The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

The oldest continuously published high school newspaper in America

The Willistonian, Est. 1881

Shopping Vegan

by Rachel Deena ’13

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Etsy.com is a great source for handmade vegan clothing

After a recent much needed shopping trip, I was cutting the tags off of my purchases when I noticed the tiny print on the clothing tag.  I also noticed how little information there was about the products. For a simple bathing suit top, the information given was that it was made of eighty percent nylon polyamide and twenty percent  spandex lining then a small percent of polyester. Made in Indonesia. Not super specific. I know it doesn’t really matter to most people what their clothes are made of, but it’s intriguing to me how little we care about what we’re spending money on. By not caring, we are telling the industry that whatever they are doing is okay.

So I decided to do some research. Polyester, first of all, is a chemical chain of polymers and can contain plant cuticles, which is the waxy part of the plant stem, and other chemicals like polycarbonates, which are long strings of carbon connected to other elements.  Another popular fabric is Nylon. Nylon was originally made for toothbrushes then made its way to clothing for stockings. “There are two common ways of making nylon for fiber applications. In one approach, molecules with an acid (-COOH) group on each end are reacted with molecules containing amine (-NH2) groups on each end.”[1] If all you are hearing right now is a list of chemicals that you don’t really know about, I ask you: why are you paying for clothes that are made of different chemical chains made in a laboratory instead of purchasing more natural products like cotton or wool? Some people who think about this stuff, namely vegans.

Vegans are people who do not eat meat, fish, poultry, or use animal products such as eggs, fur, leather, even honey. They also don’t use products that have been tested on animals, so brands like St. Ives and Burt’s Bees label their products as cruelty free. Burt's Bees lip balmCruelty free products are products that have not been tested on animals and do not contain ingredients that have been tested on animals. Vegans do wear polyester because in some cases it’s more natural and a good alternative to them to petroleum based products. They also try to use products that have not been tested on animals.

It might not be that apparent so to clarify, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) provides a shopping guide to companies that sell animal-friendly and cruelty-free products. It may be more apparent, but some vegans do not buy or wear leather. So, there’s vegan leather, leather that isn’t made from animals or made from animal products.  The store Free People is just one of the many that offers vegan leather products, including vegan leather bags and vegan boots. Free People Vegan Boots

With vegan clothing, you know that what you are wearing and paying for hasn’t been drenched in chemicals and is most often made from more natural products. When you wear vegan you know that Mother Nature wasn’t harmed in making your clothes and that your carbon footprint is smaller than it would be if you weren’t a vegan shopper. The downside of this eco-friendly choice is that to produce clothing that has a conscience is usually on the pricey side. But ask yourself: should I really put a price on helping my one and only Earth?

 


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon

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