We would like to give you more insights into the process behind creating products as a startup, and so we have written this blog for you. If we were to include all the details and problems we run into, we’d be writing five books, so this is meant to be more of a broad overview and an introduction for future blogs.
1. Materials
We always start with the material. Nature offers a wide variety of resources that, when applied correctly, can enhance your workout experience tremendously. All of the materials we work with have their own natural properties, which means that they all have their place in different products. Hemp, for example, keeps your body temperature up, which makes it great for hoodies, but not for sports t-shirts (believe us, we’ve tried it and it doesn’t work). Wood fibers generally keep your body temperature down, so they are more suited for t-shirts or shorts.
While the materials all have their own unique properties, what they have in common is that they are plant-based. This also means that we are currently limited by not using elastane/lycra (which is plastic), so we can’t make leggings or sports tights at this stage.
2. Drawing/Designing
After we know what the materials can be applied to, we look for inspiration around us. This can come from a walk in nature, vintage products we find at a thrift store or past drawings we’ve made. We now have an idea of what we can make with the material and we start creating the drawings. Usually, this happens by making digital technical drawings like the ones below.
Sometimes we have already thought of creating a product in the past, but we weren’t able to find a suitable material yet for it. Then a suitable material comes along, and all of a sudden we are able to create a new construction of fabric and the product we had in mind fits right in.
3. Sampling and Testing
After we draw the products, we jump on a call with our factory and discuss the possibilities for production. All of the products that we make are completely custom, which means that we first try multiple fabric variations before we even sample the products themselves.
In that sampling phase, we always work with athletes, in order to test out the fit, material feel, and performance. As pioneering can be quite a challenge, we always need this input in order to tweak the products where needed. Besides athletes, we also apply strength and abrasion tests to the materials, in order to create the best outcome possible. More than not we run into a few walls during this process, after which we have to go back to the drawing table again and again until we have something that we are willing to show to you.
4. Launching the product
After all those steps, it is time to show the products to the world. We always hope that products are perfect, but as we are pioneering, with each product launched, iterations will always occur. The fit might change, materials perfected or we implement a new fabric.
We're always looking to improve wherever we can and we have a deep understanding that this process is never finished. This mindset of always striving to make better things is also part of our sustainability philosophy. We see this as a continuous process of incremental improvements, rather than a set checklist, and this might even be part of life itself ;).
]]>If you want to know more about our production process or anything else about the brand; feel free to let us know below, or send us a message!
Some of them you can eat, they grow everywhere and they have untapped potential. No, we’re not talking about wild berries, but about fungi! And not the type to use on a lovely pizza or in pasta, but rather fungi that can create colors. Yes, you heard that right!
Rotterdam-based designer Ilse Kremer has been working for a few years to create a natural dye, made from a variety of fungi. Born from a graduation project, Ilse started Fabulous Fungi and has made it her mission to replace the many toxic dyes in the fashion industry. In this blog, we talk with Ilse about her mission and the implications of innovation in the textile industry.
“I’ve always loved bright colors, but when I saw pollution that many dyes in the fashion industry bring, I wanted to create something that is better for the environment.”
The textile industry has major effects on the environment and dyes play a big role in that. Most of the fancy, bright colors that you see being used by big brands come from harmful chemicals. It would be one thing if these were handled properly, but in many countries where clothing is colored, regulations are not that strict, which can lead to vast unnecessary pollution of the environment.
Ilse saw this problem and wanted to tackle it. When she first started, she was looking into different dyeing materials, such as herbs and food waste. But when she came across fungi, she saw an unmatched versatility in colors and brightness, that was hard to replicate with other materials. This is when she started to focus on fungi, and her company Fabulous Fungi was born, where she partnered up with an expert on fungi: Nick van Biezen from Bio-aNAlytiX van Biezen.
“I try to stay positive and believe that people will become more and more conscious in the coming years about the impact that their clothes have”
A First Start
When we first heard about what Ilse was doing, we were immediately excited about the possibility of including this in our sportswear collection. While we already only work with OEKO-TEX certified dyes, the thought of using more locally produced and nature-based dyes is something that aligns with our vision of a sustainable future for the industry.
But I can hear you think “that all sounds nice in theory, but how can you apply that in practice?” Well, for that point we can listen to what Dutch legend Cruyff once said: Most of the times something needs to happen, before something can happen”. And that is what we are going to do!
Early next year, we will be launching our first collaborative t-shirt, dyed with locally grown fungi. There will be many challenges with these new materials, as they are a novel technology, but those learning lessons are what makes pioneering fun in our opinion.
]]>One main thing we are still struggling with is the fading of colors, as there is still much to figure out on how to get these colors to stick on plant-based fabrics. But this is when our gears start to turn; what if instead of seeing this as a problem, we can use it to our advantage? Dyeing your blue t-shirt again in red (as you might all of a sudden feel the Christmas vibe), instead of having to buy a new t-shirt might have a lot of benefits.
With the first t-shirts, we are also going to provide a ticket for a re-dye experience, where the pioneers who want to use the products can dye them again if they have faded a little. This will hopefully bring people closer in their relationship with the products that they wear, which have been completely taken away by fast fashion.
The end goal will be to create all of the colors that we use with dyes made from fungi or other plants, but that might take a while to get there. As for innovations like these, lots of time and resources are needed and we are still a very small brand with limited options.
If you are curious about the next steps with this project, make sure to follow @fabulous_fungi on Instagram and keep an eye out for the release of our first collaborative products.
We believe that collaborations like these are what will drive the clothing industry toward a better future. Combining nature with new technologies and brands can offer better products for people and the planet.
We would love to make leggings, but can't yet. Why is that? You might ask … Well, that is a tale of materials, dedication, and innovation.
Leggings are like trips to another continent; they’re usually expensive, everyone wants them, take pictures in them, and they are not the best for the environment.
The great part of (high quality) leggings is that they shape themselves to your body, so you’re less dependable on the design of a product if it fits you well or not. Leggings have become a staple in sportswear over the past few years and there is no slowing down in sight, which is also why we want to make them part of our collection.
But, there is a problem with that plan. As you know, with Iron Roots, we never want to use plastics as the raw materials for our sportswear. With leggings, this becomes pretty tricky sadly.
Leggings are a wonderful product to use, but their sustainability is not that pretty. Usually, leggings are made with elastane/spandex, a type of plastic, which has an unmatched ability to stretch. I don’t know what some people wore to their yoga sessions before leggings were a thing, but they were certainly not as stretchy and figure following as leggings are.
Usually, elastane/spandex is mixed with either more synthetics like polyester and nylon, or cotton. While the percentages of elastane in a fabric might be low, it wreaks havoc in recycling processes, which is one of the main reasons we stay away from them. Besides that, because the recycling of plastics is still tricky, a lot of virgin oil is needed to make leggings.
Right now, it is not possible to find leggings that don’t contain a form of elastane or something similar. Sorry for getting a bit technical here, but this is of major importance. There are products that are bio-based but not biodegradable and vice versa. But something that is both biobased and truly biodegradable (home compostable) is not on the market right now. While some brands claim that their leggings are biodegradable, usually that involved a synthetic elastomer that has been treated, so that it degrades better in the soil, but never completely and certainly not in any marine environment.
This makes it difficult for us, as we don’t want to step away from our mission of using 0% plastics, so we have to dig deep to find out what materials are suitable for our and the planet’s needs. This is a journey we have already been on for the past 4 years, but we are sure that we will find a solution. Even if it takes 4 more years, the mission is more important to us than short term gains.
One thing we are currently working on is trying to create our own materials that we can use to create leggings. In true Iron Roots fashion; if it’s not there, let’s create it. This might involve a near impossible journey, but we are determined to create something that is as adaptable as elastane and as compostable as plants themselves. We are able to set the first steps in this direction, thanks to multiple grants, funds, and partners, including ImpactCity and the MIT grant from the Province of Zuid Holland.
If you know anyone or are yourself interested in helping out with this adventure, you’re more than welcome to let us know!
]]>You seem to hear it all the time; sustainable fashion. The term sustainable has been used and misused more and more in the past few years. In this blog we try to dive into this topic a bit more and give you our perspective on it.
What does sustainable fashion entail? There are so many different approaches to it, that it is unclear how to pinpoint this topic. Is it about materials? Production Methods? End of life solutions? Recycling? Each and every company might have a different outlook and different standards for what they consider “sustainable”. We do have a definition that was brought into life by The Brundtland Commission “Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”. But this definition can be too vague; we have little clue about our own needs and have even less of an idea what the future generations will need.
In our opinion, we will always have an impact as humans on this planet. This is not a bad thing, but there is no way around it. What we can do, however, is drop dead … Just kidding! We can also try to minimize the impact and in our opinion that is what sustainability is all about. Not a fancy utopian checklist, but a continuous and incremental change to have a more positive impact on the environment around us. This is a process and there is, in our opinion, no end to it. Which is fine, because there are always problems to solve, and we like solving problems :).
There are a few categories within the fashion industry where we can put these ‘incremental positive changes’ to the test. One of them, and the most visible are the materials that we use. New innovations and old materials can be combined to make great clothing. We have written some blogs already on our favorite materials like hemp, eucalyptus and organic cotton. And while we don’t live in a fairy world, where these materials have no impact, they give us a step in the right direction.
Besides this, there are also any innovations happening at the back end of clothing. Mainly in recycling, which is great! The less new raw materials we need, the better. It still has its limitations, but the direction we are moving in with this is awesome.
Another way of looking at sustainability is from the perspective of humans. Whether we like it or not, we are still part of nature and thus the lives of humans also have to be taken into account when talking about this topic. In this blog, we already highlighted various ways that production standards are becoming better and better. Since fashion has become a global industry, global problems in regards to labor standards have also become something that the industry should be working on.
Luckily more and more awareness is coming to these serious problems and with the rise of more local production, we are very optimistic on this topic of social sustainability.
Without this clear definition, it has become the norm to paste the word onto everything companies do. This can be confusing and has led to a lot of so-called greenwashing. Greenwashing happens when things are portrayed as sustainable, but in reality they are not better and sometimes even worse than an alternative it claims to be better than.
We don’t want this to sound too negative, but we want to warn you that not everything is what it seems in this industry. Even for insiders like us, it is not always clear what is actually better and what can be called greenwashing.
So how can you spot greenwashing? If you see claims that are not backed by more information or sources, beware. Also, the classic “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” applies here. A 95% reduction in something related to production is massive so if you see numbers like that, make sure to do an extra check. Usually brands will put the things they do well on their website. This is a good starting point if you want to test them. Looking for things about materials, chemicals, production methods and recycling. If they do something well they’ll show it, if not they will probably (un)intentionally hide it.
Also, there are still a few well respected labels/certifications out there that have not been prone to industry influences (we’re looking at you HIGG). Some of these labels are GOTS and the Fair Wear Foundation.
As mentioned earlier, it is more important than ever to stay skeptical of claims. Luckily some governmental bodies are doing a great job with this as well, as seen with the latest greenwashing act of Adidas in France.
Know that no brand is perfect and that sustainability is a continuous process, in which transparency and honesty are key. One major thing that we are still working on, for example, is creating natural/bacterial dyes for our products. After that we will definitely have other steps that we have to take as a brand and it will probably never be perfect. But that is fine, as long as we keep moving forwards as an industry.
If you have anything to add or ask, feel free to let us know below!
Erik & Team Iron Roots
]]>There are so many problems in the world that need to be solved, that it can sometimes be hard to stay positive. So in this light, we wanted to give our perspective of a hopeful future for fashion, and share some projects with you that inspire us to keep working on a better future.
There are many ways of making clothing, and choosing materials plays a big role in this process. While it can be difficult to gauge which materials are more sustainable than others, not in the least because of conflicts of interests with indexes like HIGG’s, there is enough research that has been done on this topic. The bulk of clothing is still made from plastics and regular cotton, but luckily sustainable materials are taking the stage more often these days. This is great news, because if we use materials that have less impact on the planet, we can decrease the overall impact of the industry quite significantly. Here is a list of awesome materials:
Another way of reducing the impact is using digital technology to replace some physical aspects of the industry. I know it might seem a bit sci-fi, but there are a lot of initiatives right now that focus on this topic. Clothing manufacturers, for example, can make digital samples of a product, send that to their customers and eliminate the need for physical samples in the future. Even though this might be a small step right now, it could become more prevalent in the future. Some cool projects that will inspire you are listed here:
One of the major aspects why fashion is unsustainable, is because it has become very cheap to produce clothing. Right now, the intrinsic value of a lot of clothing can be down to almost nothing. I mean where did the tailors go? This used to be a job with plenty of work, but who wants to spend €10 on repairing a hole in a t-shirt, when you can buy a new (low quality) one for under €5? This has skewed the balance in the wrong direction, which has caused overproduction and decrease of product quality. But I guess we have all agreed that it is better to buy 3 low quality products than 1 of high quality.
The solution seems pretty obvious; we should start recycling more! This way people can keep buying their products, and at least the resources won’t get depleted. While there is still a long way to go in order to completely close the resource loop of fashion, some great initiatives have been created to recycle different materials in different ways. Here is a list of awesome projects:
There are more and more standards in place that aim to better the life of employees all across the globe, working in fashion. In the end, these standards will help to create happier people and that equates to a happier planet. These standards do vary in their level of effort, but there are a few great ones that are being implemented more and more. You can have a look at the following certificates, to get an idea what we are talking about here:
I think that one of the great drivers behind this push for more transparency has come from critical customers, who want to know more and more about the brands they wear. This will inevitably lead to more widespread adoption and more happiness for everyone involved.
We hope that this has sparked a bit of positive energy for you and if you have other cool projects to tell us about, please let us know!
Erik & Team Iron Roots
]]>A guest blog by our dear friend Paul Waye (https://www.wayeoflife.com/).
This is about how one word can bring a worldwide community together to help tackle a world crisis.
Plogging is simply ‘picking up litter while out doing an activity’. Traditionally that is either running or jogging, but the term is often now used to describe any sort of outdoor activity.
The word came about in 2016 in Sweden, when the words of plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog) where combined to form ‘Plogga’. That soon evolved into ‘Plogging’ which is now recognized the world over.
So how did this bring a worldwide community together? Well, mainly because it acted as a label. A means to describe the activity.
Before that, people would use all different ways to describe what they were doing. People said things like “while I was out running I picked up some trash”. Now you can search Instagram using the hashtag #plogging and see thousands of posts.
The word has provided a common language to connect people the world over. A common goal.
Now that is a good question!
For everyone it can be a different answer. For some it is that they just don’t like seeing the huge amount of trash on the streets. For others it might be to raise awareness about single use products, plastic, cans. Or it might be simply that they want to become more responsible in caring for the planet. Whatever the reason, they plog to make an impact. They want to make a difference!
"But you can’t make a difference. There is too much trash!" Hmm.. let me rephrase that.. “You can’t solve the problem on you own” - That is true. I personally collect over 100kgs of trash each month, and each day fresh litter appears on the same routes.
"So what is the point then?" Well, although I cannot solve the problem I can try and help solve it with others. On my own I cannot solve the problem. But what if I can inspire others through my actions? The importance of plogging is not just about the piece of plastic you pick up.
If you talk about, if people see you doing it, if you post about it on social media, then you might inspire others to take action. Maybe they think twice about dropping a piece of litter or even start plogging themselves.
That is the ripple effect that plogging can help achieve. On my own my single piece of litter isn’t much, but if everyone did that each day? Well, then the impact is enough to solve the problem.
Good question!!
The best piece of advice I can give is to start small. Start with that single piece of litter. Pick it up and put it in the bin. Now think about how you feel? Feels good right? Hell yeah! You just made an impact! Woohoo!! Maybe you can do that single piece a couple of times a week?
You are now a plogger!
That is how I started. A single small piece. By it being small, it has no impact really and it remains fun! (With COVID-19 it is important to be careful – one tip is to use a clip, or a doggy bag – but avoid bare hands – I have some tips and tricks here.)
The best thing you can do is to share your experience! Post on social media, tell friends, and family.. wouldn’t it be cool if you inspire someone else to begin?
Just bear in mind, you are not doing it to brag. What you did is awesome, but the important thing to do is tell the story and hopefully inspire.
Yes.. set a clear boundary.
Today I ran 26km as part of my marathon training. If I had plogged the whole time I would have impacted by training. So I set a clear boundary for when I am and when I am not plogging. I plogged during my warm up and once I hit a specific point, I took my glove off, stashed in my tights and focused on the run. I ignored all the other trash.
That boundary helps keep it fun and sustainable, and you can always remember any bad spots for the next time 😊
You can always ask me if you want any other info or advice. The best way is to DM me on https://www.instagram.com/wayeoflife/ or contact me via wayeoflife.com.
]]>(A guest blog by Sustainable Jungle)
As with sustainable living, there is no one right fitness routine for everyone. Fitness for you might be training for a marathon... or it might be doing a yoga flow at home with a glass of wine. Regardless of which camp you fall into, we could all stand, squat, and sprint for lower impact gear to do it in.
Sustainable activewear is the future of fitness. Like the benefits of exercise, there are benefits of responsibly-made activewear, too. Here are some justifications for opting for that sustainable workout gear.
More than 90% of sportswear contains some type of plastic-based fabric. Anything derived from petroleum is obviously not a sustainable fabric, so it’s time we turn to something more natural.
And there are many natural and semi-synthetic fibers that are actually far better for your workout than plastic. Like hemp and lyocell, which are two of Iron Roots’s most used fabrics.
Aside from being antimicrobial and biodegradable, they also don't cause static charges like plastic does. Both are also thermoregulating. Hemp retains body heat (good for a cold morning jog or those gyms that feel the need to constantly blast A/C) while Lyocell is naturally cooling, making it perfect for hot yoga, for example.
Our workout clothes take quite the beating. From wicking away your sweat to stretching out when working those glutes. Durability is a key in all sportswear.
Higher quality fabrics (unlike fast fashion yoga pants from H&M) can better keep up with us and withstand the wear and tear of working out for far longer. Replacing worn out workout wear less often means you save money in the long run and lots of textile waste from hitting the landfill.
Supporting brands like Iron Roots, means you’re supporting slow fashion activewear and when it does finally wear out, you can send it back to be recycled into new clothes…. And get a further discount on some replacement goodies for doing so!
That all has to do with the sustainable side of sustainable and ethical fashion. What about the ethical part?
Brands making eco friendly activewear are often those also making ethical activewear, made using Fair Trade guidelines that ensure fair pay and safe working environments for their laborers. For example, brands making organic activewear are keeping cotton farmers from being exposed to countless harmful chemicals linked to a gamut of health problems. Some of the certifications you can look for in brands are Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Choosing eco friendly activewear means a better environmental footprint. Organic fibers and those grown without intensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides are crucial as these types of farming chemicals are causing a rapid loss of biodiversity. And farmers hold the key to preserving biodiversity. But you can’t have sustainable farming unless you’re willing to pay farmers enough to fund it. The more ethical, the more sustainable, and vice versa. It’s all connected.
At the end-of-product-life level, sustainable fabrics are also better for the environment. Remember 90% of activewear is made from plastic. And that can’t biodegrade…ever. The only good end-of-life outcome for synthetic fibers is if they are recycled, but considering the textile recycling is so bleak, it’s not a realistic solution.
Sweating out the toxins in our bodies shouldn’t come at the cost of putting toxins back into the earth. We work out to be healthy, but there’s no sense if we’re not also going to pay due diligence to our hearts and minds too. Choosing eco friendly activewear means choosing a healthier path for both our bodies and our planet, and that’s a health routine anyone can do.
Just think how good your post-workout high will be when you add some eco to that endorphin rush!
Thanks to our friends over at sustainable jungle for this blog!
Plastic here, plastic there, plastic in the ocean, plastic in the air. Plastic products have become like get rich quick guru's; they’re everywhere.
We are lucky that we are born with a brain, which lets us solve complex issues that we (accidentally) create ourselves. The overuse of plastic being one of them. Smart humans have figured out alternatives for all that plastic, and we thought it would be a good idea to share some of them with you in this blog.
There is a better alternative for the crunchy plastic bottles; reusable ones! Either made from (recycled) plastic or steel, these bottles are made to last longer, which is one of the pillars of sustainability in our opinion. If you can't go around plastic bottles, see if you can get a deposit on them.
Contrary to what a lot of people believe; biodegradable is not always a better option than plastic. First of all, many bioplastics are mixed with actual plastic, which makes them very hard to recycle (think of the cardboard cups with plastic lining inside). This completely ruins the argument for using products like these. Next to that; if a product IS biodegradable, that does not mean that you can simply throw it away in the soil. There are many levels of biodegradability, most of them are in non-natural conditions.
We’ve all seen the sad image of the turtle with the straw in its nose. No one likes looking at that, but they do paint the picture of what’s happening. Straws have been around for a long time, and are usually a sign of fun when combined with a cocktail RIBAAAA! I say let’s keep the fun and ditch the rum, oh wait … no! Ditch the plastic!
I mean, how cool is a straw made from straw, or these fancy stainless steel straws?
With Covid-19 forcing people to buy more online than ever, packaging for shipping products have increased as well. We’ve all seen it; you buy a small product and it arrives in a way too big package, with bubble wrap, and plastic covers.
Luckily, there are some alternatives for this; recycled cardboard, biodegradable polybags and reusable (plastic) packaging. If the brands you like don’t use any of these yet, just let them know that you would like them to switch, and maybe they will listen :).
Another byproduct of eating bats; face masks! While they probably have helped out a lot with combatting this virus, they leave a huge trail of waste behind. Our good friend Paul Waye has been picking them up by the hundreds while plogging for example.
The best thing to do in this case, is to grab some leftover t-shirts or other fabric and head over to Youtube for some DIY. If you don’t like sewing yourself, find some washable, natural face masks and use them until we’re out of this madness.
Team Iron Roots
]]>Farmers are at the beginning of most products that we humans come into contact with. Our food and our clothes almost all start with dedicated farmers. They have always been under pressure to produce as many products for as little as possible. Even in The Netherlands (where we’re from), farmers take their tractors to the street because it's harder and harder to earn a living as a farmer.
Farming and Biodiversity
Biodiversity stands for the variety of life and plants on earth. High biodiversity means more crops and species and less biodiversity means the opposite. Simply put; if you have less biodiversity more species and crops will go extinct, thus we will have fewer resources on the planet.
Since we humans have been working on farming, monoculture (i.e. specialization of cultivating only one crop) has steadily grown. The side effects of this were always minimal due to there not being that many people on the planet. Now that there are a lot of people that need goods that are coming from natural resources, biodiversity is under threat worldwide.
Farmers hold the key
Farmers have the largest effect on biodiversity from all of us humans. Whether its water usage, land usage or crop cultivation; farmers make important decisions that directly have an impact on the environment. This is where a new idea came to life:
We’ve teamed up with Nature^Squared to start a pilot, with which we will double the income of cotton farmers so that they can increase biodiversity through their farms. We will do this by giving a portion of every Iron Roots item sold directly to the farmers, without any middlemen.
In the coming months, we will test with Nature Squared to see how we can maximize the impact through the cotton farmers. We will make plans with them to create more biodiversity and measure along the way how far the farmers have come. How exactly we are going to measure will become more clear as time passes, since every farmer has his own struggles. It would, for example, be unfair to force a farmer to increase biodiversity when he can’t even send his kids to school, so it's a delicate matter.
We'll keep you all updated on the progress we are making with this pilot!
Plastic is everywhere around us. Take a look away from the screen and you’ll probably see something made from plastic. Now look back at your screen an- OH SWEET JESUS THAT’S MADE FROM PLASTIC TOO. As this little experiment has shown you, there’s no hiding from plastic.
Since its invention in the early 1900s, plastics have opened up a whole new scale of products. From toothbrushes to toy story woody toys (who doesn’t love those): plastics have changed our world. And through many things, such as medical equipment, they have been lifesavers.
Plastic overdose
These days it’s easier than ever to gather things, and as the hunter-gatherers we are, we like that a lot. Our ancestors would just throw a tool away after using it and we tend to do that too. This wouldn’t be such a problem if plastic could be taken up into nature again, which is sadly not the case.
This is especially a problem with so-called ‘single-use plastics’. This has created such a big surplus in plastic waste, that we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. And we like beautiful beaches more than gathering stuff right?!
Solutions are easy
In the last few months, single-use plastics have gotten a lot of media and political attention, which have resulted in bans in certain countries. These governmental interventions have a huge impact on our waste streams, but it also requires a shift in the mindset of us all in order to solve this. This is the reason why we think that initiatives such as Plastic Free July are awesome because they make the barrier to start doing things low.
Here are some easy steps that you can already take to take part in this movement:
Reuse the plastic that you already have
If you have plastic things laying around, don’t throw them away, but try to use them more often where you can. Think of reusing plastic straws or cups that you have laying around.
Take your own cup with you
Sounds a bit boring, but if you invest in an awesome cup or bottle that you can take with you, do it. Make it your favourite cup and show others at the coffee machine that it’s easy not to use plastic cups.
Switch to natural alternatives when you need something
Bamboo toothbrushes, straw straws and of course plastic free athletic apparel. The alternatives are usually there when you go looking for them. It might take a bit longer to find them, but type in … plastic alternative in Google and you’ll be on your way!
There are a lot more tips on the Plastic Free July website and there are numerous community’s popping up everywhere that help reduce plastic waste. Sadly, there’s no alternative for the toy story woody yet, but as long as you don’t throw it away, there’s no shame in having it :)
Alright friends, that is it for this week, we’ll see you again soon! If you have any questions; feel free to drop em below!
]]>
Yes, this is one of those rare occasions when the overused term organic actually means something. I know you probably have your doubts about this term, but hopefully, I have convinced you after reading this blog.
And I get it, green this, eco-organic that, it gets confusing and means less and less to all of us. While writing this blog, I feel like that kid who shouts to the villagers that there’s a wolf all the time when there is none, and when there’s actually a wolf, no one believes him anymore. Well, this time there is a real (goodhearted) wolf and it’s called organic cotton!
Isn't cotton bad?
Cotton is mainly used to much, because it is cheap to grow, can be easily transformed into clothing, and has lots of applications, from t-shirts to denim.
When we first started on our journey we found very worrisome articles about cotton. This made us (as well as a lot of other people) immediately turn our backs on cotton. Here are some of the reasons why regular cotton is bad:
While pesticide usage, water wasting, and soil depletion are pretty good arguments to bash cotton, we can’t close our eyes for its organic nephew!
The answer for now
This is when I would usually do a grande introduction with flashing lights and disco sounds, but since cotton is just a plant, that would get kinda weird. Despite this little malfunction in my plan, I would still like to introduce you all to ... Organic cotton! Organic cotton -OC for friends- is like your aunt Lisa that turned vegan, but without all the downplaying that aunt Lisa now does on anyone that touches animal products. That’s what you get for being a douche Auntie!
Organic means that there is no use of pesticides, insecticides, and other nasties while growing cotton, and this results in better circumstances for everyone involved. It not necessarily solves the water issue, but usually, organic cotton farmers also take measurements to decrease the overall impact of the crop!
Okay, Erik, you’ve convinced me, but how do I know if my next t-shirt is organic? Well … brands who use organic cotton are like that guy who was once MVP in high school soccer; they’ll tell you. But that guy could have faked it … True that and that’s why there are organizations that set the standard for this. These include GOTS and BCI if you see these you’re golden.
As we mentioned in other blogs, we think it is important that we put more emphasis on switching to fabrics like hemp and lyocell, which have a lower environmental impact, but that process takes a lot of time. Meanwhile, there are a lot of brands that already use organic cotton instead of regular cotton. This makes it easy for you to set some steps in the right direction; Yay!
Alright friends, that is it for this week, we’ll see you again in two weeks! If you have any questions; feel free to drop em below!
]]>Since we are always hyping you up about natural fabrics, we thought it would be a good idea to tell you why we think they’re the future.
Why nature?
The need for alternatives in athletic apparel is increasing. We’re calling our alternative Natural Athletic Apparel. As the name says, it’s made by using sustainable, natural fabrics, which are not made from nonrenewable fossil fuels.
We want to make awesome products so that people don’t have a hard time ditching polyester in the coming years. In order to make awesome products, we need awesome fabrics, and you guessed it; we got em!
The main fabrics we currently use are Hemp, Lyocell and Organic Cotton. In our dedicated Hemp and Lyocell blogs, we have discussed why the materials are sustainable, but there’s more to them than just sustainability.
I mean, that's cool and all, but you can’t wear sustainability.
High tech nature
Hemp and Lyocell offer unique properties that can enhance your sporting experience. Both materials are anti-static, because they don’t contain any plastic, and plastic causes static charges to form.
Besides this, both materials are naturally antibacterial, which makes people less likely to step away from you because you smell bad after a workout. The bad smell is usually caused by bacteria x sweat, so taking bacteria out of the equation keeps you fresh!
Hemp and Lyocell act differently when it comes to thermal control (aka temperature). Hemp retains your body heat more, which makes it really comfortable to wear from autumn to spring and in milder climates. With Lyocell this is the other way around. Lyocell fabrics naturally guides away the heat from your skin, so it keeps you cold. This is more comfortable in hot environments and during the summer.
Hey, we are not going to judge you if you wear hemp in the scorching sun or Lyocell in the Arctic. You're in a free country, so you can do whatever you like.
Organic cotton is as the name states; organic. This means that there are no pesticides used in the production process. We mainly use organic cotton because it makes other fabric softer when mixed, which is especially useful with hemp since raw hemp fabric is on the rough side. This way you have the benefits of hemp and the softness of organic cotton.
When we come across other awesome fabrics, we’ll make sure you hear about it too. If you know of any other fabrics that you would like to see covered, leave a comment below!
Alright friends, that is it for this week, we’ll see you again in two weeks!
]]>We’ve all been there; standing in front of our closet, not knowing what to wear or what to match with those new shoes we just bought. Add on top of this the task to make this mess of a closet more sustainable, and I think you have one of the most daunting tasks ever designed for humans.
Since I know how hard it can be to make clear decisions, we tried to simplify this process to a few easy steps which help you change your vanilla, dusty closet into a cool, sustainable one.
Think of this guide as Apple Maps, it does bring you from A to B most of the time, but there are no guarantees that it will always work, and you can’t hold me responsible for it ;).
1. Buy Less
Okay, this might be a bit too obvious, but it is very true. Most clothing has become so cheap these days that it is easy to buy something without giving it much thought at all. If clothes were more expensive, we would for sure give it more thought if we’d actually need the item. One way to trick yourself is to ask yourself if you would buy the item if its price was 10x more. That way you don’t fall in the trap of mindlessly filling your cart up. Cheap prices also make it easy to throw clothes away, which is causing a lot of pollution. Another way to avoid this is by patching up some of your clothing that might have been damaged.
2. Buy Vintage
While washing your clothes still has an impact, you can minimize your impact by buying second hand or vintage clothing. Since we got all these old trends such as fanny packs coming back around, it’s always a good idea to visit a second-hand store when the urges to shop arise from the depths. This way, you reduce the demand for new clothes and thus help reduce the overall impact. See if you can avoid polyester since that will still pollute a lot, even though it might be vintage.
3. Buy Sustainable
Of course, we all like to buy new goodies from time to time. I’m not going to pretend that, that isn’t the case, because I like me some goodies too. Well, that begs the question: where do I find sustainable clothing? Organic this, local that … it’s easy to get lost in the world of sustainable clothing. Luckily, there are some platforms like Project Cece, Good on you, Shop Like You Give a Damn, and Aequem that can guide you to towards your next favorite piece of sustainable apparel.
There’s also Rankabrand, which ranks brands according to their sustainability. Basically, these initiatives have done all the heavy lifting research for you and filter different brands, so you can make better decisions. Good stuff!
There are also other awesome blogs that you can check out for inspiration, like this one about sustainable sportswear from unsustainable magazine.
That’s our little guide to set steps towards your own sustainable closet. If you have some tips to add to this, feel free to comment them below, so others can check them out as well.
Alright, that was it for this Future Friday! We wish you all a great weekend and see you again in two weeks!
]]>
Let’s start with a little story. There once was a magician who lived in a kingdom where no one was wearing clothes. Since the king didn’t really like that, he asked that the magician would come up with a solution. The magician saw that there were plenty of trees in the kingdom and figured it would be best to use these trees to make clothing from. He cut the trees down and tried to make clothing out of it. He tried and tried, but it never worked and that’s the end of the story. Not sure if I’ll ever be a good writer for children's books, but I think that it truly is magical how we are able to turn trees into clothing.
TIMBER!
Wait a minute, did you just say turn wood into clothing? Oh yeah! Lyocell and modal (both TENCEL™ products) are made from eucalyptus and beech trees.
Interesting, so how does this work? Well, first you need some trees (duh), which are then cut down and shredded into pieces. After that, the pieces go into a bath of chemicals (usually NMNO) and then you get usable strings to make yarn and fabric from.
But wait … solving cellulose materials in chemicals sound harmful, and haven’t we heard that before in the blog about bamboo? Well done Sherlock, that’s some grade A researching right there! It’s true that the process is similar, but like with many great things, the difference lies in the execution. Lyocell and modal are made in a closed-loop system (no not Elon’s hyperloop, but a closed loop) in which the factories recycle up to 99,9% of the chemicals used, so they don’t have a bad impact on the environment.
Environmental benefits
Besides not dumping lots of chemicals into the environment, which is pretty cool, both lyocell and modal have some other environmental benefits. If we compare them to cotton, growing the trees only needs about 20% of the land and 10% of the water that cotton would need. Isn’t that just awesome?! Besides that the 100% lyocell and modal fabrics are also biodegradable, so that’s a win-win no matter what. If you want to know more about the production process, you can click here.
Wearing benefits
Cool benefits, but what if I’m going to wear it? Just like hemp, it’s all natural, which means that it can’t get static on your skin. Besides this lyocell and modal are also good at wicking moisture away from the body and keep your body cool when you wear it. Great for workouts!
And now for the question, you all have been waiting for: will we as Iron Roots make apparel out of lyocell and modal? Oh yeah! We already make some of our products from these materials, and will continue to do so! We need a variety of materials like hemp, lyocell and modal to make the industry more sustainable, so not having this in our arsenal would be a crime.
Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next Friday!
]]>It’s probably the most used quote in the sustainable clothing movement in the past few years. 'Fashion is the second most polluting industry there is', followed by a claim that only oil is worse as an industry.
It’s easy to understand, catchy and dooming. Great slogan you might think. There’s only one problem with it ... it’s not true.
The truth!
Wait, what do you mean it’s not true? It’s been quoted in documentary’s, countless articles and during panels at events! Yes, that part is true, but as one of my favourite artists' Flume puts it in his Numb and getting colder: 'Saying the same things twice won’t make it right'. Just because I convince people I’m a good dancer by writing it on my Facebook and telling everyone about it doesn’t make it true (yup, I’m still a terrible dancer).
In this era where fake news is dominating the internet, it is important to find and speak the truth. By putting fake facts out, we are undermining the real impact that the movement is making.
But where did it come from? There are some people who point to a random panel that was talking on sustainability in fashion during the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, but no one seems to be able to substantiate the claim.
So how polluting is it really?
Well Erik, if it’s not the second most polluting, which place does the industry get on this infamous ranking? That’s a tough question to answer ...
First of all ‘pollution’ is a difficult term because it involved a spectrum of things. Water pollution, CO2 emissions, airborne chemicals; they all play a part in pollution, but since they are different, it’s not easy to compare them to one another. Some people might argue that CO2 emissions are worse than chemicals in waterways, but how do you objectively look at that comparison? You can’t. Hack we can even put the countless tasteless marketing campaigns of brands under pollution, but that once again is subjective ;).
Another problem is that the scope of the environmental impact of fashion is insanely big. Agriculture, shipping and manufacturing are all part of fashion, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact impact of that. For example, you know the CO2 emissions of a ship, but do you also include the emissions released during the making process of that ship and the making process of the tools that were used to make that ship etc. etc. It’s a spiral of pollution that seems to have no end. Yeah, that’s some inception stuff right there.
Both of these problems make it hard to pinpoint the exact impact. There’s no doubt that the industry is highly polluting and that it needs solving, but throwing random quotes out will only discredit the real efforts. So let’s just stick to facts that we do know and work from there. I’ve listed some of them down here:
Alright, that was it for this week. Enjoy your weekend friends and we’ll see you next Friday!
]]>Houses, clothing, food. What if I told you that there is one plant that could give it all to us. This week we’ll talk about why hemp will be the plant of the future!
Maybe it’s a bit ironic that I call it the plant of the future because hemp was one of the earliest crops to be used in agriculture by our ancestors. Findings show that hemp was already used 8000 years ago. That was way before the first pyramids came around, how sick is that?
Hemp … can we smoke that?
No, no, no. Let’s get this straight first. Hemp is the non-smokable version of cannabis. Smokable and non-smokable cannabis look a lot like each other, but they vary in their uses. Kind of obvious since I just told you that you can smoke one and can’t smoke the other, but ah well :). Hemp can be called hemp if its content of THC is below 0,2 / 0,3%, depending on which place in the world you are. Even though a little higher amounts of THC also wouldn't get you high, but these are the percentages that our dear bureaucrats came up with.
But wait ... what’s the point of using hemp if you can’t smoke it? Hold on there rascal, there’s plenty of other things you can use it for.
Why hemp?
Hemp is, together with bamboo, one of the fastest growing plants there is. Hemp requires little to no water in its growing stage and if we compare it to cotton, for example, it uses about 75% less water and 66% less land for the same amount of clothing.
Hemp could be a solution for many things we are struggling with; sustainable resources for clothing and buildings, food shortages and energy storage. Maybe one day we’ll even find out that it’s a great resource to make rockets from, but until then we’ll have to do with the list of applications down here.
Wait, are you telling me that this plant can do all those things? Jup! And that’s why we need more of it. Okay, but I’ve heard a lot of good stories about bamboo, why isn’t bamboo the crop of the future? Well, I think that we need both of them! Hemp and bamboo are similar in a lot of things, but in one application they differ: clothing. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, bamboo clothing is usually made with chemicals, while hemp clothing can be made without them. Besides this exception, I think we need both hemp and bamboo in our future.
Where the hemp at?
Okay Erik, I’m convinced of your plant, but if it is so good, why don’t we see it everywhere? That’s a good question with a difficult answer. The main reason we found is that hemp has a stigma surrounding it because of cannabis and that companies searched for other materials to do hemps job. Luckily the stigma is changing, so we see more and more hemp products (Yay!). It will take years before this change is done, but we are witnessing the beginning of it happening.
Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you next Friday!
]]>Bamboo, bamboo, bamboo! We have gotten a lot of questions about bamboo in our short journey in the clothing industry, so it was about time that we would tell you a bit more about this super plant. Like the other super plant hemp, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It too requires minimum amounts of water and land to grow, which makes it a great resource for all sorts of applications.
Bamboo this, bamboo that
From housing to clothing, bamboo can be used for a lot of things. I personally think that bamboo houses, for example, look awesome, and I might want to live in one in the future. A bamboo house with a bamboo garden, so that when something breaks from the house, I can just take some fresh bamboo from the garden #smart. Okay but enough about my dreams, this was supposed to be about bamboo. Now, where was I … oh yes, bamboo applications. Since bamboo canes are so tough, it is also perfect to make furniture, instruments, and bioplastic. These products have been known to be very strong and withstand time very well.
But all those benefits … it almost sounds too good to be true. Well, all of the above things are true, and I think that bamboo is awesome for those applications, but when it comes to textile it’s a bit different.
Too good to be true
As we can see above, bamboo is a very tough plant. So wait … how do you get soft and comfy fabric from tough bamboo canes? Tough cane + …….. = soft and comfy fabric. The missing link here is chemicals. I wasn’t paying enough attention at chemistry to pronounce all the names right of the chemicals used, but they are harmful to people, and that sucks. In short: the bamboo canes get dissolved in chemicals like CS2 et voila: you have soft fabric! In essence, this is the same process that’s used for regular rayon fabric, but you switch up regular wood or any other form of cellulose fiber for bamboo. While the resource is better in this case, the process is still polluting. The FTC has even gone as far as forcing companies to put ‘bamboo rayon’ on their clothing products instead of just ‘bamboo’ because it would otherwise mislead customers.
There are ways of doing this process in a closed loop system, like what happens with TENCEL™ fabric. Currently, however, we have not been able to find companies that produce bamboo in a closed loop system, so that’s why we, like Patagonia, are steering clear from bamboo clothing.
Bamboo fabric is like those chocolate chip cookies that turn out to be raisin cookies.
And now what?
So why are all these brands claiming it is so sustainable then? Well to be fair, I don’t know why they do that, but I do know that it might be because they don’t even know themselves what’s going on behind the scenes.
If you happen to know a factory that does produce bamboo in a sustainable fashion (see what I did there ;) ), please let us know, because we think as a raw resource bamboo is right up there with hemp and we would love to work with it.
Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next week!
]]>
The Friday of all Fridays is here: the infamous Black Friday. Camping party’s outside on side walks, big sales and people trampling over each other for a TV … during this day you can see it all. It’s like someone let the animals loose in a zoo called the mall. From the outside, it looks like something that you can make fun off, but there’s more at play here.
The best price?
It’s common for stores to lure you in with some cheap items that they marketed with, only for you to get caught up in all the other marketing efforts in the store itself, so you buy things you never wanted in the first place. Usually, these other products aren’t even the real bargains that you think they are.
History
It might also be interesting to know where the name came from. I don’t know if you find that interesting, but I do, so here you go ;).
Though everyone uses the name right now as a trigger for cheap products, it’s origins are a bit different. Everyone in the US went shopping after Thanksgiving, which caused so many traffic jams, that a police department in Philadelphia used the term to describe the insane amount of traffic jams during the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1966. Since then retailers have tried to give it a more positive connotation by labelling it the cheapest day to shop and marketing the heck out of it. They have succeeded by the looks of it.
So what’s wrong?
We think it’s fine to get your products cheaper when you can, but brands set you up to mindless consumption of products during this day, and we’d rather have you think if you need our products first. There’s nothing that would make us sadder than you buying a product from us and you then never wearing it.
Black Friday is like Rebecca Black's Friday; we don’t need it anymore
But wait … are you guys are never going to do any sales days? No, of course, we are going to celebrate other days together with you, but not with ones that don’t align with what we stand for. We have some other awesome days coming up such as the celebration of the new year and valentines, so be on the look for that!
So I came here for nothing?!?! Well no, I wouldn’t do that to you, so here’s a video of cute puppies and kittens to lighten up your day, and here’s a list of other awesome things you can do during this Friday :)
Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you next week!
]]>Care labels, you know, those itchy pieces of fabric on the inside of your clothing. Is it me or have they become less itchy over the years? Either way, they are like a nutrition label for clothing, and today we’ll discuss why it’s important to look at them before, and after you buy your clothes.
Some labels contain funny jokes, others give you a free course of Japanese on the back of them, but they all have to tell you something. In this blog, we're giving you a short introduction in care labels, so the next time you come across one, you’ll be able to brag to your friends about your new knowledge.
Brands are required to put the country where the last part of production took place on the care label. However, they don’t have to put the country on where the material was dyed or knitted for example. Since these processes usually happen in a lot of different counties, that's a pretty weird thing, right?
Your label might say “made in Italy”, but the whole process could have been through 5 other countries before Italy. Combine this with the fact that very few brands know who actually make the clothes in these countries, and you have a good case for the need for more transparency in the industry. This is also why it is a good idea to ask the brand of your clothes what they can tell you about the process.
Next up are the fabrics: from polyester to linen, you can find almost anything on your label. Except for wood. Oh, wait … you can even get clothing made from wood these days! Your piece of clothing comes in either 100% fabrics or a mix of different fabrics, which each has its own unique properties.
So which fabric should I buy? Well, that all depends on what you are looking for. Smooth, strong, warm, cold ... you name it and there’s a fabric that has it! One thing you might want to look at (that’s not on the label) is the sustainability of the fabric. While no brand is obliged to put their impact on a label, you have the internet at your fingertips! With just a few clicks you’ll learn that polyester, for example, releases tiny pieces of polluting plastic when washed. By comparing some fabrics, you can make a general estimate of the impact of the clothing you want to buy. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start.
Last but not least: the washing instructions. Every fabric behaves differently, so it’s important to have a look at the instructions before you wash it (or not), otherwise your brand new shirt might all of a sudden be better suitable for a kid. Generally, you want to avoid putting your clothes in a dryer, since that can make the fabric shrink and also requires lots of energy to use.
Alright, that was it for this blog. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for another blog, leave a reply!
Team Iron Roots
]]>