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At PAMA London we are advocates of living a life that eases the impact felt by the planet from those who inhabit it. There are several ways that we can all do this on an individual level and we believe that we are doing our bit by creating eco-friendly sustainable clothing!

If you are ready to take a look at your own household habits and lifestyle to determine how you can make positive changes for both you and the planet, then we have addressed two common problems here and provided ideas to help you get started!

Put the Plastic Down

Plastic is an undeniable disaster when it comes to the environment. The majority of plastic is made from petroleum or non-renewable natural gases*. The process of extracting these gases is known to be quite energy intensive and also damaging to the eco-system. Furthermore, the manufacturing process is a massive source of pollution – to land, air and water!

In the United Kingdom alone, we consume more than five million tonnes of plastic each year. It has been estimated that only 24% of this plastic actually gets recycled, meaning that 3.8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in landfills every year.

So, how can you ditch the plastic and stop contributing to this problem?

Recycling all relevant plastics is a good place to start but you can also work to eliminate this product from your shopping list entirely. Take a re-usable bag with you every time you leave the house so that if you do buy something you don’t have to purchase a plastic bag to carry it home in. The average person uses 425 plastic bags every single year* and you can easily get this number down to zero by taking your own with you!

You can also choose not to buy products that are wrapped or contained in plastic – such as water in plastic bottles or pre-packaged foods. Shopping for whole foods and fresh fruit and vegetables at the market is a great way to avoid doing so, as well as taking your own re-usable water bottle with you everywhere you go!

Cut the Chemicals Out

It is a scary fact that a massive amount of companies do not list all of the ingredients contained within their cleaning products. The sad reality is that there are simply no rules or regulations demanding that they do so, and this can lead to unwanted and harmful nasties in your home!

Fortunately, you can easily make your own cleaning products with simple to source things that you more than likely already have in your house!

White wine vinegar and baking soda are two of the most powerful ingredients when it comes to cleaning your home. Let’s take a closer look at these two things!

By simple mixing white wine vinegar with an equal amount of water you can effortlessly create a cleaning solution that works for most surfaces. For tougher stains you may try warming the solution slightly and leaving it on the surface for upwards of ten minutes before you wipe it off. The acidic properties of white wine vinegar are the reason that it is so effective at cleaning.

Baking soda is also fantastic for cleaning and strikes a balance between acidic and alkaline. This means that not only is it great for clearing up stains, but also that it can wok to neutralise odours. There are so many incredible uses for baking soda and you can click here to read 51 of them!

Ease Your Impact

By incorporating one or more of the ideas mentioned in this article you can begin to ease your impact on the planet and also potentially improve your own health and wellbeing! This is especially the case when it comes to limiting the amount of chemicals, and therefore toxins, that you bring into your home!

You may be surprised to learn that the clothes that you are wearing could contain potentially harmful chemicals!

Chemicals can sometimes be present in clothing in dangerous levels, and sometimes when this becomes evident the items in question will be recalled. This is something that has been observed in the press recently. Primark has recently recalled thousands of flip-flops due to the presence of a carcinogenic (cancer causing) substance*, and Dr. Martens took their new vegan boots out of stores nationwide when an undisclosed harmful chemical was discovered in trace amounts*.

Addressing the reasons why there are chemicals in our clothes, the harm that these chemicals can pose to our health, and how to avoid this problem, are three questions that we are going to answer today!

Why Are There Chemicals in Our Clothes?

At the very beginning of the production process, the fibres that are grown to later become fabric will more than likely have been sprayed with pesticides. This helps to keep the crops healthy and pest-free, but traces of the chemicals are then present in the fabrics. Furthermore, during the manufacturing process, the fabrics may be sprayed with additional chemicals. This is done in order to make them resistant to problems such as odour and creasing. Chemicals are also used during the dying process, even though many of these dyes are commonly known to be extremely carcinogenic.

Regulations within the clothing industry are not at all strict when it comes to the use of chemicals. In fact, manufacturers are not even required to share information regarding which chemicals have been used on a fabric.

How Are These Chemicals Harmful?

The carcinogenic properties of certain chemicals used on clothes is arguably the biggest cause for concern. Alarmingly, a substance known as formaldehyde can be found all too often in clothing garments. Not only is this chemical carcinogenic but it can also irritate the skin and the respiratory system.

Chrysene, which is the chemical that was found in the Primark flip-flops, is often used in chemical dyes and is known to have the potential to cause cancer. Exposure to chrysene can harm the skin and the eyes, and should be avoided where possible.

Metals are found in countless textiles and this can be dangerous for several reasons. When these metals are present in high concentrations then the garments can actually become radioactive! It is estimated that after approximately 500 hours of wearing such a garment, then the risk of injury becomes serious.

How to Avoid Clothes with Chemicals

The adverse effects of the chemicals often found in clothes can be different for different people. Low levels of these chemicals may present no real danger at all, but frequent over-exposure should certainly be avoided where possible.

When you are shopping for new clothes always opt for those that are made from organic materials. Cotton and wool are fabrics that are increasingly made in an organic way. Additionally, try to avoid synthetic fabrics as the use of chemicals is fairly prevalent. Also, if the garment that you have your eye on is being advertised as crease-free or resistant to odours then it is likely to have undergone some chemical processing.

If you are seriously committed to avoiding chemicals in your clothing then you can always research an individual brands approach to using these chemicals. If a company has nothing to worry about when it comes to the presence of harmful chemicals then they will usually be happy to answer your questions!