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Are the Summer Olympics Truly Sustainable: The Fashion of the Olympics
Induja from Trace
August 01, 2024
Happy Thursday!
We’re excited to kick off our newsletter this week with a discussion on what’s going on in the industry. In conversation this week we’ll dive conversations around the Summer Olympics and concerns about how sustainable they truly are.
We’ll revisit an analysis into the sustainability of many popular fabrics to follow our discussion of sustainability of the uniforms in the Olympics. We’ll close out with revisiting one of our sustainable brand partners and sharing innovative companies in the fashion space!
Thanks for reading!
Headlines
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris have been branded as the most sustainable Olympics ever. Paris has pledged to decrease the carbon footprint of this year’s games by half of the average footprint of previous Summer Olympics.
To a degree, there has been a significant focus on decreasing the carbon footprint through efforts such as reusing existing venues for most events instead of constructing new facilities and using more renewable energy, but there has not been significant focus on making the fashion of the games more sustainable.
While certain countries have featured uniforms made from recycled material, there are still concerns about the overall sustainability of the uniforms. While the Paris Olympics did put together a sustainability plan, they do not indicate that making uniforms more sustainable is a key part of this strategy, which is problematic as many team uniforms are made with synthetic material and likely generate emissions from production that are not accounted for when considering the overall footprint of the games.
Additionally, the games are driving an increase in consumerism; many athletes have received additional merchandise kits and sponsored garments, which they in turn promote on their social media. It is likely much of this merch given to athletes, as well as merch that regular consumers are encouraged to purchase, go to waste after the events are over. It begs the question as to the motivation of many of these brands, such as Nike and Lululemon, which have recently come under fire for greenwashing.
While there are more active conversations around how to make large-scale sporting events such as the Olympics more sustainable in the long-term, it is vital that we do not ignore the role of fashion in the overall impact.
Analysis of the Week
As we mentioned, many of the uniforms in the Olympics are produced with recycled materials, while many brands have not addressed this issue and chosen to use synthetic fabrics such as polyester as well as traditional cotton. Let’s take a look at some of the less sustainable fabrics to avoid, and consider some more sustainable alternatives.
Fabric | Why it’s not sustainable | Alternative Considerations |
|---|---|---|
Polyester | Most polyester is not biodegradable and will pile up in landfills. Polyester is also produced in an unsustainable manner, derived partially from oil and requires large amounts of water to produce. Polyester also releases microplastics through heavy washing. | Recycled polyester (rPET) - This is made from plastic bottles and uses less water than regular polyester. However, rPET still releases microplastics during washing, so this is not the most highly recommended fabric. |
Nylon | Nylon is a synthetic fabric used in tights and stockings, as well as swim-wear and active wear. Nylon is not biodegradable, uses petroleum and heavy amounts of water during production, and releases microplastics through washing. | Econyl is a nylon alternative fabric made from synthetic waste such as plastic, waste fabric and fishing nets. Econyl is produced in a closed loop system which uses less water and creates less waste. The downside with Econyl is that it also releases small amounts of microplastics. |
Rayon | Although Rayon is a plant based fabric and more sustainable than nylon or polyester, it is often a culprit of greenwashing. Rayon is derived from wood pulp of eucalyptus, spruce and pine trees. Often times, the wood pulp is not harvested sustainably, and heavy chemicals that are dangerous for workers are used during the production process. Rayon is also a major contributor of deforestation. | TENCEL Lyocell fabric is made from wood pulp, similar to rayon. TENCEL requires less water in production than traditional fibers, including regular cotton, is a less chemically intensive process than Rayon, and intentionally uses responsibly-sourced wood. |
Traditional Cotton | Cotton is a commonly used fabric with shockingly devastating consequences. Cotton requires heavy water usage and the production process often pollutes waterways with chemicals and dyes. Conventional cotton is also grown with a significant amount of pesticides. | Organic and/or Recycled Cotton is always a better alternative to traditionally produced cotton. While recycled cotton is the most preferable alternative, produced from consumer waste and less water & energy needed for production, organic cotton is also a decent substitute to traditional cotton as it doesn’t use pesticides and harmful chemicals in its’ production process. |
Other alternatives and methods to combat unsustainable fibers:
Organic Hemp or Linen Fabrics - These are some of the more sustainable clothing options you can consider. These fabrics are both derived from plants and use less water during production. They also do not release microplastics during washing, and are biodegradable fabrics.
Microfiber Wash Bags- Many brands produce washing bags for you to be able to wash synthetic fabrics such as polyester that typically release microplastics while in the washing machine. The washing bags will capture microfibers which you can easily dispose of after the wash.
Brand Spotlight
Learn about one of the sustainable brands on Trace’s marketplace!
Check out today’s featured brand: Gooseberry Fool
Gooseberry Fool is an ethically made, organic cotton collection of clothing and accessories made for babies and toddlers, handmade by artisans. Gooseberry Fool values slow fashion, sustainability, and fair compensation for its artisans.
Rachel, the founder of Gooseberry Fool , who initially started crocheting for her own children, before starting to sell her pieces. Eventually she expanded to working with artisans in South India. Gooseberry Fool uses 100% organic cotton that has been GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) Certified.
Gooseberry also encourages circular economy through its preloved program: offering customers vouchers for donating pre-loved Gooseberry items that no longer fit their children. These items are donated to vulnerable moms in need of baby clothes.
Check out Gooseberry Fool for sustainable, ethically made, and stylish baby clothes!
Innovation in Fashion
RE&UP Recycling Technologies - proprietary technology which processes a wide range of textile waste and turns it into Next-Gen Cotton and Next-Gen Polyester at scale
Debrand - allocation engine that accurately identifies, sorts, grades, and allocates returned, damaged, and overproduced goods to ensure textile waste is circulated at a high value
Vaer - transforms old jeans into new sneakers
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