Sustainable Clothing vs. Fast Fashion: Why You Should Care

By Staff Reporter - 09 Jan '20 15:22PM
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  • Sustainable Clothing vs. Fast Fashion: Why You Should Care
  • (Photo : Depositphotos)

Climate change has become an ever more prevalent issue in recent years. More and more influential and powerful are people speaking out about our need to take drastic action to prevent climate change from causing severe consequences to our planet. Luckily there are many ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint. Opt for greener modes of transport, eat less meat and dairy, reduce your use of plastic, and carefully monitor your energy consumption in your home.

Another meaningful way you can up your green credentials is by investing in sustainable clothing. Fast fashion is all around us, and it can be all too easy to make clothing purchases that negatively impact the planet. However, by doing your research and browsing fashion designer websites to understand better how their clothing is made, you can become informed and choose to only buy clothes from those who take steps to keep their impact on the planet minimal. Or, better still, only buy clothes second hand, and only when you need to.

There are lots of reasons why fast fashion is wreaking havoc on our planet. While magazines and advertisers try their best to tempt consumers to get caught in a cycle of continually replacing perfectly good outfits because they are no longer 'trendy,' more people are calling them out and choose to invest in sustainable clothing that lasts.

Fast fashion' garments are often cheaply made, will fall apart quickly, and are shipped in from overseas where workers often have to suffer appalling working conditions to create them.

Some of the ways in which fast fashion has a detrimental impact on the environment include:

Waste

Greenpeace revealed that approximately 400 billion square meters of textiles are manufactured every year, and 60 billion of those are binned as waste. Three out of every four clothing items also end up in landfills, with only a quarter of the 80 billion items produced annually being recycled.

Energy consumption

Thousands of liters of water are required to produce a single pair of jeans. With water shortage becoming an increasingly global problem, this is certainly something to consider when you are pulling those denim skinny's off the hanger.

Pollution

To dye material, ensure it has a distinct finish, sheen or embellishment uses a plethora of harmful chemicals that can pollute the environment, contaminate water supplies, and are generally bad news. Chemicals such as PFCs that help clothing become water-resistant are particularly dangerous to both the environment and the wearer with links to tumors and damage to reproductive systems linked to this toxic chemical.

The workers

In 2016 the charity Oxfam brought out a report which revealed that over 60 million people are employed in the fashion industry for the sole purpose of producing cheap clothing. Most of those people are based in Asia, are women, and are likely to be sourced from more impoverished regions. There are no proper worker's rights in place for these people who are forced to work backbreaking hours, exposed to harmful chemicals, and are paid as little as 39 cents an hour.

So what can you do to change your buying and ensure that you ditch fast fashion for good?

Become informed of the saints and sinners

Some brands are much more ethical than others. And by informing yourself of those clothing lines that try to reduce their carbon footprint, pay fair wages to workers and put measures in place to try to reduce waste and minimize their impact on the planet, you can make better decisions about who to buy from. You can download Good on You, which is an app designed specifically for this purpose to help you quickly see which brands are more sustainable.

Recycle or repurpose your clothes

If you've outgrown or outlived an item of clothing that still has life left in it, don't just throw it away. Take unwanted items to a charity shop, shelter, or clothes drive to donate, gift items to friends, host a 'clothes swap' where you can exchange unwanted items with others. Alternatively, why not try to repurpose things, for example, cotton t-shirts into dusters and so on?

Remember, fast fashion is designed to make you think that the clothes you were oh so in love with last month are now totally unflattering and embarrassing to wear. You can choose to ignore this negative propaganda and instead work on building a wardrobe of clothes you love, made in an ethical way that will last you for years to come.

You can also choose to buy your clothes from vintage or second-hand shops, so you are not participating in or perpetuating the fast fashion cycle.

Invest in quality over quantity

If you still love your fashion and don't want to have to give up shopping altogether, at least do your research before you buy and make it your mission to only purchase items from stores where you know that the quality will last. Invest in timeless, classic pieces that are crafted with care so you can look your best while safe in the knowledge that you are doing your bit for the environment too.

It's plain to see that fast fashion is damaging to our planet, and those with a conscience will stop turning a blind eye and fuelling this harmful industry but instead opt for more sustainable clothing. With more and more people doing so, it's safe to say that these days ethical fashion is what's truly fashionable anyway.

Copyright © 2017 News Everyday
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of newseveryday.com

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