cotton. In fact, hemp fertilizes and saturates the soil in which it grows, rather than extracting nutrients from it like many other plants grown.

Eco Cotton
Although cotton is a natural fiber that is biodegradable, its production is most harmful to the environment. The cotton industry uses 25% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of the world’s pesticides.

Cotton crops also require a huge amount of water to grow (about 2.6 cubic meters for a T-shirt), which in turn creates a significant load on the environment.

An excellent alternative can offer organic cotton, whose growing technique significantly reduces the detrimental impact on the environment. It excludes toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and gene modification of the seeds.

On the other hand, the growing organic cotton market still does not solve the problem of water, in addition, the eco-wear from it is expensive and not everyone can afford it.

Bamboo
Bamboo fabric is a natural viscose produced from bamboo. Eco clothing made of this fabric has a silky texture, is incredibly durable, biodegradable and has moisture-resistant properties. Growing bamboo requires very little water and needs no fertilizers or pesticides.

But there is a dark side. The very process of turning bamboo fibers into fabric is chemically intensive and produces a significant amount of waste. This makes bamboo viscose much less environmentally friendly than it may seem at first glance.

Eco-leather
Natural leather, while truly eco-friendly, is quite often rejected by “sustainable fashion” due to the fact that it is derived from animals. In addition, the processing and tanning process of natural leather is highly toxic.

Eco leather is a completely environmentally friendly product, in the production of which the use of chemicals is reduced and limited. Externally, it is almost indistinguishable from natural leather. In addition, made of it eco clothing is much cheaper.

By its mechanical properties eco leather is comparable with synthetic. It is resistant to moisture, flexible, elastic and capable of withstanding more than 80,000 bends at temperatures below -20 ° C. Wear resistance and durability of the fabric allows its use even in extreme climatic conditions.

Wool
Wool is an all-natural, renewable fiber. The sheep, by consuming the carbon of the plants, transforms it into wool. 50% of wool’s weight is pure organic carbon.

Wool eco-clothing has a long lifespan, and the need to wash it at lower temperatures, has less impact on the environment.

Unlike synthetic clothing, wool eco-clothing breathes and has the ability to respond to changes in body temperature, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. Wool is easy to care for and largely resistant to staining.

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