The fashion industry is one of the leading contributors to climate change, the industry itself has been calling for a movement towards a more sustainable and ethical approach to fashion. The fashion industry wastes a huge amount of water and also leaves a lot of clothing waste behind with constantly moving trends. People are now starting to be more conscious of their buying habits and are now looking at buying better quality clothing that will last much longer than the fast-fashion alternative. This can be confusing when taking action as it can be difficult to know where to start. In this article, we will go through some simple ways in which you can make your wardrobe more sustainable. So get out of your men’s tracksuit and start looking for smarter alternatives.
Wash Your Clothing Less and Avoid The Dryer
A great way to be a more sustainable consumer is to wash your clothes less. This doesn’t mean that they have to smell or can’t be washed if they are dirty. But try to be more conscious of what you are washing, if there is nothing wrong with the piece, then don’t wash it. The Energy Saving Trust has researched that laundering clothing accounts for nearly 80% of the total environmental impact of the fashion industry. This is due to the countless amounts of water being used and also the microfibres that are going in the wash.
To save even more energy, you can reduce your energy usage by 40% if you opt for washing your clothes at 30º and avoiding a tumble dryer. This can in turn save you energy and it will also save your clothes from getting tired and stressed out. This will help to keep your clothing as good as possible. There are many different sprays out there that can help to keep your clothing fresh between washes.
Organise Your Wardrobe
By organising your wardrobe you will be able to determine what you actually have. You can then match items together for specific outfits and then you can also look at how you can alternate and make new outfits out of your existing ones. By decluttering your wardrobe, you will be able to see what you can style together which then makes you much less likely to want to go and buy new items of clothing. You should always look after what you have and cherish and love the items you have, so buy wisely rather than sporadically.
Try To Always Buy Organic Cotton
Many materials used in fashion unfortunately hold a lot of microfibres. When you put your clothing in the wash, the microfibres come out of your clothing and often end up in our oceans which then causes a growing issue for sea life as it is extremely difficult to clean up and remove. Try to steer away from these items as you will find that there are many alternatives that are better quality without having to compromise on style. Look at fabrics such as organic cotton or GOTS certified cotton. Gots certified cotton and monitored much more in terms of the fair trade of their workers, the amount of water used and how many pesticides they use to name a few. You can do this by doing some research before you buy as this can save you a lot of time and money in the process.
Don’t Throw Away Your Clothing In The Bin
A famous designer once said, buy less, choose well and that completely resonates with the culture we are trying to follow. Opt for purchasing thighs that you know you will wear for years and years and something that you will love. It is also important to think about repair before you replace it. This is something that is a dying trend and should be picked back up. Previous generations have always repaired their clothes, our generation doesn’t. Opt for tidying clothes up and tailoring rather than throwing away once it has a small hole in it or it is out of trend.
Another thing that our generation is used to is throwing away old clothing. This is a huge issue, clothing that is thrown away in general waste, then will either be incinerated or end up in landfills. If you have no use for an item, there are many different options you can do to repurpose your clothing such as recycle, give it to charity or you could even make something else out of it so it can be reused.
Carefully Check The Quality Before Buying
When you want to go for a more sustainable method of living, then you should already check the quality of the clothing you purchase. This will, in turn, help you to buy less as the clothing will last much longer than the cheaper option. Look at the material and see if there are gaps in the lining. Also, check the stitching to make sure it isn’t coming undone.