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Sweaters are typically made from sheep’s wool and/or cotton, although other fibers, both natural and synthetic, can be used. A popular variation of the pullover sweater, a sweatshirt, is made from heavy knit cotton. In 2005, the US generated some 8 million tons of waste from clothing and footwear—approximately 54 pounds per person.[1]

Conventional cotton is considered to be the world's most pesticide-intensive crop. While only 2.4 percent of farmland worldwide is dedicated to cotton, it accounts for 24 percent of global insecticide sales and 11 percent of global pesticide sales.[2] In total, $2 billion worth of chemicals are sprayed on global cotton crops each year, almost half of which are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organization.[3]

The various chemicals used to treat conventional cotton can harm beneficial insects and soil micro-organisms, pollute ground and surface water, and adversely affect the health of humans and wildlife—including fish, birds, and livestock. Additionally, up to 70 percent GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds are used in conventional cotton farming in the United States.[4]

Although the wool used to make sweaters is a completely renewable resource, "grown" in all 50 states, it also poses environmental risks.[5] In 2000, sheep used in wool production were treated with over 14,000 pounds of pesticides to ward off lice, flies, mange, and other pests. The three leading insecticides used on sheep in 2005—fenvalerate, malathion, and permethrin—pose various environmental dangers, including high toxicity to fish and amphibians and groundwater contamination.

Chemical antibiotic feed additives used to boost growth rates in sheep are believed to contaminate surface and groundwater, and in some cases, drinking water supplies in rural areas. This is a result of antibiotics in sheep feces.

There are also direct environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, that stem from large-scale livestock operations. Additionally, enteric fermentation—or livestock belching and flatulence—continues to be a major contributor to global climate change. In New Zealand, for example, 90 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas (methane, in particular) emissions are a result of enteric fermentation, primarily coming from sheep.[6]

The cashmere controversy

Cashmere fiber, natural and long-lasting (and thus sustainable), also poses environmental hazards. “The diamond of fiber” has traditionally carried a high price tag and a reputation for being up-market because of of its rarity and quality—the fiber is collected (usually by combing) from the coat of the native-to-Asia cashmere goat once a year. Two to three goats are required to produce a single cashmere sweater.[7]

China is the leading producer of cashmere—over 12,000 tons annually—and produces not only domestically collected cashmere but fiber imported from countries like Mongolia. As recent demands for reasonably priced imported cashmere clothing grows, more and more goats enter the cashmere “production line" and Chinese grasslands, once used for grazing, are transformed into deserts. As a result, there have been an increasing number of massive dust storms that originate in these deserts. In 1998, a dust storm that began in China and Mongolia reached North America and prompted air pollution warnings in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.[7]

Glossary

• genetically modified organism: A GMO is the result of merging the genetic make-up of two organisms to create a desired byproduct that could otherwise not be found in nature. Engineering GMOs is a common practice in conventional farming, and studies have shown that GMOs pose significant environmental risks such as killing off living, natural organisms and becoming immune to pesticides.
• methane: A greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere from both natural and man-made sources, including landfills, agricultural activities, wastewater treatment, and coal mining. Once introduced into the atmosphere, methane can exist for 9 to 15 years. It’s more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere (global warming) than fellow greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.

External links

• fiftyrx3
• TreeHugger - Cashmere: Sustainable Fiber or Environmental Disaster?
• Organic Consumers Association
• Organic Wool Network
• Style Will Save Us
• Sustainable Cotton Project
• Sustainable Style Foundation