When trying to read clothing labels these days, it’s easy to get buried in all the (potentially) sustainable fabrics.

And so much of the innovation is just, well…strange. Fabrics made from apples and pineapples? What?!

What’s more, there are different manufacturing processes, certification schemes, and conflicting practices for almost every.single.one.

But in order to promote a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry, it’s critical we as consumers understand these differences—at least on a basic level.

After all, materials are what most determine the environmental impact of our clothes, directly contributing to: consumption of water, microplastic pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, rainforest destruction and lastly landfill waste of epic proportions.

By choosing eco-friendly fabrics alone, you’re taking a huge step toward a more sustainable wardrobe.

So while you definitely be asking #whomademyclothes, perhaps the first question we should ask is, “What are my clothes made of?”.

You know the type of fabric used for those sustainable socks or t-shirt will determine how much environmental degradation it ends up causing—but what does “sustainable fabric” mean”?

What makes a fabric sustainable? How do you know if fabric is sustainable really?

Well, first let’s touch on what makes an unsustainable clothing fabric.

Conventional fabrics used in fashion and home goods—i.e. cotton, viscose fabric, leather, among many others—have historically been developed with profit (not planet) in mind, entailing:

With that in mind, the Sustainable Jungle sustainable fabrics definition is this: 

Textiles that significantly minimizes the impact of its conventional alternatives, whether through organic and chemical-free farming, use of recycled materials, circular manufacturing processes, and sustainable prospects for end-of-life disposal.

On the positive side, environmentally friendly fabrics are becoming easier and easier to find. Here’s our list of some of the most sustainable fabrics for clothing brands are using to stake their claim for a better fashion future. 

Now that we’ve answered, “What is a sustainable fabric?”, let’s get into the nitty-gritty (or should we say, knitty-gritty?) of what fabrics are sustainable.