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With the recent emergence and growth of fast fashion, the clothing industry now sits at second place when it comes to the world's largest polluters. It's only second to the fossil fuel industry!
In fact it could be viewed as part of the fossil fuel industry given the number of plastics, mostly unrecyclable, infiltrating our clothing! And the clothing industry is fast becoming a dumping ground for oil-based products which are being phased out in the transport and energy sectors.
In Australia, it is estimated a person only wears an item on average 7 times before discarding it. So what happens to all the unwanted clothes? The South Hobart Tip estimates that 5-6 tonnes of clothing is discarded every week.
Instead of throwing clothes out, some of us donate them to our local second hand shop. But the reality is, only 15% of unwanted clothes that are given to second hand charity shops meet the demands and quality standards to be resold locally. The remainder either gets shipped overseas, burnt, turned into rags, or sent to landfill.
Fast fashion retailers are now creating 52 fashion seasons a year. With the help of advertising, they are profiting from the unrealistic societal expectations for consumers to keep up with rapidly changing 'trends'. This churn and burn mentality is disastrous for our planet.
Buy fewer clothes and take care of them
Make a conscious decision about what clothes you need and are most likely to wear regularly. Most of us buy more things than we need. Rejecting a life of overconsumption is all about learning to love what we already have. Choose natural fibres as much as possible for your clothing. Mix and match your garments to create new styles and appreciate your clothes, no matter how long you've had them for. Keep them in good condition, away from damaging things like mould, smoke or clothes moths. Be careful when applying makeup or sunscreen.
Swap
Swap with friends or initiate and attend community clothes swaps. The thrill of finding something ‘new’ will be the same as if you were buying a brand new piece.
Support the second-hand trade
Buying second-hand is a great way to reduce your clothing footprint. It is also good for the household economy as you will find unique garments at a fraction of the price of buying new ones. When you want to change your wardrobe, sell on, donate or swap what you don’t want. And hopefully you will help to send a message to manufacturers to stop producing so much.
Invest in sustainable clothing when buying new
There are many aspects to an item of clothing that make it sustainable. Where was raw material produced and the item of clothing made? Consider the carbon miles in transporting the raw material to the manufacturer, then the manufactured garment to the consumer. Did the workers producing the garment have fair pay and healthy working conditions? What chemicals, natural resources, energy and water were required for its production? Is the fabric natural or synthetic? Is it durable? Is it biodegradable? Is it well made?
Avoid lots of extras
Avoid buying clothing items with unnecessary buttons, sequins, zips or adornments that will not only have the potential of limiting the life of the item but are often not biodegradable or recyclable. Don’t ditch clothes with buttons on. Cut them off and save them.
Learn to repair
Many clothes are discarded merely because of a missing button. Having some sewing skills can be highly beneficial to the planet and your wallet. By repairing your clothes when they're damaged, you can prolong their life and reduce the amount of clothing being sent to landfill.
Wash less and dry on the line
As well as reducing your carbon footprint, washing your clothes less will also make them last longer. After a couple of wears, hang clothes out in the sun to kill the bacteria that causes odour. When washing, use a cold, shorter setting, avoid harsh detergents and avoid using a dryer. This will maintain fabric integrity for longer. You can also often successfully ‘spot clean’.
Also by washing less you are preventing synthetic microfibres from entering our waterways and oceans. Many of these small filaments can end up polluting our rivers and seas for very long periods, killing our marine life and entering the human food chain.
Consider washing synthetic items in a sturdy cotton/linen/hemp bag which can help trap the microfibres.
Lobby clothes manufacturers and governments
We also need to change manufacturing processes and standards. Lobby the bigger clothes manufacturers to produce fewer, higher quality clothes. Ask them to explain what happens to the clothes that don’t sell. Try to lobby to prevent such excessive waste by targeting the manufacturers and fashion houses directly and asking governments to change unsustainable over-manufacturing practices.
Ask for labelling that provides a life-cycle analysis of the impact of the clothing item eg: natural resource use, energy use, water use, chemical use, resilience of fabric, biodegradability /recyclability of fabric.
Adapted from an article www.1millionwomen.com.au
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