How YOU Can Help

Decrease the amount of clothing you buy, especially from "Fast Fashion" stores where the safety and wages of workers are sacrificed in order to keep clothing prices cheap.  This labor is usually from developing countries where labor laws are much laxer, and the harm to the environment from the transportation costs of moving the clothing is high.  This clothing is also generally made of cheaper quality to keep prices low, forcing consumers to keep buying more clothing, enforcing this costly cycle. In 2013, the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,134 people (1).  In this building, clothes were being produced for international brands in unsafe conditions; the building was visibly deteriorating to the point that the workers begged to not have to enter, but the managers would not let them (1).  We have to do our part in preventing tragedies like that one from happening again.  Try to limit the amount of clothing you buy to only what you need, and invest in clothing that will last to make sure you won't have to repurchase soon after you buy.  This will limit your closet's environmental footprint.  When you do purchase clothing, try to buy from ethical clothing brands that don't use sweatshop labor, or buy from brands that make their clothing in your country so you know they aren't taking advantage of developing countries still developing labor laws.

Materials such as plastic microfibers that synthetic clothing leaves behind endanger marine life, as it accounts for 85 percent of the human-made waste found on ocean shores and in the water supply (3).  The fashion industry also pollutes many freshwater sources, it is, in fact, the industry that produces the second most freshwater pollution (3).  Not only is the industry responsible for the immense pollution of water resources, it is also responsible for general pollution. The fashion industry accounts for the second most industrial pollution in the world, which is why it's important to buy environmentally friendly clothing and quality clothing that will last you a while.  Materials such as linen and wool are less environmentally harmful to make and process(3), so try to invest in those materials as opposed to cotton and polyester.  Cotton, as a crop, uses more pesticides than all other plants; it alone uses eleven percent of all the pesticides in the world (3).  But better than buying environmentally-friendly materials is buying secondhand clothing, such as from our pop-up shop.  Secondhand clothing doesn't cost the environment anything, and it barely costs your wallet anything as well.  The best way to get clothing really is secondhand, as it doesn't harm the environment and it doesn't support sweatshops.  If buying secondhand isn't an option, ethical and eco-friendly clothing is the next best thing.  It's important to do our part in saving the environment as well as people's lives, and thinking twice about what you buy and where you buy it from will do just that. 

Each year, the average Ameican disposes of 70 pounds of clothing (2).  Of the 15.1 million tons of textile waste Americans produced in 2013, only 15 percent of it was recycled, says the Environmental Protection Agency.  The other 85 percent ended up in landfills.  Polyester, the most commonly used material in clothing, can take 200 years to break down in landfills (3).  Because of this, it is incredibly important that you do not throw away your clothes.  Before you throw away your clothing, see if it can be repurposed.  Can it be altered to become another article of clothing you can use?  If not, can it be cut down to be used as reusable cleaning rags or napkins in your household?  If it absolutely cannot be repurposed for you, see if somebody you know might want it, or you could sell it online.  If you do not want to go through the effort of finding somebody else who might want your clothing, the obvious option is to donate.  Your local Salvation Army or Goodwill, are both okay options, but we think we're a better one.  Click here to find out why.