Author: Lauren Welch
While much of the problem with fast fashion is caused by big mass-producing corporations, we each can still do something to limit our personal contribution. Putting in the effort to make your closet more sustainable and humanely sourced is a way of living responsibly for our planet, and is not as hard as you might think. Here are some small changes you can make to help reduce fast fashion and its impacts.
Buy Less Clothes
When you look through your closet, you probably already notice several similar looking items. Maybe you have three slightly different long-sleeved white shirts, but feel like you can’t get rid of them because of course they give off different moods, or are for different weather, or whatever it may be. People who practice minimalism might have an easier time wrapping their heads around how easy it is to live with fewer options, but for the rest of us it’s difficult to not have tons to choose from each day. Outside of our closets, the market world gives us practically infinite choices for clothing as well.
Fighting the temptation to always have more choices and newer things is like fighting the urge to keep up with progress, and in an individualistic society this is nearly impossible. But the next time you go shopping, really try not to buy any clothing on a whim. Ask yourself these questions: Do I already have something similar? Will the people I know care if I’m wearing this piece vs another item I have? Will this clothing piece be worth the money and environmental impact it will have? Hopefully after taking these considerations, you’ll make wiser purchasing decisions.
Buy Second Hand
If you’re someone who takes joy in owning a wide variety of clothes and can’t imagine not having a constantly changing wardrobe, thrift shopping might be a great choice for you. Find your local thrift store and take some time to search for clothes that suit you, and you’ll be filling your want for new things while also preventing clothes from ending up in a landfill. Nowadays, thrift shopping is more popular than ever, with a whole new genre of fashion being “Modern Thrift,” so it just takes a creative eye to see how you can make cool outfits that are still trendy with second-hand items. There are even thrifting apps nowadays, such as Depop™ and Ebay™, where you can buy from home and sort through options faster virtually. Be aware that when you order anything from online, the packaging and carbon emission from shipping has its own environmental impact as well, but there are often options to limit this. For example, you can sign up for “frustration-free packaging” on Amazon (which also sells used items), an initiative to reduce excessive packaging1.
Host a Clothing Swap or Upcycle
If you want some free new items, get a group of friends or associates together and bring your unwanted items, then do a trade-off. Even if you can’t find anything you like, you might be able to get rid of some things you didn’t want without throwing them away or donating them. There are also plenty of great tutorials online for how to creatively upcycle clothes to make them trendier or less drab. You could have a get-together where you and some friends upcycle your clothes together for a crafty night. For instance, you could follow a tutorial to make your boring tees into cute crop tops.
Do Research
Finally, if you do decide to continue buying clothes like normal, make sure you do a little research to make informed decisions about your purchases. Research to see if the companies or brands your buying from are made locally or abroad, and look into the working conditions of the factories where they produce. Check to see if the clothes you’re looking at are made from sustainable materials. Avoid nylon and polyester materials, as these ingredients are non-biodegradable2 and not sustainably produced, and therefore will have a larger environmental impact. If you buy online, look up the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and access information on the company’s environmental impact1. And when you but clothes, think about how long it will last, and if it’s made from sturdy materials or has a classic design that you think you can wear for many years to come.
- Osmanski, Stephanie. “Shopping for Sustainable Clothing 101.” Green Matters, Green Matters, 4 Jan. 2019, https://www.greenmatters.com/style/2019/01/04/bfnS6tD/ shopping-for-sustainable-clothing.
- Issi. “Environmental Impacts.” Green Choices, Green Choices, 19 Apr. 2018, https://www.greenchoices.org/green-living/clothes/environmental-impacts
