There are more and more sustainable fashion initiatives. A different kind of fashion that favors quality over quantity and is manufactured following ecological, sustainable and ethical criteria. A fashion that takes into account its impact on the environment, that rejects the exploitation of labor in the manufacture of its clothes and that uses natural fabrics usual but from organic farming, or new plant fibers like pineapple or tencel, obtained from wood. Have you always wanted to develop a more sustainable wardrobe? In today’s article, we will help you to do just that. Enjoy!
Opt for Natural Fabrics and Upcycling
Why?
- The massive use of synthetic fibers means that 190,000 tons of microplastics end up in the oceans every year.
- The fashion industry is also a major “predator” of resources, especially water. To produce 1 kg of conventional cotton, for example, 20,000 liters of water can be used (91% more than for organic cotton).
- In addition to all this, there are toxic substances in clothing that are harmful to the environment and to our health: from traces of pesticides or dyes to the plastic components of synthetic fibers.
The use of recycled materials, such as bottles recovered from the oceans, is another option that has made its way into this more conscious and sustainable fashion. However, keep in mind that not everything that is recycled is toxin-free.
Make sure that recycled clothing has undergone optimization processes to remove them.
Stay away from Fast Fashion: Choose Quality
The term “disposable clothing” may seem like a stretch when applied to the clothes in your closet, but I’m sure you knew right away what we were talking about.
You got them at a good price and hopefully they’ll last you through the season, but not much longer. This is called fast fashion, fashion designed to last a short time, marked by trends. It usually uses poor quality materials and is made in far away countries under unethical working conditions, with little or no respect for the environment.
Disposable” will not seem so exaggerated if we tell you that every year 80,000 million clothes are produced in the world, 400% more than only 20 years ago. Do you have clothes in your wardrobe that you hardly ever use? Do you have clothes that soon afterwards no longer seem “fashionable”? In Western countries, each item of clothing is worn an average of seven times and the average family discards about 30 kg of clothing each year.
Think about it: if it is made of synthetic fibers, it takes years to degrade.
This unbridled consumption supports an industry that has become the second most polluting on the planet, after the oil industry. It is manufactured in countries where substances harmful to aquatic life are discharged into rivers.
Our consumption habits will set the trend. So you also have a say. Below, you will find a small shopping guide to make more conscious choices.
- Buy only what you need: We consume the Earth’s resources at a faster rate than the Earth is able to generate them. In fact, according to the Global Footprint Network, to maintain current consumption we need 1.7 Earth’s resources. The best solution is to reduce our consumption.
- Buy quality: It is a way to make your clothes last longer and avoid the use and throw away.
- Choose natural fabrics: They are more sustainable, especially if you choose clothes made of ecological vegetable materials.
- Choose non-toxic recycled fibers: Recycled garments are not always as sustainable as we think. Recycled synthetics avoid using more petroleum, but it is important that they have undergone chemical neutralization so that they do not contain harmful substances. When washing synthetic garments, use sachets to prevent microplastics from being released and going down the drain.
- Use the second hand: You can give clothes a second life by opting for second-hand or exchange. In the case of children’s clothing, there are brands with return options when children outgrow their clothes, so that they can be used by others.
- Veganize your closet: If you want to give up clothes with animal materials, stop buying them and finish using the ones you already have.
- Donate what you don’t use: If you don’t want to use it, you can always donate it.
There you go! If you follow all those steps, you should be easily able to build a sustainable wardrobe! What are your thoughts on sustainable fashion? Let us know in the comments below!