For men interested in sustainable clothing, it
has been difficult to find anything beyond Doc
Martin boots and gym wear. Now, more and
more companies and designers are creating
vegan and sustainable clothing that can pass
muster in an office or at the theater. The
Perfect Gentleman’s Brian R. Sheridan spoke
with Christina Sewell, fashion campaign
coordinator for the often-controversial People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
about this new movement.
The Perfect Gentleman: Is there such a thing as
“sustainable wool?”
Christina Sewell: If a friend has alpaca farm in
their backyard that’s one thing but on a mass
industry level, the short answer is always going
to be ‘no’.
As with all livestock, the raising of sheep
contributes to significantly to climate change. In
New Zealand, methane emissions make up 90%
of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions most
of that coming from sheep. So members of the
New Zealand government proposed taxing
sheep farmers for emissions. The plan did not
pass but it goes to show the discussion that is
going on around that issue.
There is also water pollution that is another
concern. There is so much fecal matter that
goes into the rivers and drinking water. Sheep
dip is another concern, it is a chemical farmers
use to rid the sheep of their parasites and it
causes expensive problems because it pollutes
the water and kills off fish. In the US, 2010,
more than 9,000 pounds of insecticide have
been applied to sheep. You can imagine where
all of that is going.
Grazing sheep, like grazing cattle, is
contributing to deforestation, topsoil loss, all
these issues. With sheep being raised in such
huge numbers in places like Australia, some
part of the South America, and in the US, we
have to start thinking about methane emissions
and other issues. The UN said 51% of all
methane emissions and greenhouse gases are
coming from animal used for farming
purposes.
TPG: Is there sustainable wool?
CS: People often say ‘it’s a natural fabric – it has
to be better than synthetic fibers’ but synthetic
fibers may not always bee good for the
environment because they use fossil fuels but
the comparison is not even close. When we can
chose fabric that are plant-based or
manufactured with less of an environmental
cost, we should be doing everything we can to
move in this direction.
TPG: So what began this movement towards
sustainable clothing?
CS: When we had the Rana Plaza collapse in
Bangladesh back in 2013 (the deadliest garmentfactory accident in history with 1,130 workers
killed and 2,500 injured), people began waking
up to what is going on behind the scenes in the
clothing industry. It’s not just about how people
are making our clothes but who is making the
clothes, where are they coming from, and how
many millions of animals are suffering for
things like our shoes and suits for men. Ethical
fashion is thinking about the forced labor and
the environmental impact of our clothing,
animal cruelty issues, all that is being taken into
account. More people than ever before what to
align themselves with being “eco” in what they
are driving, what they are eating, but also what
they are wearing.
TPG: Is it difficult to find sustainable clothing?
CS: You still have to look for it. If you are not in
the vegan community, or the sustainable
fashion community, it does take a little bit of
digging but there are definitely options there.
A Gentleman Talks with Christina Sewell
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