From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: alt.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re: Enviromentally-conscious sewing
Date: 29 Sep 92 14:21:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: iscsvax.1992Sep29.192124.7183
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

rrah@troi.cc.rochester.edu (Runa Rahman) writes:
> klier@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:
>>
>>Cotton is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops grown in the US.
> 
> What about in other countries?  Organic farmers?  Our ancestors have been
> getting clothes made pesticide-free since the beginning of civilization.

Sure, but the current farm economic policies in this country are pushing 
us to increased harvest per acre of land, using whatever techniques make
for lower intrinsic costs-- in this country, pesticides and herbicides.
Cotton can be produced organically, but if you want organically grown
cotton, you'd better be prepared to pay more for it.   The growers will
have to charge a bit more to make up for the years when the boll weevils
or other pests get the crop.


Cotton in other countries from larger producers is also not likely to
be pesticide free.  And the pesticides used may be ones that were
banned in the US because of safety problems.  "Dumping" pesticides
into the international market is fairly well documented.

The smallest producers, the ones that cannot afford to purchase
commercial seed, fertilizer and pesticides ARE growing organically.
When I can, I purchase cotton fabrics and garments from a self-help
marketing co-op sponsored by a number of churches that concentrates on
helping just this group of producers.

>>Ok, now you've got the cotton grown.  In ginning the cotton, short fibers
>>can be easily tossed into the air and contribute to lung disease in the
>>workers.  Ditto during weaving. 
> 
> Now this I've never heard of!!  What about crafters spinning and weaving -
> do they suffer, too, or is it just in industrial production?

High speed ginning, spinning and weaving is the worst, but even hand 
operations put some lint in the air.  Breathing particulates isn't
very good for the respiratory tract.

>>Don't have a good feel for silk production, but unless those
>>mulberry leaves are a real anomaly, the production of silkworm feed is also
>>associated with a certain amount of herbicide use.
> 
> But stopping the use of herbicide should be PART of the plan.

I agree.
> 
>>Of course, there's the associated problems of bleaching and dyeing
>>fabrics -- dioxins and some carcinogens...
> 
> Use it unbleached!  Unbleached cotton is my favorite fabric (very common
> in Bangladesh - hand woven, too :)  Or use natural dyes.  Or naturally
> colored fibers.

No decoration?  No embroidery?  No printed designs?  Aaargh!  Remember
the photos of China with everyone in blue Mao suits, and how odd it seemed?
How dull?  Devoid of individuality?

And some of us look like ^&!@# in beige-y white.  In cotton, you've
also go the possibility of a greenish brown, a medium brown, and an
odd blue without dying.  In wool, you've got your choice of white, 
black, grey or brown.  I want my peacock blue! ;-)

>>As to biodegradability, you're right-- polyester, acetate, acrylic and
>>nylon are essentially non-degradable.  But NOTHING degrades in a landfill
> 
> As I said before, the effort would be have to be in several areas, including
> seeking alternatives to landfills.

The technology and economy of scale for recycling cotton clothes just isn't
there.  And not likely to be there because of the fiber breakage problem.


Sorry to rain on the parade!  IMHO, we shouldn't be looking for *a* solution,
but for multiple solutions that people can choose from to reduce thier
impact on the earth.  For you, Runa, it might be undyed Bangladeshi
cottons.  For me, it might be 50-50 blends.  For someone else, it might
be another set of choices entirely.

One of the things that I always have to guard against as I'm teaching
environmental science classes is the feeling that "this is all too
complex, and the world's going to hell in a handbasket anyhow, and 
nothing I can do is going to make a dime's worth of difference".
Well, I can't work on the problems of growing cotton in Bangladesh,
nor of building the prices of externalities into the price of an item,
nor of many other things.  The dime's worth I've chosen for myself is
trying to cut my overall consumption of clothing, and trying to ask/teach
people to think about what we're *really* doing.

And if we put my dime's worth with Runa's dime's worth, with ...
pretty soon we've got a buck.  And if all 5 billion plus of us on
earth today put our dimes together, we're talking significant
changes!

Kay Klier