Three things you didn’t know about sustainable fashion
You’ve probably already heard of the term “fast fashion” and know that the “new norm” of releasing multiple fashion lines a year, coupled with our increasingly throwaway attitude towards clothing (buying a dress to wear once for a night out and then leaving it to gather dust in the back of your closet) is damaging the planet.
However, there are many other ways we can be more sustainable when it comes to fashion.
1) Recycle
You can find wonderful things in charity shops that are more environmentally friendly to wear
than a cheaply produced garment, not just because they do not fuel the “fast fashion” industry (obviously, your money will go straight to the charity, not to the brand!) but also because most clothes that you will find in a charity shop have already been worn and therefore washed. Most clothes are made with damaging fibers that come off in the wash and go straight into the water supply – but by the time charity shop clothes are bought, the
chances are the fibers have already been washed off, so your washing and rewashing of them has less of a harmful impact on the water supply.
Depop is another great app for secondhand clothes, and it’s especially useful if you want to search for a specific thing or if you don’t live in an area teeming with charity shops.
2) Choose your brands wisely
As well as browsing in your charity shops for planet-friendly fashion, when you are buying brand new clothes keep in mind how important it is that you choose shops and brands that are committed to ethical production. We are so powerful as consumers and it’s important to remember this when choosing where to shop. On the subject of harmful fibers, not all brands are equal: at ASOS, for example, 34% of all fibers used come from sustainable sources. It’s easy to dismiss big clothing brands’ efforts in this regard as just being good PR, but ASOS actually have a dedicated Sustainable Sourcing Team focusing on all elements of the supply chain (so they, at least, seem to be serious).
More and more brands are striving to become more conscious in the way that they conduct themselves, and whether or not you suspect it’s all just for “PR” it is still surely a good thing and a step in the right direction – and anyway, the fact that a commitment towards sustainability is good PR just shows how much we, as consumers, are demanding to see change!
3) Buy better, not more
This is so important. Ask yourself if you really need that flimsy, cheaply produced, unethically sourced, environmentally damaging crop top made in a factory somewhere. Just because something is cheap doesn’t mean you need it – in fact, it often means you should steer clear, or at least think about why that product is so cheap (unless you’re in a charity shop of course, in which case – cheap is great!). Having said that, expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better either. Choosing to shop sustainably does not mean buying expensive clothes – it means choosing a brand with excellent sustainability principles.
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Guest Post by Sarah Grant is a thirty-something travel writer on a mission to see every single country in the world – on his own.a Forestry and Environmental students and works as a freelance writer for a few travel and pro-environment websites. a traveler by nature, Jane avidly trots across the globe; along the way sharing stories, pictures and tips for anyone wanting to travel the world solo.
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