What is Sustainability?
The answer is long, complicated, and highly nuanced. For the sake of simplicity, let’s focus on fashion.
First off, there is no universally accepted definition for the word ‘sustainability’. It means something different to every person, every brand, in every industry. For the most part, however, sustainability has to do with environmental and social responsibility, and conducting one’s business in such a way that is less damaging to people and planet.
If you are thinking this sounds imprecise, you’re right. It is the responsibility of individual brands to define what sustainability means for their business, to set goals and to decide what partners and practices they will employ to reach their objectives. And it is also up to brands to communicate their sustainability initiatives to customers, so they can make informed decisions about the clothing they choose to buy. No one exists in a vacuum - sustainability must be a collective effort.
So, what does sustainability mean for Juniper & Eve?
Materials and Sourcing
When I talk about sustainability, I am, first and foremost, talking about my fabrics.
When I decided to start Juniper & Eve in late 2019, I knew sustainability was going to be a focus right from the start (I have a degree in Environmental Science). This meant finding a fabric supplier that was as committed to sustainability as I am. In short, a supplier I could trust.
After much research, I settled on a supplier located in British Columbia, Canada. This supplier is STANDARD 100 certified by OEKO-TEX®, which is a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system that tests for harmful substances used during all stages of production (raw materials, intermediates, and end products). The fabric itself is produced in Asia and South America, in mills that are held to similarly high standards through testing and frequent audits by third party organizations, and employ best practices in terms of water usage, fair wages and safe working conditions.
I’m also looking for suppliers that actually produce their fabric here in North America, from growing the fibers to creating the textiles. These mills are few and far between, but that’s a goal I’m working towards achieving in 2021/2022.
Let’s dive into some specifics about the fabrics I’m using today.
Fibers
TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal: These fibers are made of wood pulp from sustainably managed forests in Europe and neighboring countries (the bulk of which is collected during the thinning process - a necessary part of forest management but material that would not otherwise be used for furniture or construction). TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are created using a closed loop technology, which means that >99% of the water and chemicals used to turn the wood pulp into a fiber are reused continuously. TENCEL™ Modal is created using up to 50% less energy and recovery of processed materials. (TENCEL™ is a trademark of Lenzing AG.).
Organic Cotton: Organic cotton is grown from non-GMO seeds, without the use of synthetic fertilizers. Crop rotation and soil management techniques help to increase biodiversity and ecosystem health, which eliminates the need for pesticides that are toxic to both environment and farm workers.
Hemp: Hemp fabric is made using fibers from the cannabis sativa plant, which grows quickly without needing herbicides or pesticides. Cannabis sativa is a nitrogen-fixing plant, which means bacteria living on its roots take atmospheric nitrogen and return it to the soil in a form that other plants can use. Essentially, after the plants are harvested, the soil is left enriched and better able to nourish the next crop.
Recycled Nylon Mesh: I use this fabric around the edges of some underwear and bralettes as an alternative to polyurethane elastic binding or trim. I can’t always avoid using regular elastic, such as in the underbust bands of bralettes or the waistband of Valkyrie panties, but I’m working to reduce my elastic use wherever possible. Plus, I love the delicate look of the mesh edges!
Spandex: this one is not sustainable. Spandex is made of a synthetic polymer called polyurethane, which was developed in the 1950s as a replacement for rubber. Upside, it is extremely stretchy, recovers to its original size after being stretched repeatedly and is very durable. Downside, it’s made of crude oil. As a lingerie brand, there needs to be a certain amount of stretch in the fabrics I use for undergarments, to ensure comfort and proper fit. However, that stretch doesn’t always need to come from spandex, and I’m working to introduce some sustainable alternatives into my collection. I do not use any fabrics with more than 10% spandex, with most fabrics at 6% or less.
These are some of the fibers I use, but if you check out my item descriptions, you’ll see that these fibers don’t often appear alone. Most of my fabrics are made with a blend of fibers. And while its great that the raw materials going into the fabrics come from sustainable sources (except spandex), blending fibers presents a challenge when we talk about garment recycling.
Currently, there are very few textile recycling programs available, and none can handle the sheer volume of textile waste we’re generating today. Even within existing recycling programs, it is difficult to separate blended fibers, particularly when these are a mix of naturals and synthetics (such as a poly-cotton or cotton-spandex blend). The good news is that there are many innovators working on this problem today. Hopefully, textile recycling will become commonplace in the future, perhaps even on a municipal level (imagine having a textile bin that you put on the curb next to your paper and glass recycling!) In the meantime, I’ll continue to use the best fabrics I have access to, and I’m currently working to introduce some spandex-free options to my collection.
Waste
Fashion’s biggest source of waste comes from the production process, ie. offcuts and fabric scraps. Most garment manufacturers would just throw these away; sorting and keeping them takes resources and human effort.
But at Juniper & Eve, a real advantage of being a small operation is that I am flexible enough to make use of these offcuts and willing to put in the effort. I don’t throw any of my offcuts away. Instead, I save bigger pieces to be used in other items, and any scraps too small to use in clothing become stuffing for pillows. This is one of the biggest things I can do personally to lessen the impact my business has on the environment.
The last source of waste I want to talk about is overproduction. The fast fashion industry is notorious for this. By using cheap, poor quality fabric, shoddy construction and underpaying their workers (often in conditions many would consider abhorrent), fast fashion producers make such profit that simply throwing away unsold merchandise makes sense for their business. This seems morally repugnant, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Smaller brands such as Juniper & Eve are employing better production methods. By producing my items in small batches, or even made-to-order (meaning I start making an item only after someone has bought it), I eliminate overproduction from my process.
If you want to learn more about the impacts of fast fashion, I recommend reading “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes” by Dana Thomas, a great book!
Environmental and Social Responsibility
Besides my materials, there are a few other things I’m doing to lessen the negative impacts of my business.
Made in Canada: Juniper & Eve is based in Ontario, and I make my products in-house, instead of having them manufactured elsewhere and then shipped to me for distribution, as is the practice with most fashion brands. This means my items travel a little less distance on their journey from fibers to your hands, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions that result from transportation.
Prices: I set my prices so I can pay myself and anyone I work with a fair wage.
Packaging Materials: I mail every order in a 100% recycled paper mailer, which is completely biodegradable. To protect the items themselves, I put them in a reusable, resealable plastic baggie, which I encourage customers to reuse.
Education & Transparency: Nature and sustainability are my passions. I studied environmental science at the University of Waterloo and continue to learn about our shared world today. I hope that by continuing to learn and share my knowledge, I can instill this passion in others. Sustainability must be a group effort, and it is up to brands to be transparent about their practices so customers can make informed purchasing decisions.
Plans for the Future
I am doing many things already to ensure my business is on the road to sustainability but there is always room for improvement:
Firstly, I’d like to use more single-fiber or natural-fiber-only blends and reduce my use of fabrics blended with spandex wherever possible. Not only will this help as textile recycling programs become more widespread, but it will also reduce things like microfiber pollution (the small fibers that come off your clothes and enter our water systems every time you wash them). If all the fibers are natural and biodegradable, they will break down over time, instead of sitting in landfills for centuries or ending up inside aquatic animals.
Secondly, I am working towards sourcing at least some, if not all, of my fabrics from mills in North America. This will reduce the distance that the materials need to travel before they get to me, reducing transportation emissions and pollution.
Thirdly, I aim to use natural dyes to colour some of my products. These are completely biodegradable and generally non-toxic, depending on the additives you use. I’m still learning about natural dyes and am experimenting to find ones that work for my products, but I’m excited to introduce colours derived straight from nature!
Lastly, I will continue to keep my finger on the pulse of innovation in the fashion industry and augment my practices as new information and technologies become available.
Sustainability is a process, and I will continue to adapt and grow.
Are we perfect?
So, is Juniper & Eve 100% sustainable? No.
Complete sustainability does not exist in the fashion industry. Yet!
Until a clothing brand has complete control over every aspect of its supply chain - from growing the fiber, to spinning, weaving, dyeing, garment construction, finishing, sale and recycling of the product at the end of its useful life - that brand cannot claim to be perfectly sustainable.
Juniper & Eve is doing all we can today and has a plan for how we will improve moving forward. There are many exciting innovations taking place in the industry that will help improve the way we design, produce, repurpose, and recycle of our fashion, and I aim to be part of the solution.
Get Involved
Wondering what you can do to make more sustainable fashion choices? Here are my top tips:
Do Your Research: Some items (like lingerie) you must buy new. Before you buy something, do your research into the brand’s policies and practices to ensure you’re supporting a company whose values align with your own.
Buy Well-Made Clothes: the better it is made, the longer it will last. While well-made is often more expensive up front, you end up paying less (sometimes much less) over the long-term because these items do not constantly need to be replaced.
Buy Less: The most sustainable garment you can wear is one you already own.
Buy Used: Thrift stores and consignment shops are great places to find unique pieces to add to your wardrobe, and by using a garment that has already been created, you are lessening demand for new items to be produced. Less consumption leads to less production and less waste.
Pass It On: Have an item you don’t wear anymore but is still in decent condition? Pass it on to someone else who can use it, to keep it out of landfill until its useful life is actually over.
Repair What You Have: By repairing the clothing you have, you’re extended its useful life, which means less demand for new items to be produced and fewer garments sent to landfill.
Textile Recycling Programs: Check to see if there are any textile recycling programs available where you live. If not, maybe this is something you could advocate for in your community.
TL;DR
There is no universal definition of sustainability - in general, sustainability has to do with environmental and social responsibility. It is up to brands to decide what sustainability means to them, to act accordingly and to communicate this with customers.
At Juniper & Eve, sustainability starts with fabrics. I use TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal, organic cotton, hemp, and recycled nylon, and limit my use of spandex/elastane wherever possible.
There is virtually no waste in my production process. I save all offcuts for future use, and make everything in small batches or made-to-order, meaning there no overproduction and little waste generated by my business.
All orders are produced in-house, packaged in 100% recycled paper mailers and prices reflect fair wages paid to myself and my team.
Perfect sustainability does not yet exist in the fashion industry. But many brands, Juniper & Eve included, are doing what we can with the resources we have today and have set goals for improvement going forward.
Sustainability must be a collective effort, and there are many things you can do today to make sustainable choices regarding your clothes. These include buying well-made clothes, buying less, buying used, repairing what you have, and doing your research before buying something new.