For instance, take a closer look at eco-friendly clothing made use fast-growing materials like hemp and bamboo. These are durable substances and they aren’t treated with pesticides, making them an attractive alternative to cottons and synthetic fabrics. However, hemp and bamboo are rough and need to be softened in order to be woven into clothing items, so chemicals are needed for this step, making them less green than environmentalists would like.

There are, of course, softer options, such as soy fabrics, but these have a trade off, too, since softer material wears out sooner and needs to be replaced sooner than more durable choices, so some of the environmental savings are cancelled out by this fact.

And bamboo, which is a wild-growing fiber that has been touted for being a wise green choice and pest resistant, has become so popular that farmers are raising more bamboo crops that are attracting more pests, thereby requiring the use of chemical pesticides, so the green factor here is also diminished as a result.

Then there’s organic cotton, which is still grown without using pesticides, but in fact, this makes up only a fraction of the world’s total supply of cotton. Further, once the cotton is harvested, it can be chemically treated or colored with chemical dyes, making it less green than consumers might otherwise think. Adding more confusion into the mix is the fact that even with chemicals added, the fabric can be labeled as organic, so shoppers may not know exactly what they are getting in the end.

Finally, some of the purest green options are produced in other parts of the world, and although the material might have the least impact on the environment, the travel involved in moving the materials leaves its own carbon footprint.

Become An Educated Shopper

What all this means is that it’s not all so easy being green. Further, it’s important to point out that it’s not just the materials used to produce the clothes that make them an eco-friendly purchase. There are other factors to consider as well. You need to look at a company’s environmental policies, packaging approach and perhaps most important of all, its fair trade and labor practices. (This refers to making sure that workers not only at home but also in third world countries have safe working conditions and get paid a fair wage.)

Other things that you should look at it when buying a new piece of eco-friendly clothing include these issues:

Care

Many experts say that the biggest environmental impact of clothes is not in their manufacturing or material but actually in their care. Washing clothes uses large amounts of water, energy and chemicals. The greenest options, then, are clothes that don’t need to be dry cleaned and can be washed at home in cold water and then hung up to dry.

Longevity

Since an important goal of buying green clothes is to reduce the resources used, you should look for items that will last a long time and won’t need to be replaced. Look for classic styles, fabrics and colors that won’t fade, wear out or become out of date anytime soon.

Recycling

Shop for eco-friendly clothing that comes from recycled parts and used fabric that has been remade into something new. Such an example of sustainability is a growing trend in the eco-fashion world and reduces the need for raw materials and energy, too, making it a good option for a responsible consumer to choose.