A few years ago, as part of a Fashion History course I was doing for my undergrad degree, I learned just how harmful cotton can be for the environment. Although it’s touted by many as being all natural and incredibly versatile, cotton actually requires a lot of extra attention in the farming and processing stages. The truth is that in order for farmers to be able to grow large cotton crops such as is required for clothing purposes, they have to rely on pesticides and genetically modified plants, as well as a huge amount of water. Once the cotton gets to the manufacturing stage, the factories chew through large levels of water (steaming and rinsing) and chemicals (purifying, proofing and dying). Denim fabric in particular is one of the worst as far as water conservation during the manufacturing process is concerned.

I hadn’t really thought too deeply about the ethics of denim until my mum brought it to my attention a few days ago after she read about the problem in ABC’s ‘Life’ magazine. The article, entitled ‘Green is the new black’, mentions that 20,000 people die per year from accidental pesticide poisoning used in the growing of cotton. Moreover, for every kilogram of cotton grown in Australia alone, 4,268 litres of water is consumed. If this cotton is then manufactured into denim, another 7,000-29,000 litres of water are used in the washing and dying processes. Growing the cotton used in every pair of jeans requires one third of a kilogram of pesticide.

Nasty, right? Fortunately it appears that a number of labels are realizing just how harmful the growing and manufacturing of materials for clothing can actually be, and are taking steps to improve their fabrics and factory standards. The article mentions that an Italian brand, Nudie jeans, is producing clothing that is one hundred percent organic and which has been manufactured in ways that are not harmful to the environment. Levi’s has jumped on the band-wagon too, with a limited range of ‘Green Jeans’. Then there’s the Sugar Cane and Co Denim Clothing brand, which uses sugar cane fibres instead of cotton to make the denim fabric. Other labels claim to be cutting down on the pesticides used in cotton production, and still more are boasting that they incorporate ‘recycled’ denim (off-cuts and pre-loved jeans) in their designs. Some denim companies are researching whether hemp and bamboo can be used in the fabric production process instead of relying solely on cotton.

As a denim lover (I think I own seven pairs of jeans, two denim skirts and a pair of denim capri shorts), I would gladly pay a little bit more for my jeans if it meant that they were kinder not just to the environment but to the people that produced them. I’m not too fussed about hemp clothing, or about avoiding leather (it smells so good!), but environmentally-friendly denim is certainly something I can see myself getting into, so to speak.

The other day I was treated to a facial that I could afford only because of a gift voucher given to me by my parents that I had left over from Christmas. I’ve had a few facials in my time, and they all follow the same pattern - first, I’m told my skin needs to be exfoliated and moisturized more, then I’m told I should be using products that you can only purchase from specialist skin care stores, and then I’m given the opportunity to purchase the range of products used during my facial. Usually the facials themselves aren’t that expensive, and it’s the additional sales of the products afterwards that the salon relies upon to make a profit. I guess this is why the beauticians push the products so forcefully - in fact, the last beautician didn’t even ask if I wanted them, she just assumed I would be bullied into taking them and put them on the counter for me.

To be honest, I’m quite happy with my skin care regime without needing to spend a fortune on products that are full of chemicals or that cost more than I earn in half a year’s worth of content writing. About a year ago I discovered Natio, and since then I haven’t really looked back. Not only does the company try to use as close to 100% plant-based ingredients as possible, but it is also accredited by Choose Cruelty Free, the Australian organization against animal testing and animal cruelty. Their Lavender and Rosemary Hand and Nail Cream has worked wonders on my flake-prone nails, and their Skin Brightening Face Balm is amazing. They also do a make-up range that I can safely say includes the best liquid foundation I’ve ever come across. And best of all, their prices are ludicrously cheap.

With my loyalty to Nation in mind, you can understand my amusement when my latest ‘Skin Consultant’ (read: sixteen year-old beautician in training) told me that I should stop using whatever cheap products I was getting from the supermarket and replace them with the products recommended by the salon. The salon’s products were made from mainly plant-based ingredients and were not tested on animals. Sound familiar? The salon in question was using Yuva Skincare products, a more upmarket version of Natio, and with a rather hefty price increase to match. I kept my mouth shut throughout my facial and listened patiently as I was lectured about the benefits of using plant-based products instead of chemical-based. It wasn’t until I got to the counter and realised that the beautician had assumed I would purchase the whole range that I found it necessary to ask the price. “This one here is about a hundred dollars, this one is $58, this one $47, this one $98…” I stopped her before she could finish the inventory. I knew I’d been put in a bad position, as the counter staff were assuming I had already verbally agreed with my beautician to purchase the products. Thinking quickly and realizing that I still hadn’t found an eye cream that did anything other than make my pillow greasy, I decided to bite the bullet and fork out the $58 required to purchase the Yuva Firming Eye Cream.  The eye cream itself was more expensive than what the facial would have been had I not used a gift voucher to pay for it.
Feeling incredibly guilty about the sad state of my bank balance and knowing Rob would make fun of me mercilessly when he found out I’d been pushed into purchasing 15mL of overpriced eye-cream, I wasn’t really expecting anything but disappointment from the product itself. When after a few days of using the cream I noticed that the puffiness around my eyes, incurred by many late nights and bottles of wine, had all but disappeared, I felt somewhat vindicated by my pressure-purchase. I wasn’t expecting miracles - I’m too much of a skeptic for that - but I have been pleasantly surprised.

So what’s the moral of this story? Don’t let beauticians bully you into buying products unless they actually work? Don’t listen to your boyfriend when he makes fun of you for spending $58 on 15mL of gluggy moisturizer? Always use plant-based beauty products? No, I think I can safely say that the lesson I have learned is that sometimes price isn’t an indicator of quality - I’m sure if I tried the Natio Renew Radiance Eye Cream I would have experienced the same results.

Remember that awesome kids television show Captain Planet?  Just like most other people my age, I know that my brother, sister and I know the theme tune off by heart (’Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero…’ etc etc) and we have been known to break into song whenever someone wearing a Planeteer-esque ring is in the general vicinity.  Jumping around yelling, ‘Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! The power is yours!’ is also good fun.  It doesn’t endear you to the neighbours but you do have a fun time pretending to save the world from ‘lootin’ and polluting’.

It’s a pity that Captain Planet re-runs aren’t being broadcast on free-to-air television channels so that a new generation of kids can benefit from such wisdom as: ‘plant a tree!’, ’save the whales’, ‘turn off the tap’ and ‘if you are a Catholic or Protestant living in Ireland please stop fighting!’ (perhaps that last one was relevant in the 1990’s…).   I know that I have Captain Planet partially to thank for being as environmentally aware as I am, although I would never profess to being a green expert.  For years we’ve tried to do little things for the environment, like recycling, collecting water (in tanks and from the shower), keeping a compost bin for kitchen rubbish, purchasing green electricity, and trying to keep the water and electricity bills down.  I’m beginning to realise, however, that these small contributions aren’t even close to enough, and that our lives are going to have to change significantly.

I know that Rob has lofty ideals about buying some land and converting it back to rainforest, and my Mum has similar feelings.  My Dad and I both want to be self-sufficient with our own water and electricity stores, and all four of us (and many of our friends and family) are passionate about local produce.  But how far does this take us?  We are all guilty of international and domestic air travel several times a year.  None of us drive hybrid cars (although as I understand it hybrids aren’t as efficient as they should be).  We don’t plan our car trips so that we can get as much done in one trip as possible.  We don’t have a solar panel on our roof for lighting or water-heating, and our home was built before the term ‘energy-efficient’ had any meaning.  There are still some non-energy-efficient light-bulbs lurking in our houses, and we all have (and use all day, every day) our own laptops.  As aware as we all are of the environment, of decreasing carbon emissions, of becoming more self-sufficient, and of being smarter about our waste and recycling, we are all still guilty of being unwilling to make big changes.

The ‘7:30 Report’ stated last night that Australia will have to cut its carbon-fuel emissions by 90% in the next fifty years, but I personally can’t see how that is even close to being achievable, even with every Australian agreeing that it sounds like a good idea.  What will it take for us - as global citizens - to jump into action and start making the changes?  We are all aware of the environment and it’s dire need for help, but like children watching television, we seem to be waiting for a super-hero to swoop in at the last minute and do the saving for us.