Over the years clothing has gotten cheaper, but do you know at what cost? Second to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the largest polluter in the world. In fact, more than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years. When it comes to being “green” and making ethical fashion choices we all know we can do more, but sometimes knowing how you can make an effective contribution is the hardest part.
Educate Yourself
It all starts by educating yourself and becoming aware! Learn the facts about who’s making your clothing and where. Get to know which brands are sustainable and which ones are not. Are you willing to change your favorite fast fashion store for a more sustainable one? Get to know the truth vs. myths about buying ethical clothing.
Some articles and videos to get you started:
Fast Fashion is having severe repercussions on the environment as well as on its workers. If fashion is to be sustainable, we need to seriously reduce the amount of clothing that we consume and radically transform our methods of manufacture, cutting down on waste and repurposing fabrics. Photo: Lucy Siegle quote (L); Fashion Revolution Moto (R).
Shop for Eco-Friendly Fabrics
A simple way to be sustainable in fashion is by taking a few seconds to look at garment labels before we buy something new. But what constitutes a “sustainable” fabric versus one that is toxic to the earth? Eco-friendly fabrics consist of renewable fibers which are easy to grow or produce. They use limited water and energy to produce and are recyclable.
Here’s some Eco-Friendly Fabrics to look for:
- Linen- Made from flax plants, linen clothing is naturally biodegradable and recyclable. Not to mention, is also comfortable and extremely durable, it can even endure 20 years of wear!
- Organic Cotton- Make sure to shop for organic cotton, which no pesticides are used in the process. Be aware because clothing labels won’t let you know if it’s cotton or organic cotton! Safest bet is to buy organic cotton clothing in the shades the cotton is grown in.
- Hemp- This crop is easy to grow and needs little fertilizers and pesticides. It is also very versatile and can be made into a wide variety of fabrics.
- Silk- Produced by caterpillars known as silk worms, this fabric is both light-weight and durable. However, it does involve killing silk worms so a cruelty-free alternative for ethical vegetarians is vegan silk.
Before shopping take a look at the garment label. The greenest fabrics use limited water and energy to produce and are recyclable. Photo: Money Crashers
Wash Less
Before you think I am crazy…I am not talking about completely stop washing your clothes, but simply wash LESS. Besides buying, washing is an activity that it’s directly under our control. A recent study form Levi Jeans, shows that nearly 60% of the environmental impacts come from washing and 37% of climate change impact comes from consumer care—mainly from laundering. Not only you can help save the environment, but your clothes will also last longer as washing fades colors and shrinks clothes. Unless a garment is visibly dirty or on the nose, take the challenge to wear your garments at least three times before they hit the laundry. Mother Earth will thank you later!
Use Reusable Bags
One of the thrills of shopping is flaunting around the mall holding a bunch of bags with all your purchases, but did you know that a plastic bag can take from 15 to 1,000 years to break down, depending on environment. That’s 100 times a humans lifetime! In fact the United States uses about 100 billion plastic bags per year, with the average person using between 350 and 500. But enough about negative facts! Here’s a positive one: If one person used reusable bags over their lifetime that would remove more than 22,000 plastic bags from the environment! You can start next time you go shopping, it’s never too late!
Recycle & Reuse
Saving the best for last, one of the biggest contributions you can do to be more sustainable in fashion is to recycle and reuse. Shop for clothes that are made out of recycled materials, turning what was thought as waste into something useful. You can also practice the act of reusing, by simply handing down your old or unwanted clothes to new users or by shopping at thrift stores. Recycling reduces waste and energy use, but reusing clothes eliminates waste products altogether.
Final Word
Being sustainable in fashion, all starts by being an informed shopper. After you’ve done your research the next step is to take ACTION. Then you can share your new knowledge with your friends and family, causing a word of mouth movement! One person can really make a change and in the day of today more fashion brands are working into being more sustainable. The change is slow- but it’s happening…will you make a change today?
If you liked reading about sustainable fashion, check out my last post The Future of Fashion is Sustainability Also check out Fashion Revolution Movement urging consumers to ask brands, “Who Made My Clothes?” on social media. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below!
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