A Guide to Sustainable Textile Materials

Three Types of Textile Fibres

Textile materials are divided into three main categories:

• Natural fibres, derived from plants (like cotton and flax) or animals (like wool and silk)
• Synthetic fibres, made from fossil resources, typically oil. Examples include polyester and acrylic
• Semi-synthetic fibres, made from natural sources like wood pulp but processed chemically. Examples: viscose, lyocell and modal

Most conventional synthetic fibres are made from fossil fuels and cause significant emissions – both during production and when washed (as they release microplastics).

Synthetic Fibres

Synthetic fibres are man-made materials derived primarily from fossil fuels. Unlike natural materials such as cotton, wool, or hemp, synthetic materials are created through industrial processes involving petroleum, chemicals, and high energy use. Despite their widespread use, they often come with significant environmental drawbacks.

These are some of the most common materials found in synthetic clothing today:

Acrylic

A plastic fibre made from petroleum, requiring large amounts of energy and chemicals. Often used as a wool substitute.

• Pros: Warm, lightweight, cheap
• Cons: Easily sheds microfibres, poor breathability, non-recyclable, high chemical use, common in fast fashion

Elastane / Lycra / Spandex

Highly stretchable and often blended with other fibres to add flexibility – common in sportswear and jeans.

• Pros: Great fit, retains shape
• Cons: Loses elasticity over time, contributes to microplastic pollution, energy-intensive to produce

Nylon / Polyamide

A strong and elastic plastic fibre. Nylon is a specific brand of polyamide, used in everything from outerwear to underwear.

• Pros: Durable, weather-resistant, inexpensive
• Cons: Non-biodegradable, releases microplastics, made with toxic substances

Polyester

The most widely used textile fibre in the world – and one of the most problematic from an environmental perspective. Polyester is a plastic fibre made from oil and is a staple of fast fashion.

• Pros: Cheap, durable, quick-drying
• Cons: Releases large amounts of microplastics, poor breathability, hard to recycle, energy-intensive

These synthetic fibres are often part of a composition that blends them with natural or other synthetic fibres to achieve specific performance or aesthetic properties. However, this blending can make recycling more difficult and reduce the garment’s overall sustainability.

Together, this range of synthetic fibres offers convenience and low cost, but at a high environmental price.

Polyester is the most widely used textile fibre in the world.

Natural materials – Plant-Based

Plant-based fibres are some of the oldest natural materials used in textile production. They are derived directly from plants and, in contrast to synthetic fibers, they are biodegradable and often less harmful to the earth when sourced responsibly.

Cotton

The most common natural material in clothing. It can be grown organically but still requires significant water and land.

• Pros: Soft, comfortable, breathable
• Cons: High water use, often heavy pesticide use, shrinks easily, low recycling rate

Organic cotton reduces pesticides but may require more water and land. Recycled cotton has a lower climate impact but weaker fibre quality. Cotton is a good place to introduce natural materials into your wardrobe, but it's worth understanding its trade-offs.

Cotton is the most common natural material in clothing.

Hemp

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is one of the most sustainable materials we know. It grows quickly, needs no pesticides and improves soil quality.

• Pros: Three times stronger than cotton, UV-resistant, low water use, fully biodegradable
• Cons: Wrinkles easily, coarse texture, rare in retail due to legislation

Hemp is a strong example of how a natural material can support regenerative agriculture and be kind to the earth.

Flax / Linen

Linen is made from flax stalks. It grows well in cooler climates and requires minimal pesticides.

• Pros: Breathable, cooling, very durable, low water needs
• Cons: Wrinkles easily, often needs gentle care

Linen is another of the most natural materials with a long history and minimal environmental impact. As with hemp, its minimal processing and biodegradability make it a good alternative to synthetic fibers.

Natural Fibres – Animal-Based

Animal-based fibres are another important group of natural materials, offering warmth, durability and breathability. These materials are protein-based and come from animals such as sheep, alpacas, goats, rabbits, and silkworms. Unlike synthetic fibers, they naturally biodegrade and can have a lower environmental impact if sourced ethically.

Wool (from sheep)

Wool naturally regulates temperature and resists dirt.

Different animals produce different types of wool:

• Examples:
• • Angora (rabbit)
  • Alpaca (alpaca)
  • Cashmere (goat)
• Pros: Temperature regulating, self-cleaning, water-repellent, durable
• Cons: Can shrink, often requires handwashing, not vegan

Ethical concerns: The wool industry faces animal welfare issues, especially in Australia where mulesing is common. This painful procedure involves removing skin from a sheep’s rear to prevent parasites. New Zealand banned mulesing in 2018. It’s still common in Australia, though some producers are phasing it out.

There are some ethical concerns to take in consideration regarding the wool industry.

Alpaca

Alpaca wool is a more eco-friendly alternative to sheep wool. The animals have a low environmental impact, and the fibre is soft, durable and hypoallergenic.

• Pros: Extremely soft, naturally insulating, durable, lanolin-free
• Cons: Expensive, hard to trace to sustainable sources

Alpaca fibre is a great example of how an animal-based natural material can be used with a lower impact on the earth.

Angora

Comes from Angora rabbits. Though it can be clipped, there are frequent reports of painful fur-plucking in mass production.

• Pros: Extremely soft and lightweight
• Cons: Ethical concerns, especially in large-scale production

Angora is one of those materials that requires close attention to sourcing, as how the material is made can have serious implications for animal welfare.

Cashmere

Comes from goats in Central Asia. Soft and luxurious, but overgrazing by goats contributes to desertification.

• Pros: Lightweight, warm, luxurious feel
• Cons: Often causes land degradation, low yield per animal

Cashmere is another natural material where the environmental cost of production – especially overgrazing – must be weighed against its comfort and status.

Silk

Silk is made from the cocoon of the silkworm, usually Bombyx mori, and has been cultivated for thousands of years.

• Pros: Soft, strong, temperature-regulating, biodegradable
• Cons: Expensive, often involves boiling live silkworms (not vegan)

Silk stands out among natural materials for its history and luxurious feel. It’s also one of the other natural materialsthat raises unique ethical considerations due to the way it’s harvested.

Semi-Synthetic Fibres – Natural Raw Materials, Chemical Processing

Semi-synthetic fibres, also known as regenerated fibres, are made from natural materials such as cellulose derived from wood, bamboo, or other plant sources. While they originate from materials found in nature, they undergo intensive chemical processing to become wearable textiles. These fibres represent a combination of natural origins and industrial transformation, placing them between fully natural and fully synthetic materials.

The resulting fabrics are often soft and breathable, mimicking the feel of silk, but the production processes can have significant environmental and health impacts depending on how they are managed.

Viscose

One of the oldest regenerated fibres. Made from wood pulp, often sourced from endangered or tropical forests. Production typically involves chemicals like sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide, which are hazardous to both workers and the environment.

• Pros: Soft, comfortable, breathable, cheap
• Cons: Chemical-intensive, high water use, often linked to unsustainable wood sourcing

Viscose is an example of how natural materials can be heavily altered through chemistry, raising questions about the final composition and sustainability of the product.

Modal

A newer type of viscose, usually derived from beech trees. It is stronger and more durable than standard viscose and typically has a lower environmental impact – particularly when produced by responsible manufacturers like Lenzing, which use FSC-certified wood and closed-loop chemical recovery.

• Pros: Durable, soft, holds shape, lower impact than viscose
• Cons: Still chemically dependent, not fully circular

Modal demonstrates how semi-synthetics continue to develop through innovation, aiming to improve fibre properties and reduce environmental harm.

Lyocell / TENCEL™

The most eco-friendly regenerated fibre currently available. Made from FSC-certified eucalyptus or beech trees, Lyocell – especially under the brand name TENCEL™ – is produced in a closed-loop system that recycles up to 99% of the solvents used.

• Pros: Soft, durable, moisture-wicking, low environmental impact
• Cons: Still reliant on chemicals, slightly higher cost

TENCEL™ represents a successful combination of innovation and responsibility, showing how the composition of semi-synthetic fibres can evolve to meet sustainability goals.

Cupro, Acetate, Triacetate

These lesser-known semi-synthetics are typically used in linings or luxury garments. Made from cotton linter (a byproduct of cotton) or wood pulp, they have a silky texture but are processed using toxic solvents such as copper-ammonia or acetic acid.

These fibres show the diversity of materials found in semi-synthetics and how chemical processing can radically alter natural materials into new forms. While they may offer desirable fabric properties, their sustainability depends heavily on how they are produced and whether closed-loop methods are used.

New Materials & Innovations

Textile engineering is advancing rapidly, enabling the creation of new fibres that aim to reduce environmental impact while meeting the needs of daily life. These innovations often incorporate waste, organic matter, or natural materials, and seek to offer more sustainable alternatives to traditional fabrics. For many years, humans have relied on natural and synthetic fibres—now we’re entering a new era of material science.

Here are a few examples of how innovation and engineering are shaping the future of fashion:

• Piñatex – A leather-like fabric made from pineapple leaf fibres, a byproduct of the food industry. It is vegan and commonly used in accessories and footwear. However, it contains some plastic to enhance durability.
• Mycelium leather – Created from mushroom roots (mycelium), this material uses organic matter to mimic the texture and feel of leather. Brands like Mylo™ and Reishi™ are developing animal- and plastic-free alternatives, showing how other natural materials can be reimagined through biofabrication.
• Orange Fiber – An Italian company making viscose-like fabrics from orange peels – leftovers from juice production. This is a clever way to incorporate organic matter and natural materials into textiles while reducing waste.
• Spinnova™ – A breakthrough fibre made by mechanically processing wood pulp without chemicals or water. Still in early production stages, but it may revolutionize the materials that make up future textiles. It’s a good example of how modern engineering can scale up the use of natural materials in fashion.

These innovations prove that the future of clothing could rely less on synthetics and more on creative uses of waste and other natural materials.

Recycled Materials

Recycling is one of the most promising paths toward sustainable fashion, though it's not without limitations. The idea is to give existing materials new life, reducing demand for virgin resources and keeping textiles in use for many years.

• Recycled polyester (rPET) – Typically made from PET bottles. It requires less energy and raw material than virgin polyester but still sheds microplastics. While commonly used in activewear and fast fashion, it’s not a long-term solution unless we also tackle end-of-life recycling.

Polyester made from PET bottles requires less energy than raw material, but still sheds microplastics.

• Recycled cotton – Uses significantly less water and land than virgin cotton. However, the fibres weaken during recycling and are often blended with new cotton to enhance fabric strength. This combination can make further recycling difficult, limiting circularity.

These developments reflect how humans are rethinking the materials that make our clothes, using both natural materials and technical innovation to extend the life of resources and reduce harm to the earth.

Circularity – What Happens After We Wear Our Clothes?

To truly call a textile material sustainable, we must look beyond its origin and consider the entire lifecycle – from raw material to waste, including manufacturing, construction, usage, and end-of-life treatment.

Key questions include:

• Can it be mechanically or chemically recycled?
• Is it biodegradable in natural conditions?
• Can it compost without releasing toxins?
• What’s the realistic lifespan of the garment?
• Can the garment be designed in a way that supports circularity from the start?

Natural materials like cotton, wool, and hemp often have an advantage in terms of biodegradability, but even the most natural materials must be processed and cultivated responsibly. If treated with harmful chemicals or blended with synthetics, their end-of-life impact worsens.

Synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon, especially when in a mix or layer with other fibres, are notoriously difficult to recycle. Their construction can hinder mechanical recycling and their form doesn’t support biodegradation.

Materials such as TENCEL™ and Spinnova™, which use FSC-certified wood sources and closed-loop systems, show strong circular potential. These fibres create opportunities for sustainable fashion—but circularity also requires supporting infrastructure, thoughtful product design, and robust collection systems.

Circularity requires supporting infrastructure.

Certifications to Look For

Certifications are a helpful guide for consumers and brands aiming to support sustainable textiles. They ensure that the materials used and the way garments are made align with environmental and ethical standards:

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): The most comprehensive label for organic fibres, covering the entire manufacturing chain, including farming, chemical use, and social criteria.
• OEKO-TEX Standard 100: Tests final garments for harmful substances. It does not assess the full lifecycle or environmental impact of production.
• EU Ecolabel: An official European label that evaluates environmental performance and product quality across stages, from fibre production to disposal.
• Cradle to Cradle: Focuses on circular design, assessing materials for safe use, reuse, and continuous cycles.
• FSC mark (Forest Stewardship Council): Ensures that cellulose-based fibres like viscose, modal, and lyocell are sourced from responsibly managed forests. Look for the FSC mark when choosing these materials.
• Responsible Wool Standard (RWS): Guarantees better animal welfare and sustainable land management in wool production.

By understanding the full construction of a product—from its natural materials to the way different fibres mix and form a garment—we can make choices that support longevity, reuse, and true sustainability.

Most Sustainable?

There’s no simple answer – every material has pros and cons. Some natural materials come from renewable sources and biodegrade back into the ground, while others—whether synthetic or natural—require high inputs of energy, water, and chemicals.

What matters most is how garments are used, how long they last, and what happens when you no longer want them. Extending a garment’s life is often the most sustainable choice. The more times a garment is worn, the lower its impact per use. Usage patterns matter just as much as material choice.

Also ask yourself: do you need to buy this, or could you use something you already have? Sharing, mending and reusing also go a long way. Fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it’s part of the broader system of how nature, people and resources interact. Think of your wardrobe as one layer in the bigger picture.

Our Sustainability Priorities:

• Use what you have – care for your clothes
• Buy second-hand – choose natural materials when possible
• Borrow or rent temporary garments
• Choose new items carefully – preferably certified, local, or recycled
• Wash and dry gently – make your clothes last
• Donate or recycle – not the trash! Most textiles can live another life

Over the course of a garment’s life, simple actions like reusing or repairing can be as impactful as choosing eco-friendly fibres. Every choice builds on the last—like the walls of a more sustainable lifestyle.

By taking care of your clothes, the climate impact could be reduced.

Summary – What to Choose?

You Have More Power Than You Think!

By choosing sustainable textiles, you can make a real difference. Clothing production affects the planet in many ways – from the raw materials extracted from nature to the final garment on your body.

There are better options—those that use less energy, fewer chemicals and less water. When you also think long-term, wear what you already own, buy second-hand, and care for your clothes – your wardrobe becomes part of the solution.

Choosing sustainably isn’t just good for the ground we live on – it feels better too. Together, we can reshape fashion’s walls, rebuild trust in natural systems, and stay on course toward a more sustainable future – one choice at a time.