It’s Day 18 of #GreenBookFairies and we are talking about clothing and how to be more eco-conscious with our choices.
Let’s Talk About… Clothes!
Like many things, it’s always best to buy secondhand – but sometimes, it’s necessary to consider other options!
The problem:
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world. How? This consists of water pollution & consumption, microfibres which end up in the ocean and ground, greenhouse gas emissions, and rainforest destruction to name a few. In North America, 10 MILLION TONNES of clothing end up in landfill every year – 95% of which could be re-used or recycled.
The solutions:
- Buy secondhand! This is one of the best ways to be eco-conscious, and you can often support charities through their shops, too
- Make do and mend! Often, clothes will wear down in one particular place, for example elbows or crotch, but the rest will be fine
- Be loyal to responsible brands! Some big brands are introducing eco-conscious lines, such as Converse with their ‘renew’ sneakers made from blended leftover fabric
- Swap your clothes! Just like hosting a book swap, having friends over to swap unwanted clothes can be so much fun – with anything you don’t want going to a charity shop.
- Look through your current wardrobe! We all get in a habit of wearing the same few sets of clothes on rotation, but when was the last time you looked all the way to the back of your clothing collection? There may be some hidden gems!
- Buy handmade! Have a look on crafty sites to see if people local to you are making clothes from scratch 🙂
Mending Clothes – YouTube Tutorials
There are SO MANY VIDEOS OUT THERE to help you mend clothes in need of repair. Here is just one general one to get you started. You don’t need to have previous sewing skills!
Fairy verdict:
“Any mending that I have needed to learn how to do to further the life of my clothing has been readily available on YouTube. Also to avoid buying brand new clothing and depending on your location, there are numerous online thrift stores. In Canada and the USA, I always use Poshmark. I also really like ThredUp in the States.”
Emily, Toronto