Sustainability has become a key talking point around how you can add to your wardrobe while limiting its carbon footprint.
Having a sustainable wardrobe involves questioning your needs and taking time to shop for each piece to understand how and where it was made — the antithesis of fast fashion which has come to dominate global shopping trends.
These four tips can help you build a more sustainable wardrobe.
Fast equates to unsustainable
Fast fashion refers to the rapid production and distribution of clothing to reflect the latest trends. Since the early 1990s, technological improvements, lower costs of production and streamlined supply chains have significantly shortened fashion cycles. Clothes today can be made and sold to consumers at a low price within just a few weeks of being designed.
While easier on the wallet, the consequences of the fast fashion industry are extensive.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the global fast fashion-dominated clothing and textile sector is responsible for two to eight percent of all global carbon emissions and nine percent of annual microfibre pollution in the oceans.
In addition, fast fashion uses about 215 trillion litres of water annually, the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Moreover, workers are often exploited in inhumane conditions for little pay and massive profits.
In response to these criticisms, a growing number of fast-fashion retailers, such as H&M and Zara, are claiming to take steps towards reducing their environmental footprint. These outlets claim, for instance, that they have replaced synthetic fibres and polyester, made from oil and petroleum, with natural and recycled ones.
However, the ubiquity of greenwashing across the fashion industry makes it hard to tell if these claims have any weight.
Sustainable shopping?
In the face of such serious concerns, how can anyone hope to shop sustainably?
The first, and, in many ways most crucial, step is to simply commit to slowing down your approach to fashion itself by embracing sustainable fashion and shopping ethically to help put the brakes on overproduction and overconsumption.
1: Buy less, buy better:
While forgoing shopping or opting for hand-me-down and second-hand options is preferable to buying new from a sustainability standpoint, such avenues may not always be possible. Try and buy fewer items of a higher-quality from sustainably conscious brands. Being careful with where, and what, you purchase can help limit the negative environmental and societal impacts of our clothing purchases.
2: Repair, reuse and recycle:
Prolonging clothing life by wearing pieces over several years and mending when required, rather than throwing away, can also be a great way to reduce the environmental footprint of your wardrobe. Paying for a pair of jeans to be professionally repaired will likely be considerably cheaper than buying new ones, saving you money in the long-run.
3: Prioritize natural fibres:
Opt for natural fibres such as organic cotton, linen, silk, hemp and bamboo. Ideally, clothing should be durable, locally manufactured, and made from fair-trade, sustainably sourced natural materials.
While natural fibres are ideal for everyday clothing, synthetic high-performance materials are essential in sportswear or water-resistant outdoor apparel that can withstand the elements.
4: Choose simple, timeless pieces:
Clothing, such as jeans, should be worn for as long as possible and be made from safe, recycled, or renewable materials. The design of the garment should also be minimal. For instance, distressed jeans require the use of several toxic chemicals to give them their worn-out appearance.
In today’s world of high-turnover fast fashion, it can be easy to feel despondent at the relative lack of sustainable options. However, it is possible to add to your wardrobe sustainably by questioning your needs and taking your time shopping for each piece to understand how and where it was made.
In time, you may even come to appreciate a smaller well-curated wardrobe of timeless pieces that you can wear for years, and not just a few weeks.
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