It’s one thing to acknowledge that the fashion industry has environmental problems — a waste problem, a pollution problem, a conservation problem, an ethical labor problem — and another thing to do something about it. While it’s true that widespread industry change needs to happen within corporations and brands, individuals have an obligation too.
From where do you buy your clothes? Where are they made? How often do you buy clothes, and how many items do you keep in your closet? When you’re done with a piece of clothing, what do you do with it? These are the kinds of questions we should all be asking ourselves to become better consumers and stewards of the Earth.
As you evaluate your own sustainable fashion strengths and shortcomings, here are some tips to help you rethink what you wear.
Shop Secondhand
Whether you’re aiming for unique style, a good deal or a smaller carbon footprint, shopping for used clothes is a good place to start. According to ThredUp’s 2020 Resale Report, if everyone traded one new item for one used item this year, we would save 25 billion gallons of water and 449 million pounds of waste. We would also be sparing the atmosphere 5.7 billion pounds of CO2, which is the equivalent of planting 66 million trees.
Thrifting is also on the rise in popularity. ThredUp reported that 62 million women bought secondhand products in 2019 (up from 56 million in 2018) and that 4 in 5 women are open to secondhand shopping when money is tight, especially in light of the economic hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Wait to Wash
While cleanliness is certainly a virtue, not all of your clothes need to be washed after every wear. Pants and sweaters are typically good for five wears before a wash, and jeans only need to be washed once a season or so (especially if you want to preserve their color). Of course, sweaty workout clothes and underwear should be washed after each wear, but in general, non-sweaty garments can make it for at least two.
When you do wash, using cold tap water will save you 43 pounds of CO2 emission per year (according to a Green Story Inc. Environmental Study). Bonus points if you air-dry your clothes, which saves an additional 447 pounds of carbon emissions per year.
Pause That Plastic
Speaking of washing, it’s time to talk about the plastic microfibers that come out of clothes in the washing machine. According to the United Nations, 500,000 metric tons of plastic microfibers are released into the ocean every year from laundry alone (more on that in this month’s By the Numbers). Plastic is made to last, so all of that waste will stick around for quite a while — anywhere from 20 to 500 years, according to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
One solution is to buy clothes made of natural fabrics, such as cotton and wool. Avoid acrylic, nylon and polyester clothing, and, as we’ve already mentioned, try to wash those fabrics less often.
There are also commercial solutions for collecting microfibers from your existing clothes, such as the Cora Ball. A 2020 University of Plymouth paper found that the Cora Ball prevents 31% of plastic microfibers per load from getting into the water, which adds up to about one disposable water bottle’s worth of plastic per year per person.
Cap Your Closet
I know, I know. This one is hard. The 2019 Resale Report estimated that, on average, people have about 136 items in their closets, and that number has been falling. For style lovers, even that number may seem like an unattainable goal. But the first step is to prevent your wardrobe from getting any bigger. For every item you bring in, take one out (more on that in a moment). When you’re ready to pare down, ask yourself: when was the last time I wore this? Does this still fit me well? Does it have any holes or wear?
More likely than not (since 70% of shoppers reported this), you have single-use outfits sitting idle, especially from special events, like weddings. According to the 2020 Resale Report, the temptation to wear something new, either for an event or social media, is so great that in 2019, 208 million pounds of waste were generated by single-use outfits.
You’re in good company if you’re ready to step back from buying clothes; 79% of consumers plan to cut their apparel budget over the next year, according to ThredUp.
Toss the Throw-Away Mentality
If you’re ready to get an item of clothing out of your life, don’t just throw it away! According to Green Story Inc., 64% of the 32 billion garments produced each year end up in landfills, meaning half of consumers head straight to the trash with their unwanted clothes.
One alternative, especially for clothes that are like new and from high-end brands, is resale. Platforms like The RealReal and eBay or secondhand stores like Buffalo Exchange and Plato’s Closet will buy luxury and designer clothes for resale. As an option, ThredUp reports, resale is gaining popularity as economic hardship increases, with 67% of people who haven’t resold clothes before open to the idea.
Donating clothes to charitable organizations is also a good option for keeping clothes, shoes and accessories out of landfills. If an item is damaged or worn, though, the best option is to give it to an organization that will recycle it.
Moving away from the throw-away mentality also means buying clothes with longevity. When you do replace items, choose ones that you will wear at least 12 times (which, according to the 2020 Resale Report, saves about 60 pounds of carbon emissions per year).
Love on Local Stores
Packaging and shipping can be hard to control from the consumer standpoint, but both are huge contributors to the waste and pollution problems. One way to combat this is by shopping as locally as possible so that items do not have to travel so far (and produce as many emissions) to get to you. The convenience of online shopping can be wonderful, but keep in mind the number of boats, planes and trucks that it takes to get that package to you (and, sometimes, to return it).
In a globalized economy, this may be the hardest change to make; even the dress you buy from a local boutique may have been manufactured overseas. Still, there are alternatives, and keeping track of brands that have ethical supply chains (both in terms of the environment and labor) can help you identify the places that deserve your business.
Speak Through Spending
Perhaps the most significant obligation of the sustainably-minded consumer is to lobby companies for change through purchase power. The primary shift towards sustainability in the fashion industry has been driven by millennial and Generation-Z consumers. Thirty percent of millennials and 40% of Gen-Zers bought secondhand clothing in 2019, which is 10% to 20% higher than their Generation-X and Baby Boomer counterparts, according to the 2020 Resale Report.
A GlobalData Covid Survey found that 70% of consumers still believe that global warming is important to address, and if that’s the case, the majority has the power to lead companies down a more sustainable path. By making more environmentally-conscious buying decisions, consumers can voice the kinds of changes they want to see.
