Five Ways You Can Fashionably Fight For the Planet
Fast fashion retail giants — like Forever 21, H&M, ZARA, and more — are slowing down in the global shift towards sustainability. But how can the fiscally conscious combat high emissions in the new year?
Rapid development of the fashion and textile industries in the 21st century allowed clothing designers to shorten the time span between initial production and go-to-market — transforming retail shopping into a hub of popular culture and style. The subsequent rise of fast fashion perfected the process of producing on-trend clothing with cheap materials at an inexpensive rate, and gave shoppers the ability to own the latest looks for a reasonable price.
As time progressed, however, environmental crises have placed fast fashion under scrutiny. In 2019 alone, the fast fashion industry accounted for 6.7% of global carbon emissions due to its disposable nature — putting a considerable amount of strain on planetary resources. The looming threat of permanent environmental damage further raised important questions about the sustainability of mass production with rising demand.
Cheaply made, quickly produced, mostly synthetic, and bad for the planet — fast fashion (like those ubiquitous holiday sweaters) is never in style. More than 60 percent of the world’s fabric fibers are produced with synthetic materials, and since close to 85 percent of textile waste in the United States goes to landfills or is incinerated, it’s also responsible for a tremendous amount of easily avoidable CO₂ emissions. The most immediate solution would be to turn back to high-quality essentials, but these often come with a hefty price tag, meaning that route often doesn’t make financial sense for the average shopper.
So before you start making your own clothing, taking out a loan to revamp your wardrobe, or wearing your birthday suit to business meetings, know that we’re not asking you to give up on shopping or your sense of style — we’re just asking you to shop better when you do.
Here’s how.
Thrift, Trade, Donate
Thrifting, trading, and donating breathes new life into old clothing — and into the environment. A trip to the local thrift store can help put a sizeable hold on the 26 billion pounds of clothing being thrown away annually, according to The Huffington Post.
And if the thrift store’s not your style, you can always rely on more upscale recycling programs like ReCollect, a program from our friends at Rebecca Taylor. ReCollect offers customers the chance to trade in their gently worn Rebecca Taylor items for store credit. These recollected pieces will then be resold on their site, with a portion of the proceeds going directly to Cool Effect’s carbon emission-fighting projects. Shop, rewear, restyle, and make the planet smile.
Up-cycling
Getting creative with damaged, off-season, or ill-fitting clothing gives old fibers a second chance. If you’re not quite sure where to start, companies like Marine Layer will accept donations of gently used shirts for the fibers — and you can get a little cash out of it, too!
Sustainable DIY
DIY projects allow for greater control over the fabrics and materials used — including organically sourced fibers. Overall, “haulternative” projects are a great exercise in taking creative freedoms while putting a dent in mass production.
Buy Less — But Buy Better
You’re not a DIY person — and we totally understand.
Websites like Good On You and The Good Trade have compiled detailed rankings for retailers that include information on supply chains, sustainability, ethics, and more. The best part is that a majority of the listed retailers carry high-quality items at reasonable prices, helping the environment — and your wallet — stay intact.
Offsets
Even if you style yourself with the planet in mind, getting your closet completely carbon neutral can be tricky without some help. No matter what you do, odds are your wardrobe is going to come with some unwelcome accessories in the form of carbon emissions. But if you can’t reduce it all, you can at least do your best — then you can offset the rest.
And that’s the kind of climate action that will get you on Earth’s best-dressed list this year.
