Custom «Eco-Friendly Products» Essay Paper Sample

With uprising concerns on environmental degradation, global warming and the imbalance of the ecosystem, eco-friendly products ought to be put into consideration. This paper discusses about eco-friendly products in a textile company such as eco-friendly fibers in the first paragraph and eco-friendly notions in the second paragraph. The third paragraph looks at the cleaner sources of energy that should be used by the company. Clean fuels in the transport of the products are discussed in the fourth paragraph and also eco-friendly packaging materials discussed in the last paragraph. All these are aimed in reducing their impacts on the environment.

Eco-friendly clothing from eco-friendly fibers are to be considered. These eco-friendly clothing are made from organic products that can be recycled or produced in harmony with nature in that they have minimal negative impacts on the environment (Slater 12). They are greatly made from natural fibers and some from man-made fibers and are highly fashionable. Some of the eco-friendly sustainable fibers used in making of outdoor clothing include the natural bamboo fibers. This fabric is a natural textile made from the bamboo pulp (Slater 15). The plant grows naturally and does not need any fertilizers or pesticides. Furthermore, once the fabric is made, it does not require chlorine for bleaching. It is easy to dye with no treatment using harsh chemicals. The fabric has a wicking ability and thus allows the skin to breathe by pulling away moisture, leaving the skin dry once worn. Another eco-friendly fiber is the tencell. "Tencell is a name given to a type of lyocell that is a man-made fiber produced in an environmentally friendly process from wood pulp" (Slater 16). It is both bio-degradable and recyclable .The fabric is quite comfortable and highly absorbent and therefore excellent when worn during high humidity. Producing this fabric involves less emissions, energy and water usage and doesn't get bleached. Organic cotton is another eco-friendly and sustainable fiber that is used in making of shirts and t-shirts. "Organic cotton does not need any form of chemicals in its growth cycle. Bleaching, dying and manufacturing processes of this cotton are carried out without the use of any chemicals as opposed to the normal regular cotton" (Karim 20). Moreover, natural cotton is stronger than the normal regular cotton.

Notions are defined as light weight items that are used in the textile industry. They include zippers, buttons, snaps, elastic or trims such as piping and bias tape. There are a wide range of eco-friendly notions such as wooden buttons. These buttons give a fabulous look on a garment, are long lasting and always available in all sizes (Karim 22). These buttons are light in weight and since they are made from wood, they are bio-degradable and no chemicals are used in their manufacture. They therefore tend to be environmentally friendly. Zippers made from recyclable polyester are also eco-friendly. This is because once used; they can either be re-used or recycled. Through the use of these types of zippers, the metal zippers are avoided that greatly contribute to environmental pollution during their processing. "The metal hardware's with non-electroplated finishes are eco-friendly notions because they minimize the impact shrank snaps, and rivets have in the environment" (Slater 15).

The use of coal and fossil fuels as sources of energy, leads to damaging effects on the environment. Therefore, Foxglove and other companies should consider alternative sources of energy that are environmentally friendly (Slater 16). This may include the use of natural gas that is cleaner in burning than gasoline though it is a fossil fuel. It does not produce carbon dioxide gas when burning which is a major source of greenhouse gasses. Natural gas is sustainable since it is still in very plentiful in supply and is available. Bio-fuels are another source of eco-friendly source of energy. Bio-fuel is any source of fuel made from either plants or animals (Slater 17) . These may include plants parts, wood chippings, and methane from the excretion of animals or from decomposition of plant matter through bacterial action. This type of energy is environmental friendly because it does not release greenhouse gases when burnt. Hydroelectric power generation is another source of clean energy source. This source of energy is old and well developed. This involves the use of water in the generation of electricity and thus a clean source of energy (Slater 24).

In the transportation of products that Foxglove company have made to the oversees factory, then it should consider clean sources of transportation fuel. This may include considering electricity as an alternative to petroleum fuels. A pure battery electric vehicle is more efficient and the fuel less pollutes the environment. Moreover, there is no need to convert energy into electricity since the battery stores electricity that can be used to power the electric motor. Hydrogen can be another suitable source of fuel used in transportation (Slater 16). Hydrogen fuel cells are two times more efficient compared to gasoline and do not generate pollutants to the environment. This type of fuel is most suitable for ships and aircrafts propulsions. Also the use of hybrid vehicles can be of great help. These vehicles consist of propulsion system with an internal combustion engine supplemented by an electric motor and batteries. This provides opportunities for combining the efficiency of electricity with the internal combustion engine (Dunne and Lusch 10).

There are also a variety of eco-friendly packaging materials for their products. These will minimize the use of non-sustainable and toxic products. The eco-friendly packaging materials may include the use of cardboard boxes that are made from recyclable materials and provide protection of both the products and the environment (Slater 28). The boxes are made from the recycling of papers and cardboards and therefore this is a way of helping the environment. The use of wooden boxes can also be a solution. These types of boxes are durable and made from products of wood that are biodegradable thus environmentally friendly. The use of biodegradable garbage bags, paper or plastics also offers a solution since they are environmentally friendly and sustainable (Slater 27).

In conclusion it is always important to be environmentally sensitive in all aspects so as to reduce the negative effects on the environment and therefore reduce the effect of climate change, environmental degradation and global warming.