Vegan shirts are made from materials that do not come from animals, but defining what is acceptable can be complex. Some vegans prefer organic materials and fair trade practices, while others avoid synthetic materials. Truly vegan shirts are not widely available.
People who practice a vegan lifestyle are reluctant not only to consume animals or animal products, but they also do not support the killing of animals to produce clothing. Because of the broader strokes of what vegan means, vegan shirts are made from materials that do not come from animals. This includes fabric, threads, buttons, or any ornamental decoration. Some vegans feel that clothing should be made only from organic materials, while others feel that synthetic materials, such as polyester, meet vegan standards.
The strictest definition of a vegan is someone who does not condone the killing of animals or the use of animal products. However, many practicing vegans view veganism as a philosophy rather than a simple principle. This philosophy focuses on non-exploitative actions towards both animals and humans and causes the least amount of detrimental impact on the environment. Trying to define vegan shirts becomes even more complex when these factors are considered.
Although a polyester shirt with cotton seams and plastic buttons meets the encyclopedic definition of vegan, some practicing vegans try to avoid wearing these materials. Polyester is derived from petroleum, and the environmental impact of obtaining petroleum and processing it into polyester goes against his philosophy. Cotton used for sewing may not be acceptable to some vegans because although cotton is a plant product, pesticides were used on the cotton plants. Plastic buttons are offensive to some vegans because, like polyester fabric, they are produced from petroleum products.
The perfect vegan shirts would be those produced from organic materials with a minimum of mechanical processing, made with fair trade practices, and without exploiting the cheap labor of vulnerable populations. A handwoven shirt made from organically grown hemp with buttons hand carved from fallen wood meets nearly every vegan’s definition of a vegan shirt. Vegans themselves debate where to draw the line of what’s acceptable when it comes to clothing. There is a wide variance between what is reasonable and what is acceptable, although all vegans agree that a polyester shirt, even with its inherent negatives, is still preferable to a leather shirt.
Truly vegan shirts are not widely available; Most of the big chain stores do not carry vegan clothing. This leads many vegans to settle for clothing that, while not strictly adhering to the vegan philosophy, is at least free of animal products. Shirts made from organic materials are becoming more popular, although even these are sometimes made in foreign countries using child labor.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
