Fashion Revolution Week
Fashion Revolution Week is coming to an end, a campaign for transparency and fairness across the fashion industry, encouraging consumers to ask ‘Who Made My Clothes’?
The cost of our clothing goes beyond the price tag, incurring irreversible environmental and social costs.
With fast fashion driving prices and quality down, clothing is becoming more disposable.
In the UK alone, £140 million worth of clothing is sent to landfill annually!
Polyester and similar synthetic fibres literally made from fossil fuels now make up 60% of our wardrobes and have double the carbon impact of pure cotton!
Cotton is not the answer, however, still requiring huge amounts of water in production.
You can calculate your own wardrobes carbon footprint using Thread-Ups tool here and you can calculate your overall carbon footprint through the Earth Rewards App!
There are solutions to reducing our shopping carbon footprint – here are 5 ways you can reduce the environmental impact of your wardrobe:
1. Buy pre-loved
eBay, Depop, charity and vintage shops all sell second hand clothing in great condition and sometimes still with the tags on!
With the average pair of new jeans carrying up to a 415kg CO2 impact (nine times as much as your yearly mobile usage!), consider whether you can find a second hand pair!
2. Rent!
Got an event that requires that show stopping tux or maxi dress that you’ll probably never wear again? How about renting a one-off piece to save both your pennies and the planet from production emissions and potential landfill?
Our favourite sites recommended by Earth Rewards users are:
3. Donate your old clothes
There’s no time like the present to be going through your wardrobes to organise what you no longer need or get wear out of.
Doorstep collection services, clothes donations bins and charity shops will all soon be accepting your clothes once again. Just make sure shoes are bagged together and all clothing is still re-wearable.
4. Give it a new lease of life
Sewing new buttons on, stitching runs yourself or adding patchwork, tie-dying and re-styling clothes is a great way to get more wear out of them.
Jeans with holes? Cut some shorts out!
Dads old shirt about to go in the bin? Cut the sleeves and sew-in an elasticated waistband for a ‘vintage’ crop top!
5. Recycle
H&M accepts clothing donations for recycling in any state of wear that either get reworn, repurposed or recycled, simply take a bag of clothes to the cash desk and in return get a £5 store voucher or £25 online voucher as a reward!
For even more ways to reduce your carbon footprint, download the Earth Rewards app to measure and balance your environmental impacts today!
Earn Earth Rewards by completing our in-app quiz on Fashion to see if you know the true cost of clothes.
– ER Team