ethical environmental textiles and clothing insulation materials
What fabrics and insulation are best for the environment, ethicality, and performance?
David Smolinski
Originally Posted by cabbagehead
Second or third hand stuff for the environment and ethics.
Quality second or third hand stuff for performance.
The most friendly is stuff you already own. Next most, used stuff from other people. Because it all already exists. Synthetics tend to be less eco-friendly than natural fabrics as they are often petroleum sourced or use lots of chemicals and energy in their manufacture. That said, cotton uses a lot of water and energy to manufacture, wool and down require animal husbandry, etc. Everything we humans consume has some degree of negative impact. https://www.eco-stylist.com/a-guide-...nable-fabrics/
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
I agree. Everything we do does something, no matter what. The only way to do it is to wear everything out until no one else can use it. I will not feel guilty about wearing my fleece or polyester shirt for ten years and discarding it due to holes, pilling, or a zipper that cannot be replaced.
It’s certainly a good question.
FWIW, while there is a great deal of information out there regarding issues surrounding factory farming — including the down sourcing for our beloved gear — I have not seen few videos giving better insight into the magic and intrinsic value of our fellow creatures than this piece on wild turkeys:
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-l...oduction/7268/
If it helps inspire anyone to ask the same questions, then perhaps my thread drift is forgivable.
Hemp is an environmentally friendly alternative to cotton.
Hemp fabrics are stronger,more absorbent, more durable, and better insulation than cotton. Furthermore they don't stretch out of shape. Hemp also has a porous personality that allows it to breathe. https://www. ravenox.com>news
It can also be used in the making of over 25,000 products. There's a reason Canada still grows it.
Hemp fields also stink like crazy.
A couple of years ago New York state was growing an experimental plot about 2 acres in size in a farm field near Stormville, NY and it was absolutely horrible and the odor could be smelled over incredibly long distances. I used to drive right by it on Rt 52 and it was very strong from about 1/2 mi away.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
Great reason to let Canada grow it for us.
Indeed.
Many articles like this.....
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
So does a pig farm but I'm not gonna stop eating bacon.
Good point.
My dad grew up on a farm in Nebraska. He was a kid during WW2 and they grew hemp for the war effort, but after the war they were required to get rid of it. But it grows so well it is almost impossible to eradicate. He spent much of his teen years pulling hemp. When I was a kid in the 70s we visited grandpa's farm and as we walked the lanes dad was still finding hemp. He said pulling it was a a reflex.
As long as it's not right next to your house.
There are worse smells. Tanneries... landfills...
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
For down, I concluded that some sources of eiderdown might be ethical. Goosedown might be ethical if you harvest it yourself. Harvesting down only after killing would make too much meat for 1 person.
David Smolinski
You could always freeze half or donate the meat to the hunger society.
It would be nice to quantify the parameters of materials.
Parameters I thought of:
- dryining speed
- strength to weight
- abrasion
- insulation to weight
- UV (ultraviolet) resistance
- SPF
- ethics: harm to animals or humans
- speed of biodegrading when composted
- Does it shed long lived particles?
- energy to produce
- breathability
Environmental materials I heard of:
- rayon: There are many types and sources. Some are not environmental.
- wool
- cotton
- hemp
- flax
David Smolinski
Yeah, rendering plants and tanneries are nasty, paper mills also come to mind. Textiles don't stink quite as bad, but they are (regardless of natural or synthetic base fiber) terribly water intensive and big polluters, especially the dyestuff and fabric treatment processes.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
I have a bamboo shirt I quite like. I believe that would be one of the environmentaly friendly rayon options.
Rayon is in a rather weird category.
Starts out as a natural material but is processed to hell and back until it's practically a synthetic.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
I've seen similar discussions on other hiking pages. But what is not considered is the impact of not buying hiking gear. Your environmental impact is not the impact of what you buy, but the difference between one choice and the alternative. For example, I wear my hiking clothes every day. So I am not buying extra clothes to hike because I buy fewer clothes for everyday use. As for hiking specific gear, what is the impact of not buying tents, packs, quilts, stoves, etc...? If you were not a hiker, you would likely you would engage in another hobby. The alternatives are countless, but on whole, I would guess that backpacking has a much smaller environmental footprint than most hobbies. So in the final analysis, I'm not feeling too guilty about the 2 lbs of silnylon in my tent.
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