How Your Clothing Choices Impact The Planet
Australians today have more access to data, scientific and ethical reports when it comes to the damage our choices do to the planet than ever before. We are thinking twice about the food we put in our mouths and choose instead to stop eating meat, buy seasonal and seek out organic. We are exploring other energy resources such as electric cars, and we are reducing single-use plastic.
We are also looking outside the home and into our workplaces too. Green targets for facilities managers and strata managers are now commonplace in Australia. Office cleaners have to look toward greener ways to clean, choose non-toxic cleaning chemicals and dispose of waste through the right channels.
The clothes we choose to put on our back is also a way to take ‘One Eco Step’ to a more sustainable way of living. Your clothing choices can negatively impact the planet and material ends up filling our landfills and microfibres clog up our waterways. Fast fashion can destroy environments and possibly be connected to child labour with sweatshops still being alive and unfortunately profitable for big business today. So, how can you make the right clothing choices?
Do you really need it?
It can be highly tempting to grab that smart white t-shirt or fantastic dress in the sale for a rock bottom price. But, even though the price is absurdly low, do you need it? It can take up to 2700 litres of water to make one simple cotton t-shirt, and cotton, in particular, is a controversial farming topic in Australia. So, think twice before filling up your cart with cheap online clothing deals.
Before you hit the high-street, hit the op-shop! You can find well made, nearly new clothing for a fraction of the price and you also extend the life cycle of a piece of clothing and give back to charity. A win-win! Op-Shops, vintage stores, eBay and trash and treasure stalls can also be a great place to discover a one-off piece or a rare find. Look out for charity or clothing shop drives such as the Lifeline $2 clothing sale where you can get a whole new wardrobe for just a few dollars!
Follow the clothing trail from rack to factory
Modern slavery in developing nations is still a considerable concern with many factories being exposed for using slave or child labour in their clothing factories. Download an app such as Good On You, or do some research on your favourite brands before choosing to buy.
Which clothing material is best?
This is quite a hard one to answer, as there are so many different factors to consider. Cheap, mass-produced polyester, for example, can take up to 200 years to decompose, languishing in the landfill and damaging our planet. Natural fibres, however, can also be a tremendous resource drain on the earth, so think about the items in your wardrobe and consider the materials you choose, opting for items which will last.
Today’s fast fashion makes it far too easy to add clothing to our weekly shopping list. We need to change our behaviours and go back to appreciating clothing and choosing key pieces we love, and that will last season after season so we can still look fabulous whilst saving the planet!