Every fashion season brings new trends. Last season’s trends are deemed an embarrassment to be seen in. And while it only used to be twice a year, now it seems like every month is a new fashion season. Globally, we consume more than 80 billion articles of clothing a year. As with everything, this consumption has a negative environmental impact.

Fashion and the Environment

The fashion industry is one of the top polluting industries in the world. It is energy, water, and labor intensive. It produces 20% of global wastewater and 10% of global carbon emissions. On average it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans. Over 60% of our clothes are made from synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, and acrylic which are all forms of plastic derived from petroleum.

Even after the garment makes it to our closet, it continues to pollute. As mentioned in “5 Ways to Reduce Microplastics Pollution“, washing clothes made from synthetic materials can release up to 700,000 plastic microfibers with each wash. Since waste treatment plants cannot filter these fibers, they are washed into our oceans.

What Can We Do?

1. Don’t shop if you don’t need anything
2. Shop your closet
3. Shop your friend’s closet
4. Shop with a purpose
5. Shop second-hand
6. If it’s not perfect, don’t buy it
7. Choose natural fibers
8. Take care of your clothes
9. Wash less
10. Filter for microfibers
11. Resell, donate, and textile recycle

1. Don’t Shop If You Don’t Need Anything

Shopping is a favorite “hobby” of girls in America. The high of a new purchase is the newest drug and it quickly fades. I still can’t believe haul videos, where consumers go through all the items they purchased, get millions of views. My point is, ignore all the messages telling you to consume, and don’t shop if you don’t need anything. If you’re bored, upset, or need a pick-me-up, go hang out with a friend or discover a new hobby.

2. Shop Your Closet

If you’re still looking for something, shop your closet first. One of my best friends enlisted my help because she had that age-old problem–a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. She was having a difficult time figuring out what to wear to work in the morning.

After a bottle of champagne and many hours, we put together a look book with 20+ photographed looks to help her in the morning. She revitalized her closet, discovered some new outfits, and even had a few bags for donation.

3. Shop a Friend’s Closet

I was invited to a derby themed event and being a thrifty minimalist, I didn’t want to acquire a big hat. So, I asked my friends to see if any of them had one. Sure enough, my best friend had a gorgeous hat, that was perfect for the occasion.

4. Shop With a Purpose

You’ve exhausted your closet and your friend’s closet and still haven’t found what you need. Go with a clear idea of the exact item. Like shopping at the grocery store with a list, you want to go shopping knowing exactly what you want so you don’t get distracted. I’m an efficient shopper. I generally know exactly what I want. I have several brands I know fit me perfectly. I search online to see if any of those brands have what I want. Then go pick it up in the store if they have a location nearby.

5. Shop Second-Hand

Once you have a clear idea of what you need, try looking at a thrift store, or an online consignment shop. Online consignment shops, such as ThredUp, are a great resource. Oftentimes the clothes are new with the tags still on them. For luxury purses, shoes, and accessories I love the Real Real. Nearly all my luxury items are from the Real Real and I paid less than 50% of the retail cost. Plus, you can find a lot of vintage items.

6. If It’s Not Perfect, Don’t Buy It

This one was difficult for me. Sometimes, I will look for something for so long and eventually find something that’s 75% what I’m looking for. While it fills the need for a while, I wear it a handful of times before it ends up in the donation pile. After learning the hard way a few times, I stop making excuses for these types of items and just put it back. Even if I get to the checkout counter with an item in my hand I think to myself, “Is this item 100% what I’m looking for?” If I hesitate at all, I put the item down.

7. Choose Natural Fibers

As previously mentioned, opting for natural fibers is one way to reduce microplastic pollution.

Natural fibers include:

• cotton
• wool
• silk
• linen
• hemp
• rayon
• viscose
• bamboo
• lyocell
• modal

I opt for organic cotton where I can because cotton is one of the most chemically intensive crops in the world.

8. Take Care of Your Clothes

Taking care of our clothes extends its lifetime. Washing a full load in cold water and hanging them to dry in the sun is an eco-friendly way to clean your clothes. A full load releases less microfibers. Make sure you dry your clothes in the sun and not inside in a dark area. The heat from your dryer helps sterilize your clothes and stop bacterial growth. So, if your clothes never get hot, or exposed to UV rays, you’ll get bacterial growth and your clothes will smell.

Also, try mending or repairing your clothes yourself or sending it to be repaired. Patagonia has great guides for caring and repairing for their items. I have a part of boots that I’ve resoled twice and re-tipped countless times.

9. Wash Less

I used to wash every article of clothing after it was worn. We get into these habits and go on auto-pilot. But how often do we really need to wash our clothes? If you’re not crawling through the mud and spend all day in a temperature-controlled office, can you hang up that shirt and wear it again.

I have a divider in my closet. Items that are freshly laundered are on the right and items I’ve worn previously are on the left. After two wears, I wash it.

A few exceptions are undergarments (washed after each wear) and pants (worn 3 – 5 times before washing). These are just guidelines; the best bet is to use your nose. Or that of your partner, since you can become nose-blind to your own stink.

I use seventh generation powered laundry detergent for sensitive skin to avoid plastic and because both my kids have had eczema.

10. Filter For Microfibers

You’ve switched to a nearly all-natural fiber wardrobe. You’ve increased the number of times you wear a garment before washing. But you still want to figure out how to reduce the shedding of plastic microfibers. Awesome! There are a few options on the market:

Guppy Friend by Patagonia

After learning about microfiber shedding of synthetic materials, Patagonia invested in finding a solution. Place your synthetic materials in this bag and throw them in the washer.

Cora Ball

Cora catches microfibers when thrown in the washer. You remove the fuzz balls of microfiber and dispose of them in the trash.

Washing Machine Filter Attachment

This filter attaches to your washing machine and catches microfibers as your washing machine drains water. In a Canadian study, this filter was 89% effective at removing microfibers.

For more information about microfibers, watch “The Story of Microfibers” by the Story of Stuff.

11. Resell, Donate, and Textile Recycle

You’ve discovered the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up and “Kon-Maried” the crap out of your closet. You have a pile ready to leave your house, but where’s the best place for them to go?

Resell

Sell your clothes on ThredUp or a local consignment shop. These should be nearly new items. An item you made an excuse for, even though you knew it wasn’t exactly what you wanted. Been there a few times. ThredUp is picky about brand and quality. But if you have some good pieces that are on their brand list, why not make a few dollars? If they do not accept your item they will either donate, textile recycle or send them back to you if you pay for shipping.

Donate

Items that are gently worn, maybe not brand name, but still good should be donated. You need to think; would someone buy this? If the answer is “no”, the person sorting through your donation bag will also discard it.

At Goodwill, if an item doesn’t sell in 4 weeks, it is sent onward to a Goodwill outlet, then auction, and finally to textile recycling. But 5% will end up in landfill. These items are usually wet and can harbor bacteria. While 5% seems like a small number, 12.8 million tons of American textile waste went to landfill in 2013. So, make sure your items are clean before donating them.

Textile Recycling

As mentioned above, millions of tons of textiles end up in landfills each year. In 2014 only 16% of textiles were recycled. 20% was burned for energy (not a great options since it releases harmful chemicals into the air). And the rest is sent to landfill which is large waste of resources.

Do not throw away clothes, towels, or other textiles. Any textile that is torn, not wearable and etc. should be textile recycled. I drop my clothes off at H&M. They give me a 15% off coupon for my donation, which I usually hand to someone in line to check-out since I follow tip #1.

For old sneakers, I drop them off at a Nike store. Their Reuse a Shoe program turns old sneakers into sports flooring.

To summarize, look for alternatives before buying something new, take care of items you already have, choose natural fibers, and dispose clothes the proper way. Are you ready to try an eco-friendly wardrobe?

Still looking for more? Check out these posts:

• Plastic-Free, Zero Waste & Minimalism
• Plastic-Free Showering
• Simple Guide to Plastic-Free Grocery Shopping