Any of the following choices will make a positive social and environmental impact:

1. Select garments made from organic natural fibers or eco-friendly synthetics.
2. Encourage your tailor to operate sustainably in addition to designing your garments using eco-friendly fabrics. 
3. Select ready-to-wear garments from manufacturers with fair wage and labor practices, also called fair trade practices.
4. Donate every garment and textile you no longer want, even those you think are too run down. Goodwill and similar organizations work with salvage companies to ship abroad the garments they can't sell here in the U.S.If fabric is not fit to ship, it's repurposed as seat cushions, pillows or shop rags.

Organic vs. Natural Cotton
Organic Cotton is grown without the use of Pesticides, Fungicides, Herbicides, Swage Sludge, Irradiation or Genetic Engineering. Like all other products labeled "organic", it is certified by an accredited independent organization.

Worth noting: Conventional Cotton Farming uses approximately 25% of the world’s Insecticides and more than 10% of the Pesticides. The US Environmental Protection Agency categorizes seven of the 15 most common pesticides usedon cotton in the year 2000 in the US as "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" human carcinogens. Eight years later, this fact is worth noting because it takes 10 years to ban a pesticide usingcurrent U.S. procedures.

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Organic or Eco-Wool
In order for wool to be certified as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with federal  standards for organic livestock production, which include:

• livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation forward must be organic;
• use of synthetic hormones, vaccinations and genetic engineering is prohibited;
• use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external and on pastures) is prohibited; and
• producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.

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Organic Silk
There are no set standards for organic silk but one Chinese producer’s organic silk is made by feeding their silkworms “biologically dynamic” mulberries that are free from harmful substances.

Does biologically dynamic = genetically modified?
If you care, let me know and I’ll find out.

Organic Linen
Traditionally, the name linen was used for fabric made from flax. Today linen might be made from cotton, hemp or it could be synthetic. In any case, organic linen is made from fibers grown without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.

Bamboo
Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. It wears and holds color like silk and wicks moisture away from the skin so it keeps you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Bamboo products are considered sustainable because the stalks grow about one foot each month, making it quickly renewable. However, a few circumstances now challenge the breadth of its eco-friendliness:

1. Because of the demand, many farmers are now monocropping it – meaning it is the sole crop being grown – which reduces biodiversity and, in a few short seasons, can lead to an increase in pests and disease and the need for pesticides.
2. The sole processor of bamboo fabric for clothing sold in the U.S. is a Chinese company with a patented, proprietary process. Not subject to the transparency laws in the U.S., the factory’s process has been compared to that of rayon, which involves the use of caustic chemicals.

According to Morris Saintsing, sales development and operations partner of bamboo clothing retailer Bamboosa, greener ways of creating bamboo fabrics are being tested, but those generally result in a linen-like product that doesn't have the silky texture people are looking for in clothing. Few of the alternatives are in use, but "We're doing what we can to make it a greener process," he says.

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Traditional Synthetics are made from the by-products of petroleum processing and do not biodegrade.

Eco-friendly regenerated (synthetic) fibers
They are synthetic in the sense that they’re not plucked from a stem, sheered off an animal or spun by an insect, but the actual category into which they fit is Regenerated Fibers: polymers. This class of material has multiple (poly) qualities – and are chemically transformed into fiber from a natural source like grain, seaweed or wood pulp.

Ingeo is manufactured from the protein found in corn. Looks and wears like silk or cotton depending on how it is woven; Up to 50% less fossil fuel is used in production - with up to 60% less green house gases being emitted. Biodegrades in months when exposed to high temperature and moisture, compared to up to 90 years for cotton. Can also be composted.

Pros:	Cons:
When blended with cotton and wool, Ingeo results in lighter garments that wick moisture away from the skin. If you tend to perspire heavily this may be a great green option for you. Made from genetically engineered corn, which has a much higher yield per acre and uses less pesticide.	Made from genetically engineered corn. How do you feel about the use of genetically modified crops for products like fabric and food storage containers?

Worth Noting: Fifty-two percent of the cotton produced last year was genetically engineered with a bacteria gene to resist bugs without the use of pesticides.

Ingeo Image Gallery

Lyocell is produced by breaking down the cellulose in wood pulp. It’s a strong, durable fabric that drapes like rayon and is often with other natural fibers such as wool, cotton, silk, and flax. The cotton blend is a stronger, more durable fabric; the wool blend, more absorbent. The U.S. government’s “Textile, Wool, and Fur Labeling Acts” of the U.S. Government, mandates that man-made and natural fibers must be identified by their generic names, however Lyocell is better known by its brand name Tencel®.

Pros:	Cons:
The raw material for lyocell comes from wood pulp from trees grown on managed tree farms where replanting rates exceed usage or from low-grade recycled paper.	None

Lyocell (Tencel® ) Image Gallery

Modal is made with reconstituted cellulose from Beech trees. Its texture is similar to silk or cotton and it breathes and holds brilliant color like silk. Also stays soft through repeated washings.

Pros:	Cons:
Offers high color brilliance; stays soft through repeated washings. 100% biodegradable, this bio-based fabric is 50% more water-absorbent than cotton, but it dyes just as well, holds color fast, and is resistant to fading. It seemingly can do no wrong.	None

Modal Image Gallery