How to: Shop for an Ethical Wardrobe
If you’re reading this, then you are interested in reducing your environmental impact through your shopping habits. As mentioned in my previous post, “The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion,” I mentioned how the fashion industry was the third-largest polluter in the world. But just because the majority of brands within this industry refuse to produce sustainable clothing, doesn’t mean you can’t better your buying habits.
There are four basic steps to take in order to maintain an ethical wardrobe. The first is to reuse and repair clothing that you currently own. This helps to significantly reduce the amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills and ecosystems around the globe. It is much easier than you think to repair a rip in a jeans or even distress the jeans yourself (just look on Pinterest)! Not only does this keep waste out of our environment, but it keeps money in your pocket. Instead of buying a new clothing item, repairing is the economical option.
The next step that you can take to ensure ethical wardrobe practices is to recycle and donate old clothing and buy new clothes from secondhand stores. Even though you may think that an item of clothing you own is no longer cute or no longer fits you right, there is bound to be someone else out there who could use it. Whether it be someone shopping for used clothes or someone in need, your old clothing should not go to waste. Additionally, thrift shopping can be extremely fun because you are able to find items that are unique.
Another great thing you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your wardrobe is to barrow and rent clothes for special occasions. Many women buy expensive dresses for weddings and other events which they only end up wearing once or twice. Rather than spend tons of money on a new dress and contribute to further pollution, why not rent or borrow a dress? There are many brands that now offer rental options because they understand that it is not sustainable to buy clothes for one-time use and then throw them away.
The fourth action you can take to make sure your clothing is ethical is to research the brands you purchase from. If they are truly making efforts to limit their environmental footprint and provide ethical working conditions for their employees, then the information will be readily available and transparent. Even though it may seem like there are very few brands using environmentally friendly practices, there are so many new brands coming out that focus on sustainable design, sourcing, and manufacturing; all you have to do is some research.
Besides the four ethical wardrobe practices I’ve already outlined, there are additional things you can do to limit your environmental footprint when it comes to fashion.
It is better to buy clothes that are sourced in Canada, Europe, or the U.S. because these countries have the most strict environmental regulations when it comes to factory production. This helps reduce the amount of toxic wastewater being produced. It is also important to buy clothing made from materials that use the least amount of freshwater during production (i.e. linen and recycled fabrics) or clothes made from natural fibers (wool, hemp, silk, jute, linen).
In order to guarantee toxin-free fabrics, buy items that are organic. This ensures that the dies and treatment going into the clothing are not harmful to you or the environment. Sustainable fashion brands also make sure to eliminate toxic ingredients from their clothing. There are labels you can look for on clothing that certify that it does not contain a myriad of toxins. These labels include OKEO-TEX, GOT, and BLUESIGN.
Now that you know the steps you can take to lower the environmental impact of your clothing, give some of these tips a try! You will be surprised how much better it feels to buy something you know doesn’t have a detrimental effect on the planet. HAPPY SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING EVERYONE!!!