How Rethinking the Value of Your Clothing Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet

There is no denying that the pandemic has forced us to look inside ourselves with greater care and attention; to question habits, social circles, and the way we live our lives at home. The physical and mental well-being of ourselves and our loved ones has taken priority above all else.

This change of focus to the most basic and important thing — our health, has in turn created a space in our minds for reflection on decisions we make in numerous aspects of our lives.

One thing that many of us are reflecting on are our purchasing habits, and the consumer culture in general that we are well-aware is causing tremendous environmental harm; stripping the Earth of its natural resources at an alarming rate.

In this article, I am proposing that we all take a closer look at the devastation caused by fast fashion, and understand how rethinking the value of our clothing is an essential starting point for making a stand against overconsumption, and curbing the Earth’s suffering. I cannot overstate how critical the next few years are for sustainable fashion, and how excellent of an opportunity we have to drive real change.

“The idea of owning something cheap that you only wear a few times feels pretty horrible in light of the climate crisis; once you know precisely what goes into a garment — the good and the bad — it’s impossible to shop so carelessly again.” — The Future of Fashion Is Circular: Why the 2020s Will Be About Making New Clothes Out of Old Ones, Emily Farra

But of course, before we make a conscious effort to change the way we view our clothes, we must first recognise the problem, and how serious it really is.

Here are some statistics to raise your eyebrows:

1. The average person today buys 60% more clothing than in 2000.
2. The average number of times a piece of clothing is worn decreased by 36% between 2000 and 2015. In the same period, clothing production doubled.
3. At the current rate of fashion consumption, we will see about a 60% increase, amounting to approximately 148 million tons of fashion waste from now until 2030.

We are producing and buying more clothes than ever before. This directly translates into more waste than ever before, and at this rate the level of damage will be extraordinary within just a couple of decades.

You might be thinking, well the fashion industry is huge, there are so many moving parts and giant corporations at play, what difference could I possibly make? We are the buyers, and so have the collective power to influence demand through our attitude and the actions that follow. Each one of us can make a contribution. It starts with rethinking the way we value the clothes we currently own, and clothing in general.

It’s easy to go and buy a few new cheap t-shirts. I’ve done it many times and not really thought twice about it. But in hindsight, those t-shirts meant little to me and were often not worn more than a handful of times. I also own t-shirts that I absolutely love, that I have owned for a long-time and hold within them a part of me; memories, experiences. Items that tend to last longer like jackets, jeans, and shoes, can carry with them personal meaning that goes far beyond what that item is when sitting on a shelf in a store. I’m sure you can think of at least a few items of clothing you own that are simply more special to you. The gems of your wardrobe that cannot be replaced.

As the end user we have the ability to influence the fashion industry by extending the life cycle of our clothing. By loving our clothes more, wearing them for longer, and buying less, we can make our contribution to a healthier planet.

“We need to slow down, take a little time to reconnect with our clothes and appreciate them again. Remember that whatever you are wearing, it took both physical and creative resources to make it.” — Why Clothes Are So Hard To Recycle, Abigail Beall

Buy less, love more, wear for longer: It all starts with perceived value

Over the past decade, there has been a slew of research studies conducted that begin to show just how much of a difference it can make if we all wore our clothes more and bought less.

In February 2019, the UK parliament released a report, “Fixing Fashion: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability”, that contains all of the information we need to acknowledge the severity of the situation, and is compelling enough to spark a change in the way we think about our role as consumers.

Much of the report is centered around shocking statistics and is generally sad news, but there is still reason for optimism.

“Increasing garment lifetimes is one of the most effective means of reducing their environmental footprint. Extending the life of clothing by an extra nine months could reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by around 20–30% each.”

The fundamental core must be that we value our clothes enough to care for them and extend their life. One way to do this, for example, is through clothing repair. Mending our clothes is a process that feels distant and foreign to most of us. It seems intimidating and not all that fun, especially when it’s so easy to buy an inexpensive replacement. This is, in large part, because we are blinded from the fashion supply chain and encouraged by advertising to simply buy more. We don’t recognise the hidden pleasures of caring for our clothes beyond just wearing them.

The UK parliament’s report recognised this opportunity, and is even recommending steps be taken to introduce clothing design and repair lessons in national education.

“We need to simply buy less, mend, rent and share more. To support this we recommend that lessons on designing, creating, mending and repairing clothes be included in schools at Key stage 2 and 3. The creative satisfaction of designing and repairing clothing can offer an antidote to the growing anxiety and mental health issues amongst teenagers. As well as providing a space to promote creative expression, the skills learnt can also provide a potential pathway towards job opportunities.”

There is a joy to be felt in repairing your clothes. And it doesn’t have to be you that does it. Menddie, based in Helsinki, Finland, is a service that offers an easy, cost-effective way to extend the lifestyle of the clothes you love, and support handcraft professionals by enabling them to perform the work they love.

Menddie

The materials that go into producing our clothes are far-from environmentally friendly. It is estimated that 35% of all microplastics (very small pieces of plastic that never biodegrade) in the ocean came from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester. Equally concerning, is that just 12% of the material used for clothing ends up being recycled.

Like I mentioned, whether or not we choose to repair our clothes comes down to value, and there is much work to be done as research would suggest that we consider only a fraction of our wardrobe to be our “favourite clothing”. I believe a big step we must take in rethinking the value of our clothes is expanding that portion, so that favourites are the majority, and easily replaceable items are the minority.

“Research shows that consumers will repair and redesign products of high value, but there are different kinds of values in play. Economic value typically found in luxury products is one kind of value. Products featuring a considerable age or history — in other words a cultural value — represent another. Finally people’s ‘favorite clothes’ make up the last category, which also works to include garments of less economic value.” — The Real Value of Slow and Sustainable Clothing, Mette Lykke Nielsen

A great article by Vogue in December 2019 puts forward a strong case to suggest that the repair and upcycling of clothing is the future of fashion, and will be the direction of the industry for the decade ahead.

In the article, Eleanor Turner, founder and CEO of The Big Favourite, says:

“A more sustainable fashion industry depends on using what exists, eliminating the problem of clothing in landfills, and reframing the way we value our garments. It seems entirely feasible to me that one day, all of my “high frequency” items — for me, that’s T-shirts, cashmere sweaters, camisoles, flat sandals, leather boots, and jeans — will exist on a closed loop. When they’re worn out, I’ll send them to be recycled or upcycled, with nothing wasted in the process. Everything else in my closet would be an item I really love, something I’ve purchased with the intention of keeping for a long time.”

Reason for optimism: Growing awareness across the fashion supply chain

In its 2015 Global Corporate Sustainability Report, Nielsen found that 73% of millennials and 66% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands. Furthermore, a 2020 report by Trivium Packaging found that 67% of customers now identify as environmentally aware, and 65% of consumers associate plastic with ocean pollution.

Across the board, the numbers indicate that consumers are beginning to pay closer attention to the goods they purchase, and are considering the entire life cycle of those goods to reduce environmental degradation.

Source

There is also a trend towards sustainable practices coming from clothing manufacturers. The 2019 Ethical Fashion Report led by researchers in New Zealand found that 61% of companies are investing in using sustainable fibres, and 81% of companies are working to trace where their fabrics come from (a 32% increase from 2013%).

In it’s 2020 Annual Sustainability Report, Edited states:

“The events of 2020 have made it clear that the fashion industry cannot return to its pre-pandemic processes and levels of mass production. There is an increasing mind-set shift around the degrowth movement — working less, buying less and making less. Going beyond the need for minimalism, retailers need to encourage consumers to make slower and more ethical fashion choices, spotlighting the concept of ‘buy less, buy better.”

This need for encouragement from retailers can be acted upon with relative ease. It really doesn’t take much to get the ball rolling, especially seeing as consumers are demanding greater transparency and demonstrating a willingness to invest in sustainable clothing.

“There’s definitely been an increased awareness around conscious consumption. It’s very encouraging. And this, in turn, will fuel further change. People are buying less but they’re buying better. Unconscious consumption is falling out of fashion.” A New Way of Living and Dressing, Bel Jacobs

In short, there are plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about where we are going, but there is still a long and arduous road ahead.

Conclusion

As individual buyers and wearers of clothing, we all have a part to play in pushing for a more sustainable fashion industry. We are not big corporations. We do not have the power to make sweeping decisions that have a huge, immediate influence on production and environmental impact. But we can make a contribution that as a collective effort would curb global consumption and trigger greater change in the industry. This contribution starts with us rethinking the value of our clothes, and the motivation behind making new purchases.

If we want to go out and buy some cheap clothing, we should think carefully about why we feel the need to purchase that specific item. A good way to do this is by asking yourself the following 5 questions:

1. How can it be so cheap?
2. What is it made of?
3. Who made it?
4. How long will you wear it?
5. Where will it end up?

Consider these questions and it will encourage you to make better purchasing decisions.

Each one of us has an individual responsibility to contribute. If we recognise that we all have a part to play and can work together to fuel widespread change, then we can move forward in establishing a healthy, sustainable world of fashion. Buy less, love more, wear for longer.

Author bio

Alex is a content writer and marketer. He has written for numerous tech blogs and is now working with Menddie — a clothing repair platform based in Finland that provides people with an easy, cost-effective way to repair loved garments and support handcraft professionals in the process. He also enjoys exploring the nature of consciousness which he writes about on his blog, confusedspecies.com. You can find him on LinkedIn.