It seems we hear words like "eco friendly" and "green" every day. When it comes to energy sources and technologies, these different concepts get a lot of press. In regard to fashion, however, the concept is left a little blurry and at times confusing. The key to understanding eco fashion lies merely in understanding the issues regarding sustainability itself. Once you get these basics down, making them look great is the only thing to it! Here is a basic guide to understanding eco friendly fashion, so that you know how your choices make an impact.

Organic

There is a bit of obscurity surrounding the idea of organic, but it all comes down to one simple fact: there are no pesticides. Whereas pesticides can be great for farmers in their hunt to maximize crop sizes, they have a variety of adverse effects on the ecosystem and the creatures that live within it—animal and human alike. Pesticides make their way into water streams through runoff and ground water during rains, which not only can upset the delicate balance of the aquatic system, but also infiltrates our drinking water sources. Organic fashion embraces the idea of using textiles that have been grown without the use of pesticides.

Sustainability

There are many different ways to grow the plants that make up the clothes we wear, but there are also many different textiles that can be used to create the fabric as well. Sustainable products refer to those that can be re-grown quickly, replenished easily so that our world doesn't get depleted of these crops through over farming. Some sustainable fabric choices include bamboo, hemp, soy, and others. Plants are the driving force behind the conversion of carbon dioxide of the atmosphere into oxygen, so the more of them we have around, the cleaner our air. Eco fashion works to provide great looking opportunities to wear clothing made of sustainable textiles.

Waste

It is no surprise that our landfills are not so slowly filling up with the daily junk and waste that we throw out every day— which is an alarming amount! The production of clothing consumes not only a lot of fabric, but a very large amount of water as well. Though parts of the world boast a grand supply of water, it is certainly a limited commodity. Conserving fresh water, then, becomes a primary goal of the eco fashion industry. There are many stages where waste and waste water can be cut— from the growing stage (organic fashions tend to utilize less water) to the actual manufacturing process.

There are obviously many issues that are addressed by the eco fashion industry, which span further than the ones already discussed. A general commitment to reducing the negative impact of textiles and harmful growing processes, however, is a great way to look at the aim of these pieces. Once we take the environmental concepts into account, the only focus left to discuss is style. Eco friendly fashion certainly doesn't leave great design out of the picture, but rather marries it with awesome sustainable practices to keep you looking great while making environmentally conscious decisions!