In warm weather we spend more time outdoors and need comfortable summer clothes. But before you run out to H&M, it's worth thinking about how you can enrich your wardrobe in a sustainable way while limiting its carbon footprint.
Sustainable wardrobe replenishment involves thinking about your needs and taking the time with each garment purchase to understand how and where it was made - the opposite of the fast fashion that dominates global shopping trends.
Fast=unsustainable
Fast fashion refers to the rapid production and distribution of clothing. Since the early 1990s, technological improvements, lower production costs and streamlined supply chains have significantly shortened fashion cycles. Clothes today can be produced and sold to consumers at low cost in just a few weeks.
Only a few decades ago, two seasons were common in the Western fashion industry - autumn/winter and spring/summer. Nowadays, some retailers offer dozens of "small" seasons a year. This constant change of trends forces consumers to update their wardrobe frequently, encouraging disposability.
While more wallet-friendly, the consequences of the fast fashion industry are myriad. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the global fast fashion clothing and textile sector is responsible for 2 to 8% of all global carbon emissions and 9% of annual microfibre pollution in the oceans.
In addition, fast fashion uses around 215 trillion litres of water per year, equivalent to 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Workers are often exploited in inhumane conditions for low pay, while shareholders reap exorbitant profits.
In response to this criticism, a growing number of fast fashion retailers, such as H&M and Zara, say they are taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint. These chains, for example, say they have replaced synthetic fibres and polyester made from petroleum and petroleum products with natural and recycled ones.
However, due to the ubiquity of 'greenwashing' in the fashion industry, it is difficult to say whether these claims have any weight.
The first and in many ways most important step is to simply commit to slowing down your approach to fashion itself, embracing sustainable fashion and shopping ethically to help stop overproduction and overconsumption.
Buy less, buy lasting quality
While opting out of shopping or choosing second-hand clothing is preferable to buying new from a sustainability perspective, these approaches may not always be possible. So try to buy fewer items of higher quality from brands that are sustainability-conscious. Paying attention to where and what you buy can help limit the negative impact of clothing purchases on the environment and society.
However, most fashion retailers do not control the entire supply chain and therefore cannot guarantee the sustainability of their clothes. This means that consumers need to be careful when shopping and make informed choices themselves.
Recycling textiles can be expensive and not without environmental impact, both in terms of materials and carbon footprint. If you must buy your clothes online, avoid fast fashion sites like Temu. Shop directly from manufacturers you trust. I BGNES
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