#9

Watch What You Wear

 Fast fashion has created a culture of cheap disposable clothes and a drive for new lines every week. This is incredibly resource intensive and has far reaching consequences across the globe

DoneChallenge others

What you can do right now:

  • Good

    The best way to start is to just wear what you already own.

    Reduce the number of new clothes you buy, repair clothes when they break, and finally recycle them once they're beyond repair.

    Before recycling clothes, try repurposing them first

  • Better

    Seek out more environmentally friendly clothing suppliers for when you need to buy new clothes.

    You may find eco-friendly clothes are more expensive, but the true cost to the environment is much lower on a number of fronts. Buy less with a view to keep them for a long time, that way the cost averages out.

    Seek out more natural, organic, and ethical clothing manufacturers (some of which are listed below).

  • Best

    There are so many clothes out there already just waiting for a new home, so buy second hand where possible!

    It’s not just eBay and charity shops anymore either, there’s newcomers like Vinted and Depop specifically focused on fashion — plenty of outfits just waiting to be snapped up.

Why is this important?

Fast fashion impacts the planet on a number of levels.

With new lines appearing every week, the industry has created a desire to buy more and buy new, this constant cycle has created a culture of disposable, almost single-use, clothing that is simply unnecessary and absolutely unsustainable.

Just some of the ways fast fashion impacts the planet:

  • High energy usage to produce clothing (usually in factories powered by fossil fuels)
  • Synthetic materials are usually derived from oil
  • High water usage (It takes 20,000 litres of water to make 1kg of cotton)
  • Toxic chemicals polluting water ways from the manufacturing/dying process
  • High carbon footprint of shipping
  • When washing synthetic clothes: plastic microfibres are released and ultimately end up in the oceans.
  • Increased landfill usage

Calculate your fashion footprint

ThredUp have created a nifty calculator so you can now find out the carbon footprint of your fashion choices.

Useful links: