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So you want to buy a new thing, but you don’t want to contribute to the really scary stats you find when Googling “environmental impact of fashion.”What do you do
If you’re interested in sustainability, you’ve probably heard a version of this saying: “The most sustainable ___ is what you already have.” True, but not always practical, especially when Clothing: Styles are evolving, so are finances, and you want to keep up and own a shiny new thing.However, the fashion industry has to slow down.According to a recent report by Bloomberg, fashion accounts for 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and one-fifth of annual global plastic production.
The next best thing about wearing clothes you already own is what the fashion industry calls “conscious consumption.”We usually associate high cost with high quality, but that’s not the case.
Fashion buyer Amanda Lee McCarty, who hosts the Clotheshorse podcast, has worked as a buyer for more than 15 years, mostly in the fast fashion industry—she occupies what she calls the industry’s “fast fashion” the front seat.After the 2008 recession, customers wanted discounts, and if regular retailers didn’t offer them, Forever21 did, she said.
The solution, McCarty said, is to price items high and then plan to sell most of them at a discount — meaning that manufacturing costs are getting lower and lower.”Immediately, the fabric disappeared from the window,” she said.”Everything has become low-quality.”
McCarty said the influence has permeated the industry, even reaching luxury fashion brands.That’s why today, “investing” is not as simple as buying something expensive.Even so, not everyone can spend a lot of money on a dress, and neither are many sustainable brands sizing.So, what should we be looking for?There is no single right answer, but there are a million ways to be better.
Choose natural fibers—cotton, linen, silk, wool, hemp, etc.—that will last the longest in your wardrobe.Specifically, silk was found to be the most durable fabric in terms of its usage time, followed by wool.That’s partly because these fabrics also have the longest time between washes, which helps keep them in good condition.Natural fabrics are biodegradable and recyclable when they are worn.(By contrast, polyester will be the longest-serving on the planet, according to a report this year.)
Erin Beatty, founder of Rentrayage, said she loves finding hemp and jute because they are renewable crops.She especially likes cannabis apparel from brands like Jungmaven and For Days.
For Rebecca Burgess, founder and director of the nonprofit Fibershed and co-author of Fibershed: A Movement for Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Manufacturers for the New Textile Economy, is about seeking to support local farming communities, especially U.S.-made made fabric.”I’m looking for 100 percent wool or 100 percent cotton and farm-traceable products,” she said.”Where I live in California, cotton and wool are the primary fibers we produce. I would advocate for any natural fiber that is bioregion-specific.”
There is also a class of fibers that are not plastic but are not entirely natural either.Viscose is a fiber derived from wood pulp that has been chemically treated with sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide.There are some problems with viscose: According to Good on You, the process of producing viscose is wasteful and polluting the environment, and viscose production is a cause of deforestation.However, it is ultimately biodegradable, which is a good thing.
Recently, Eco Vero – a viscose fibre using a more environmentally responsible and less impactful production process – was launched – so some steps are being taken to improve the carbon footprint of this semi-synthetic fibre.(Then we annotate the semi-synthetic.
Look for eco-fabrics: The details of fibre production matter – there are fewer and fewer sustainable ways to produce natural fibres like cotton and silk, as are biodegradable semi-synthetic fibres.For example, silk production is harmful in both emitting and killing silkworms, but you can look for Ahimsa silk that preserves worms.You can look out for certifications for ethical and sustainable production processes.When in doubt, Caric recommends looking for GOTS or Global Organic Textile Standard certification with the most stringent environmental requirements.As we speak, new alternatives to plastic fabrics are being created; for example, “vegan leather” has historically been made from pure petroleum-derived plastics, but innovative materials such as mushroom leather and pineapple leather show great promise.
Google is your friend: Not all brands provide details on how the fabric is produced, but all apparel manufacturers are required to include an internal label that breaks down the fiber content of the garment by percentage.Kate Caric of London-based sustainable clothing company points out that many brands – especially fast fashion brands – deliberately clutter their labels.Plastics go by many names, so it’s best to google words you don’t know.
If we change our minds and see buying a pair of jeans as a years-long commitment or a worthwhile investment, rather than a whim, we’re more likely to keep what we buy and wear what we own.After evaluating the ethics of buying, Caric says, she prioritizes clothes that make her happy — including trends.”If you’re really into this trend and you’re going to be wearing it two years from now, that’s great,” she says.”People find a lot of fun in clothing. It’s something we do every day and it should feel good.”
Beatty agrees that the clothes you wear once or twice are the problem: “It’s really about, what are those pieces that will define your look over and over again?” Part of that is thinking about how to care for a piece of clothing before you buy it ; for example, is it only dry cleanable?If there are no eco-friendly dry cleaners in your area, it may not make sense to buy this product.
For McCarty, instead of buying on impulse, she took the time to envision how and where the piece would fit into her wardrobe.”You’d be surprised how many very poor, unsustainable clothes can be instantly removed from your life by the sport.”
At the end of Bill McKibben’s “Eaarth,” one of the more optimistic books I’ve read on the climate crisis, he concludes that, basically, our upcoming The future is a return to a more localized, smaller-scale economic model.Burgess agrees: staying local is the key to sustainable shopping.”I want to support my own farming and ranching communities because I want to see them reduce their dependence on the export economy,” she said.”I want to motivate growers to take care of my local environment through my buying choices.”
Abrima Erwiah – professor, sustainable fashion expert and co-founder of Studio 189 – takes a similar approach.While she does buy from big sustainable brands like Eileen Fisher, Brother Vellies and Mara Hoffman, she tends to look for small businesses in upstate New York.”I like that you can go there and see what they’re doing,” she said.
The work she does now benefits from her time volunteering in Ghana and living with relatives, which has helped her rethink the way she shop.Her strong connections with clothing professionals have helped her understand how everything from farm to clothing is interconnected.”In a place like Ghana with so much second-hand stuff, you realize what happens when you don’t need your stuff anymore.”
When a brand strives to trace the exact origin of its clothing and be transparent about its practices, it shows solid core values.If you’re shopping in person, Erwiah says it’s best to ask questions about its ethical and sustainable practices.This is one of the best ways to assess for yourself whether their clothing is worth the investment.Even if a brand doesn’t have all the answers, being asked might push it to change that – if it’s a small business, chances are you’re talking to someone who has some influence on business practices.For a larger brand, if employees are frequently asked about sustainability, over time, they may recognize that this is a customer priority and make changes.In fact, a lot of shopping now happens online.What Caric was looking for was whether a brand was visiting its factories and whether they included information on their website about how they paid their employees.It never hurts to send an email if you have more questions.
Recycling is one of the most common buzzwords used to clean fast fashion.Especially recycled polyester can be problematic.But according to Erwiah, it’s all about design with purpose.She cites the cradle to cradle philosophy.It’s great to turn plastic bottles into gym clothes, but what do they turn into after that?Maybe it needs to stay the way it is and stay in use for as long as possible; “sometimes it’s better not to change it,” Erwiah said.”If it’s a pair of sweatpants, maybe it’s about reusing it and giving it a second life, rather than investing a lot of resources into creating something else. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
When Beatty decided to start Rentrayage, she focused on recycling what she already had, using vintage clothing, dead-stock fabrics, and other materials that were already in circulation—she was constantly looking for gems, like those one-off T-shirts.”One of the worst things for the environment is these single-wear t-shirts that were made for this marathon or something,” Beatty said.”Usually, you can find really great colors. We cut them and they look cute.” Many of these t-shirts are cotton-polyester blends, but since they already exist, they should be circulated as apparel for as long as possible , Beatty tries to reuse them because they don’t age quickly.If you no longer need a piece of recycled clothing on your body, you can upgrade it into your home.”I see people literally turning skirts into napkins,” Beatty said.
In some cases, you don’t always get the brand ethics or even the fiber content when buying used items.However, giving a new look to a garment that is already floating around the world and ends up in landfills is always a sustainable option.
Even at second-hand stores, there are ways to assess quality and lasting potential, Caric said.“Some of the things I look for right away are straight seams and stitched seams.” For denim, Caric says two things to look out for: It’s cut on the selvedge, and the inside and outside seams are double-stitched.These are all ways to strengthen garments to last as long as possible before needing repairs.
Buying a piece of clothing entails taking responsibility for the item’s life cycle – which means once we’ve gone through all of this and actually bought it, we’re supposed to take good care of it.Especially with synthetic fabrics, the laundry process is complicated.It’s a good idea to invest in a filter bag to stop the release of microplastics into the water system, and if you’re willing to spend a little more to install, you can buy a filter for your washing machine.If you can, avoid using the dryer entirely.”When in doubt, wash it off and air dry. It’s the best thing you can do,” Beatty says.
McCarty also recommends reading the care label inside the garment.Once you are familiar with the symbols and materials, you will begin to know what must be dry cleaned and what is suitable for hand wash/air dry situations.McCarty also recommends buying Heloise’s “Handy Household Hints” book, which she often sees at thrift stores for under $5, and learning basic tinkering techniques, such as replacing buttons and patching holes.And, know when you’re out of your depth; sometimes, it’s worth investing in tailoring.After changing the lining of a vintage coat, McCarty believes she’ll be wearing it for at least the next 20 years.
Another option for updating dyed or worn clothes: dyes.”Never underestimate the power of black dye,” Beatty said.”That’s another secret. We do it every once in a while. It works wonders.”
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