Going Green Starting with Fashion
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Environmental problems are drawing much attention of each of us. We sometimes hear “Going Green” and should we act and do something immediately by making some changes? By changing everyday habits, it’s not a difficult task and we can cover basic necessities of life including clothing, food, accommodation and transportation. Let’s start to pursue ways to more environmentally friendly lifestyles with clothing and make them a habit for protecting and preserving natural resources in the upcoming.
(1) Purchase second hand clothing
The demand of fast fashion has increased dramatically in the past five years. People have preference of buying more new clothes because the price is relatively cheap nowadays. However, consumers usually wear them for few times only. Throw-away culture due to the clothes’ poor quality is quite common. In fact, fast fashion trend is currently not only blamed to the contribution of global textile and clothing waste but also deteriorating the effects of climate change.
It’s time for us to change our mind and consider purchasing second hand clothes. It’s good for the planet because we can turn the clothes into a new life before going to landfill. At second hand fashion stores, the clothes that may be donated or purchased from the surpass items are cleaned and in good condition. We can find different brands and types of clothing and some may not be available in the retail stores. Except for cost savings, we may also discover something that are special with precious value. Most importantly, purchasing second hand clothing is part of practicing sustainability in the fashion industry. Driven by environmental motivation, we should support sustainable fashion industry for recycling and reusing clothes.
(2) Donate or resell the surpass clothes
Fashion and it’s supply chain are classified as one of the largest polluting industries. During the production process, the emission of carbon dioxide covers from raw materials to production and processing to the transportation. The rapid consumption of clothes has led to the substantial surge in textile production.
By donating the clothes to the charities, we not only help people in need but also promote the circular economy which advocates sharing, reusing and repairing of existing materials. The objectives include eliminating the waste and using natural resources continually. No matter of reselling or donating the clothes, we can make the best use of the left-over. By recycling and upcycling of valuable clothes, we can finally pass to someone who loves the items. It ends up that our closet is organized because minimalism is the best. From now on, we should not throw away some clothes and should stop buying clothes that we do not need. This tiny change can make a significant difference.
(3) Purchase organic and biodegradable fashion
During fashion manufacturing process, over thousands of synthetic chemicals are used and they have long-lasting impact to the environment. Some can be quite toxic and may cause allergic reactions which affect our skin as well.
We should now start to select organic clothing because far fewer chemicals are used during production of organic cotton. Natural fibers, that are organically grown and are biodegradable, feel so much better on our skin. The chemical-free production reduces water contamination and less carbon is consumed as well. As a result, using biodegradable fabrics and eco-friendly material would definitely protect the environment. With increasing conscious of our fashion choices, organic clothing will become the mainstream in the upcoming.
We are now more responsible for daily consumption driven by the climate crisis which was caused by human. Starting from clothing, we should bear in mind and act appropriately to reduce the impact of consumption and support a circular economy. We should stop and think carefully before making purchase especially for being activated by impulse shopping. When we step back, the purchase of most of the items is sometimes not necessary. Last but not the least, each of us should make little changes on our daily habits so that, ultimately, we can have enormous impact on the globe.