Reference library
Sustainable materials, decoded
What each material actually is, what certifications mean on the label, and the trade-offs greenwashing won't tell you about.
Organic Cotton
Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides or GMOs, certified by GOTS or OCS.
Recycled Polyester (rPET)
Polyester fiber made from recycled PET, usually post-consumer plastic bottles.
Hemp
Fast-growing bast fiber that needs little water, no pesticides, and improves soil.
FSC-Certified Wood
Wood and paper from forests independently certified for sustainable management.
Lyocell (Tencel)
Closed-loop wood-pulp fiber with 99% solvent recovery, silky drape, biodegradable.
Bamboo
Fast-growing grass — sustainable as a raw material, often problematic as fabric.
Recycled Aluminum
Infinitely recyclable metal that uses 95% less energy than virgin production.
Cork
Bark harvested without felling the tree — renewable every 9 years.
The four questions to ask about any material
Where did it come from?
Was the crop certified organic, the forest FSC-managed, or the recycled feedstock GRS-tracked? Origin certification is the strongest signal we have.
How was it processed?
Conventional cotton uses ~10,000 L of water per kg; regenerative organic can cut that by 90%. Viscose can be chemically intensive; lyocell (closed-loop) reclaims ~99% of solvent.
What happens at end of life?
Natural fibres biodegrade. Blends usually don't. Plastic-based fibres shed microplastics with every wash. Some brands run takeback and recycling programs — worth checking.
Is the finished product safe?
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests the finished fabric for harmful chemicals. A GOTS finished-product certification covers organic AND social criteria across the whole chain.
Related references
Materials FAQ
Is 'natural' automatically better than synthetic?+
No. Conventional cotton uses ~16% of the world's insecticides on 2.5% of arable land. Bamboo viscose is a natural fibre processed with carbon disulphide, a neurotoxin. Meanwhile, recycled polyester has real end-of-life issues but a lower manufacturing footprint than virgin cotton. Match the material to the use case and always check the certification, not the marketing.
Why does 'bamboo' show up on both sustainable and problematic lists?+
Bamboo the plant grows fast without pesticides. Bamboo fabric is almost always bamboo viscose — dissolved in carbon disulphide and regenerated. That process is chemically intensive, but closed-loop lyocell versions (like TENCEL™ Lyocell made from bamboo) recover ~99% of the solvent. Read the fabric technology, not just the plant.
What certifications should I look for on materials?+
GOTS for organic cotton and other natural fibres, GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for recycled content, OEKO-TEX for chemical safety in the finished textile, FSC for wood-based fibres and paper, and RWS/RMS for responsibly sourced wool and mohair.
Is leather ever ethical?+
Conventional leather is a byproduct of the beef industry with high chemical impact from chromium tanning. Vegetable-tanned leather cuts the chemical impact substantially. Plant-based leathers (Piñatex, MIRUM, cactus, mycelium) avoid animal use but often still contain a plastic binder — check the composition. There's no single 'ethical' answer; it depends on which trade-off you care about.