The Cost of Fashion - how to reduce your clothing footprint

It’s hard to know which came first: consumer demand for cheap fashion or the garment industry’s pursuit of profit.  Either way, disposable attitudes towards clothing are costing the Earth. 

According to research by the UK’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the average household’s annual clothing footprints are:

• Carbon - 1.5 tonnes of CO2e emissions, equivalent to driving an average modern car over 9,600 km;
• Waste - 70kg, equivalent to the weight of 100 pairs of jeans; and
• Water -  more than 200,000 litres, equivalent to filling over 1,000 bathtubs to capacity.

The processes from production of raw material to garment supply account for three quarters of the carbon impact, one third of the waste and almost all of the water footprint of clothing.  As consumers, we have little or no control over these processes.

But we do have control over what we buy and how we wear our clothes.

WRAP’s 'Valuing our Clothes' report concluded that the most sustainable fashion statement we can make is to wear the clothes in our wardrobes for longer: 

“Extending the life of clothing by an extra nine months of active use would reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by around 20-30% each and cut resource costs by around 20%; this is the single most significant intervention.”

What this means is that by making a few changes to our habits, we can all make a massive difference to the environment.  Here are some ideas...

1. Be creative - it’s surprising what you can achieve by being imaginative with your wardrobe.  Apps such as Stylebook and My Fashion Assistant can help you mix and match your clothes and accessories to create an interesting new look.
   
   
   
   
2. Love your clothes - by following a few simple rules, you can make your precious clothes look good for longer:
   • Hang them up in your wardrobe or fold them neatly in a drawer instead of dropping them on the floor; 
   • Wash them only when they’re dirty, wait until you have a full load, separate colours and avoid the use of very hot water and chemical bleaches (use bicarbonate of soda instead);
   • Try not to use a drying machine at all. Open air and sunlight are much healthier for your clothes and the environment.
3. Think of your clothes as an investment - when you go shopping, adopt the attitude that clothes are valuable.  Only buy items that you can commit to wearing at least 30 times.   Choose durable fabrics and classic styles that will last beyond this season’s fashion. 
4. One woman's trash is another woman's treasure - clothes swapping, or 'swishing' is a popular way to update your wardrobe. It works best when you exchange clothes that are in good condition, in season and which you like but never wear.  To find out how to organise a clothes swap event, read Planet Ark’s guide to Hosting Your Own Swap Party.
5. Second hand isn’t always second best -if you love shopping for clothes, there are treasures to be found at vintage and retro markets, second-hand clothing stores and charity shops.
6. Keep clothes out of landfill - there's always value in clothes, whatever state they’re in.  All unwanted garments can be given to charities, local authorities and other clothes collection organisations.  Even if they can’t be worn again, they’ll be sold to waste management companies for recycling into new fabrics, cleaning wipes, felts and other non-clothing uses. 
7. Talk to your children about the issues - WRAP's research found that 58% of 16 to 24 year olds owned clothes that they no longer wore because they were 'no longer my style'.  It's never too early to start talking about sustainability issues with your children and modelling responsible behaviour.
8. And finally - start or join a conversation about ways to reduce our clothing footprint on Facebook, Twitter or your own favourite social media.