SUSTAINABLE VISCOSE
Is Viscose a sustainable fabric?
My opinion is that traditional Viscose and Rayons are not sustainable options. However, modern advanced technology produced Viscose are. This continuous research has led me to a decision to no longer stock traditional Viscose, and to only stock Viscose that have been made with a sustainable approach.
Common misconceptions
But isn't all Viscose derived from wood, therefore natural and biodegradable?
Viscose is derived from wood yes, so yes, it is natural and biodegradable. However, the majority of Viscose is derived from wood that is not from sustainably managed forests or from renewable sources which leads to deforestation. Also the production methods used to make the wood pulp into fibres, require not only a lot of water, but also chemicals, which harm both the planet and its people.
What about Viscose that are certified Oeko-Tex Standard 100?
A common point of confusion is that fabrics that are Oeko-Tex certified are deemed 'good' fabrics. They are good in the sense that they have been tested to ensure there are no chemicals present on the fabric that would be exposed to the consumer. However, this does not mean that toxic chemicals haven't been used in the production of the fabric, which may have harmed the workers at that stage, or have leaked into the environment through sewage systems, creating toxic environments for wildlife and fauna. Therefore traditional Viscose is not kind to the planet.
So what are the modern sustainable developments?
Fibre Sourcing
We look for brands that ensure their Viscose fibres are sourced from responsibly-managed forests.
Production
Viscose production uses a lot of water and chemicals. Some manufacturers have the technology to generate lower emissions and water during production, also recycling the chemicals used in the process.
End-of-life
Due to chemicals and dyes added into fibres to make a fabric, certain branded fibres ensure that the Viscose fibres are able to decompose under the right conditions, unlike Polyester fabrics that may leech microplastics into the environment during use and at its end of life cycle.
Fabric brands
Popular brands such as Atelier Brunette, Lady McElroy, meetMilk®, and Mind the Maker, have an ethical collection of Viscose that are manufactured responsibly.
Nani IRO use a similar Viscose called Lexel/Rexcell which is also manufactured using more environmentally friendly methods to the traditional generic Viscose fabrics on offer.
Hi Alice,
Ooh, I haven’t heard of that label before. It would be worth checking if they have a website and see what their commitment is to social responsibility, in how they manufacture their clothes. Generally if the company cares about the people and the environment, they’ll be happy to let you know about it! I have found that fabrics printed with ‘indigo’ these days are often with synthetic indigo dyes and so the terminology gets mixed up. In your question about aniline dyes, this is an article I’ve seen before about the history of dyes that talks a little of how aniline dyes were introduced to fabric, and is an interesting read. It can be found at: https://thedreamstress.com/2013/09/terminology-what-are-aniline-dyes-or-the-history-of-mauve-and-mauveine/
although I don’t know how accurate the information is!
I would like to know how “sustainable” the manufacturing process is/was for a dress recently purchased bearing the label “maje”. Clearly, if the labelling is to be believed, there was considerable input at some point in time from an oriental country – it claims to be viscose eco-responsible, the fabric is printed (colourway described as “indigo”) – why? I have no idea, since that is a dye product that went out with the Ark and old fashioned blue jeans. This garment retails in a well-known U.S. department store on Oxford Street for £299. Does anyone else know what date aniline dyes were introduced into fabric/clothes production?