One of the most pressing concerns for most people nowadays is the environment. Curbing climate change and pollution have become a priority for global citizens around the world, and this has brought forward many challenges. A change in lifestyle is not a choice anymore but more of a need. While concerned citizens make individual and collective efforts towards recycling and planting of more trees, many industries are contributing to pollution in plain sight.

Eco-Friendly Fabric

Harmful Chemicals

When dressing our children, we often forget to look at where the clothes are made and what kinds of fabrics are used to make them. Today, there are over 8,000 synthetic chemicals that are used in producing the fabrics that many clothes are made of, and these chemicals can be highly toxic and carcinogenic. By dressing our children in these clothes, we are exposing them to the risk of developing health issues. Many of the processes involved in making these clothes, such as scouring, bleaching, and dyeing, are all chemical-intensive and leave behind residue that can cause problems like allergies and rashes.

Natural Fibers

Synthetic fabrics, like polyester, nylon, and viscose, can take up to 200 years to decompose, while natural fibers, like cotton and linen, are biodegradable. Textile waste is already a huge problem, and many brands are piling landfills and burning their excess inventory. Making sure that you know where your child’s clothes are coming from. This is important for playing your part in saving the environment. It is our children who will be living in it, after all.

The People Making the Clothes

When faced with problems, it’s easy to forget that others can be going through different problems in the same cycle. The clothes that our children wear are mass-manufactured in countries where labor is often underpaid and work at much lower standards than in the West. They will also be exposed to chemicals in the process of making these clothes, which is harmful and poisonous to them, as well as their families.

There are so many brands that sell cute clothes for kids, and it’s certainly tempting to buy them. However, we must not lose sight of the harm that we could be causing by buying these clothes. This harm is not limited to our children but extends to the environment and all the people involved in the processes.

Handmade Clothes

A simple solution to all these problems is to buy handmade clothes. While there may not be as much variation, there are definitely quite a number of options to pick from, and handmade clothes can prevent the issue of excess inventory and labor conditions. With handmade clothes, you also get to be sure that the fabric being used is safe for your children’s skin.

It is impossible for all clothes to be handmade and for all fabric to be natural and sustainable. However, by maximizing efforts and choosing handmade, eco-friendly clothes over mass-manufactured ones, reducing the problem as much as possible is possible. By opting for handmade clothes for your kids, you also get to support many women-run businesses as they use their skills at home and help the economy grow in a much more sustainable and eco-friendly manner.