Friday, November 4, 2011

Sustainability is the way to go!

My dad used to tell me stories (and still does!) of his life in China. Due to Communism, he said it was very hard to find food to eat. Instead, people in his village cultivate their own food such as rice and vegetables, but also chicken and fish. Everything grew in an environment without any form of pesticides, and since villagers try to save as much money as possible they used animal feces as fertilizer and food to feed the fishes. Now, I know it might sound disgusting to you, but you don't even taste it when you eat the fish, trust me, I had some when I was visiting China in 2007! Here is a picture of rice plantations that I took during this trip:


It looks so pure and colors look so refreshing yet no pesticides were involved in this. I was wondering if this sustainability could work for cotton underwear, and found this video on Youtube:




Basically, the most toxic synthetic pesticide has been widely used in cotton fields, and this particular eco-friendly cotton farm in California has refused to use it. Therefore, the farmers have to monitor closely each plant and choose natural pesticide instead.

Dylan Ribkoff Apparel does mention sustainability in their products. They produce their underwear locally and they try to bring their materials into their factory in the most ecological way. This is another type of sustainability that could help improve our planet Earth.
I hope clothing manufacturers could emphasize on sustainable materials in the future because I would not mind spending a couple extra dollars for something that was grown in a 'healthier' way. Also, I hope this blog post would make you reflect on your purchasing decisions next time.

-Annick

5 comments:

  1. It will.
    Its sad to think that everything we do is for the benefits of "the moment" yet if we continue to bathe ourself in goods that destroys our planet, they may make us feel good now but wait to see the consequence it will have in the future. I believe that Its much more self-rewarding to pay a little more for goods that do not toy with our future, we must thing about our future generations.

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  2. Agreed, who knows maybe North America won't have snow anymore in 2050 :(
    The environment doesn't seem to improve much.

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  3. Sustainability is one of those hot topics at the moment that every firm seems to be trying to get profit from. Dylan Ribkoff Apparel seems to fit the mold. While I do agree that encouraging this type of product and this type of production practice, I don't think it can last with our economic system being what it is.

    Actually scratch that, it would be more fair to say it cannot last with our social values being what they are. People seek money. Profit is the new god. If you have this is mind, then it doesn't take long for you to think that sustainability is in the way of more profit...of more money.

    Without social change, these type of gestures are nice coming from firms...but they won't result in long lasting change.

    But then, it's not really the firms job to chage social values it is? That's our job. Every single one of us. Starting perhaps with encouraging this type of product, but if you just buy this product thinking everything will be ok now, you're delusional.

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  4. Wow! I didn't know that cotton had such a large footprint!
    Ideally it would be amazing if all companies could use sustainably business practices but it unrealistic in today's changing market/environment. I think if small companies like Dylan Ribkoff can try to make a difference then they are doing their part to be sustainable.

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  5. Who would of thought? It is unbelievable that cotton is known as one of the most toxic materials. I've always believed cotton was a good material for everything. (Clothes, Underwear,etc..)

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