Fashion is a fun way to express your unique style and self, and the fashion industry is constantly keeping up with demand for new styles and more. But with landfills being filled with textile waste and the fashion industry producing billions of tons of GHG emissions annually, a more sustainable approach to fashion from the individual to global scale can have a significant impact on our environment and world. Everybody has a carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gases that we contribute as an individual and luckily there are actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint.
Here are a few ways you can still love and enjoy fashion, but also reduce your fashion carbon footprint:
Choose quality over quantity
While fast fashion can be tempting, these pieces often do not last long and end up in landfill after only some uses. Instead of choosing to have multiple different tops from a fast fashion brand, opt for quality over quantity and choose pieces that you know you’ll love and feel great in for years to come!
Look for sustainable materials
There are all sorts of materials out there nowadays, and luckily there are also sustainable materials. For example, there are certified organic fabrics and vegan leather that make beautiful pieces have an extra sustainable boost. An organic cotton top, for example, will feel great on your skin and is better for the earth. More and more stores are now offering leather alternatives, for example on the online store Mirta you can find some beautiful vegan leather bags that not only are sustainable, but they are also artisanal and of incredible quality.
Buy from conscious brands
With so many different brands in the fashion world, with a little bit of digging you can find conscious brands that align with your style and your conscious effort to shop more sustainably. Many brands try to speak to being ‘sustainable’, so do your research and learn about the actual carbon footprint of the brand.
Hit the thrift stores
Thrift stores are a way you can reduce your fashion carbon footprint and save some significant money on great fashion purchases! People are constantly dropping off their items off at thrift stores and you can find absolute gems here, while also knowing that buying second-hand is better for the environment. This extends the life of items and reduces the turnover of pieces in their journey to landfill.
Donate or sell what you don’t wear
When you consider your wardrobe, be realistic about what you do and what you do not wear. This helps to be excited about what is in your closet, and it also gives you the opportunity to donate or sell what you don’t wear so that someone else can love those pieces!
Once we have items we love in our wardrobes, another thing to consider is the footprint that caring for our clothes produces, like washing and using a dryer. You can be more sustainable in the care for your items by using high-efficiency washers, air drying your items, and mending and upkeeping your items so they stay in better shape.
Read More:
10 Ways to reduce your carbon footprint
The great environmental cost of the shoe industry
Fashion as a Tool for Social Change: What’s the Difference between Ethical and Sustainable Fashion
