What is sustainable fashion?
When talking about sustainable fashion, the idea of a sustainable fabric is often discussed. Sustainable fabrics refer to the idea of fabrics that have little to no lasting impact on the environment.
Sustainable and responsible fabrics are a relatively recent concept, rising to become a buzz-word as terms like "organic", "recyclable" and "compostable" have become mainstream. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a completely sustainable fabric for 7 billion people. Synthetic materials are not biodegradable on a mass scale, if at all. Traditional materials use too many of the earth's resources and destroy countless acres of habitat in the process. Even newer, promising materials cannot be sustainable for all 7 billion people at the rate we're making clothes.
The realization that there is no true sustainable fabric for the masses points to the only sustainable fashion solution we have left: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reduce
Reduce the amount of clothes you buy. By only buying a few items of clothing, you can invest in well-made pieces designed to last many, many years longer than any cheap piece of clothing produced by the fast fashion industry. This may save you money in the long term, and if you buy the most eco-friendly fabrics you can, you may help save the planet in the long term as well. With less items being made, and ideally far less petroleum products being made, items that absolutely cannot be remade can be composted rather than accumulating like plastic. Green house gasses and other pollutants would be drastically decreased.
Reuse
Instead of throwing a shirt out once a button pops off or a zipper malfunctions, take it to someone who can help you reuse a spare button or zipper. This is very similar to the concept of reducing waste and consumption. By reusing all sorts of fabrics and materials, you end up reducing waste and consumption, and in the meantime gain new skills in repurposing and repairing clothes. Join closet exchange groups online when you want to get rid of old clothing. Sell your clothes on various websites, or donate them to a friend.
Recycle
Some might consider giving clothes away and not throwing them out to be recycling. However, many of our clothes that we donate to Goodwill or local thrift shops go overseas and eventually to landfills. The only difference is that it takes longer to get there. I encourage and challenge everyone to recycle a garment so that it can be broken down into its original components and remade. A knitted sweater can be ripped apart to its original yarn and made into something else. A polyester shirt can be melted down and made into a new item of clothing. By striving for zero waste, we must recycle everything that we can, and stop buying materials like nylon that don't degrade, and that cannot be viably broken down into its original components and recycled.
Most importantly, if we are to make a difference in this world of fast fashion and disposable materials, we must implement all three of the above components, for no two can be effective if one is not being observed.
Sustainable and responsible fabrics are a relatively recent concept, rising to become a buzz-word as terms like "organic", "recyclable" and "compostable" have become mainstream. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a completely sustainable fabric for 7 billion people. Synthetic materials are not biodegradable on a mass scale, if at all. Traditional materials use too many of the earth's resources and destroy countless acres of habitat in the process. Even newer, promising materials cannot be sustainable for all 7 billion people at the rate we're making clothes.
The realization that there is no true sustainable fabric for the masses points to the only sustainable fashion solution we have left: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Reduce
Reduce the amount of clothes you buy. By only buying a few items of clothing, you can invest in well-made pieces designed to last many, many years longer than any cheap piece of clothing produced by the fast fashion industry. This may save you money in the long term, and if you buy the most eco-friendly fabrics you can, you may help save the planet in the long term as well. With less items being made, and ideally far less petroleum products being made, items that absolutely cannot be remade can be composted rather than accumulating like plastic. Green house gasses and other pollutants would be drastically decreased.
Reuse
Instead of throwing a shirt out once a button pops off or a zipper malfunctions, take it to someone who can help you reuse a spare button or zipper. This is very similar to the concept of reducing waste and consumption. By reusing all sorts of fabrics and materials, you end up reducing waste and consumption, and in the meantime gain new skills in repurposing and repairing clothes. Join closet exchange groups online when you want to get rid of old clothing. Sell your clothes on various websites, or donate them to a friend.
Recycle
Some might consider giving clothes away and not throwing them out to be recycling. However, many of our clothes that we donate to Goodwill or local thrift shops go overseas and eventually to landfills. The only difference is that it takes longer to get there. I encourage and challenge everyone to recycle a garment so that it can be broken down into its original components and remade. A knitted sweater can be ripped apart to its original yarn and made into something else. A polyester shirt can be melted down and made into a new item of clothing. By striving for zero waste, we must recycle everything that we can, and stop buying materials like nylon that don't degrade, and that cannot be viably broken down into its original components and recycled.
Most importantly, if we are to make a difference in this world of fast fashion and disposable materials, we must implement all three of the above components, for no two can be effective if one is not being observed.