The world is going more sustainable and for good reason! There are so many better options for our planet when it comes to things like food, plastics, cleaning products, and beauty products. These are all great and you should make switches to more “clean” products whenever possible.
There is however one industry that has been hard to find easy sustainable solutions for. The fashion industry! It is in the top 3 contributors to pollution on our plant. From masses of textile waste in our landfills to air pollution from factory burn off. It’s really time to start being more sustainable and eco-friendly when it comes to our fashion choices.
I like to think that we don’t need a few people being 100% sustainable but we need a majority of the population to do better wherever they can. Being sustainable is sometimes very costly in certain categories. As someone on a budget but trying to do better for our planet, I’ve found easy and affordable ways to be sustainable. Here are my 5 tips for a more eco-friendly wardrobe.
My 5 Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Wardrobe
1. Rent New Items
I’ve written a whole post about the benefits of renting clothes (read it HERE). This is one of my favorite ways to be eco-friendly with my fashion choices. It’s a way of wardrobe recycling that reduces waste. Think about those items you bought to wear one time for a special event and then discarded them. This prevents that. You can also rent for everyday items too.
2. Recycle Old Items
There are so many quick and easy ways to recycle your clothes instead of throwing them away. You can host a clothing swap party where you switch clothes you no longer wear with friends. Donate your special occasion dresses and workwear to charities for those specific items. Also, resell gently used items on places like Poshmark and ThredUp to get some money. Next time you go to clear out your wardrobe, think about recycling first.
3. Shop Sustainable
Shopping has gone sustainable too! There are many brands out there that are very eco-conscious about the way they produce their clothing and the carbon footprint of each item. One of my favorite sustainable brands is Reformation.
A more affordable way to shop sustainably is by finding programs like Amazon The Drop. I purchased this top from a drop by SpreadFashion. You only have 30 hours to shop each collection and they only make the number of items that were ordered to reduce textile waste.
4. Limit Fast Fashion
This one can be a hard pill to swallow but, in general, fast fashion isn’t great for the environment. Fast fashion is mostly “wear it once” outfits made out of materials that aren’t biodegradable and made in mass quantities. Try to limit your fast fashion purchases or shop from their eco-friendly lines like H&M conscious collection. Of course, there are some fast fashion items I see and love (like my boots here). So, I make sure they’re something I’ll wear for a long time or pass it on to a friend when I’m over them.
5. Go for pieces you’ll wear for a long time
No matter if you’re shopping for sustainable or fast fashion, try to opt for pieces you plan on wearing for a long time. Spend money to get a higher-quality of items you wear often like jeans and blazers. These will last you a long time and reduce your fashion waste. It’s also very beneficial to your budget in the long run from a cost-per-wear perspective.
Invest in your staple pieces, rent the rest, and recycle all fashion, especially fast fashion, when you can.
How are you trying to be more eco-friendly in your life? Let’s chat! Leave a comment below.
