Eco-friendly is the trendy word in fashion today. Designers are using organic cotton, hemp and soy to market to the Al Gore set, and it's working. The truth is, the best way to help the environment is to buy no new clothes (go vintage!), but obviously this isn't going to happen.

I obviously support the new eco-friendly trend, but I'm afraid designers will dilute the meaning of the word until consumers have no idea whether their purchase is actually helping the earth. Just like the word organic has supermarket shoppers scratching their heads, it's hard to tell just how eco-friendly those new organic cotton jeans really are.

A new article in the NY Times explores this dilemma. A few valid points it brings up:

Fabrics made from bamboo or hemp, for example, are promoted as having been raised without pesticides and also for growing much faster than cotton. But the downside is that bamboo or hemp fibers are naturally tough and are typically softened before being woven into fabric by using chemical treatments, which cause more pollution.

and

... organic cotton is not always used in its pure state. The Department of Agriculture's standards do not regulate textile production once cotton has been harvested, so as a fabric it may be chemically treated, or printed with toxic dyes, and still be labeled as organic.

The bottom line is don't always trust the label. Do some research on the brand if you really want to know if it lives up to your standards. Buy vintage, mend those old clothes, read Treehugger and look for products made from recycled materials like the Urban Renewal line at Urban Outfitters.

More:
A World Consumed by Guilt [NYT]
Eco-Chic [Citysearch]
Vintage Clothing [Citysearch]