Do you darn old socks? Take your shoes to the cobblers? Or put patches on your elbows and knees when they thin out? A Swedish study from 2017 suggests extending the life of our clothes is “the single best thing we can do for the planet”.
Fashion cycles and consumer habits have drastically changed over the past few decades. Did you know we produce clothes faster and more cheaply, and in larger quantities than ever before? Fast fashion brands have flooded the market and with them a deluge of waste, pollution, and carbon emissions. Swedish researchers have taken a detailed look at the life cycle of modern clothing and the results are interesting.
We can see how the textile industry impacts our environment. Researcher Sandra Roos found that production is the biggest problem facing the clothing manufacturing processes, accounting for 70% of the overall carbon footprint of the fashion industry. Other major issues of concern are the ecological degradation from cotton farming, the environmental impact of processing of nylon, wool, and polyester, and the chemicals used in the weaving, knitting, and dyeing of these materials.
The lifecycle of a piece of clothing could be between 100-200 wears, but only a fraction of garments ever stay in our wardrobes that long. Australians purchase an average of 53 to 56 new clothing items every year. This consumption rate ranks as one of the highest per capita in the world. This adds up to roughly 27 kilograms of new clothing per person, with nearly 93% of textile waste ultimately ending up in landfill. Given clothing production's impact on the environment, getting more wear out of our clothes through repairing and repurposing powerfully reduces our footprint on the planet.
So, what can we do to extend the life cycle of clothing?
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Give away or sell clothing in good condition to extend its life cycle. This doesn’t mean dumping your worn out clothes in a charity bin instead of the garbage bin, but buying good condition second hand clothing instead of buying new is an excellent step in reusing what is already available.
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Buy clothes made from eco-friendly materials, including natural materials such as organic cotton, hemp, linen, or recycled wool, or low impact materials such as Lenzing Modal and lyocell (also known as Tencel).
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Think about how you wash and dry your clothes. Each wash shortens the life of a garment, and tumble drying uses five times more energy than washing.
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Using a cold wash and a clothesline or clothes horse when possible is better for both your clothes and the environment.
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Where possible, invest in clothes made from high-quality materials so that you can get more wear out of your clothing. This includes high quality second hand products.
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Look for ethical fashion brands that care about reducing their carbon footprint.
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Repair your clothes: an old fashion fabric patch is a very easy way to add life to a piece of clothing that has a stain, tear or a hole.
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Cheers, Nyree
Above Foodworks, turn right through the public seating, head towards the bathrooms & up the short flight of stairs.
https://goodonyou.eco/why-we-should-wear-clothes-until-theyre-worn-out/
https://www.seamlessaustralia.com/news/insights-from-national-clothing-benchmark