How much do you know about clothing waste? Surprising truth about clothing waste
How long do you typically wear your clothes before you throw (or give) away?The average American throws away 80 lbs. of clothes a year!
With the recent coverage by the media on fast fashion, we know that some brands have been exploiting their workers and promoting unethical production. Amazon offers clothing from dozens of blacklisted factories in Bangladesh, in factories where H&M and Gap’s clothes are made workers reported threats and abuses, and Zara’s workers reported that they were not paid. This, unfortunately, isn’t new. When we shop at our favorite fashion brands, we need to think deeper than what we see on the shelf. Our clothing not only might negatively affect the workers but it also negatively affects the environment. With the knowledge of the social and environmental impacts of their clothing, consumers are demanding more sustainable fashion options.
Today many brands have released a ‘sustainable’ line, while many others are trying to lower their environmental footprint. While we may be attracted to these new lines of “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” clothing offered by fast fashion brands, we need to make sure we are not being greenwashed or overconsuming.
First and foremost, before shopping at our favorite retailers, we must wear the clothes we already own a little longer.
Hasan Minhaj, host of the Patriot Act ran an episode on “The Ugly Truth of Fast Fashion”. During the episode, it was reported that an average American woman buys 64 new items of clothing per year, however, half of these new items are only worn three times or less. Moreover, an average American throws away 80lbs of clothes a year. This is a major problem because every second a garbage truck of textiles is “… dumped into landfill or burned and only less than 1% of materials produced for clothing is recycled into new apparel.” Shocked? Consider wearing your clothes a little longer instead of tossing them in the trash.
Just by wearing your clothes nine months longer than average, you can reduce your carbon footprint for that garment by 30%. If everyone bought one used item instead of new it could save nearly six pounds of CO2 emissions. That would be equivalent to removing half a million cars off the road for a year!! Gallant supplies natural canvas tote bags in bulk made of organic cotton. These bags carbon neutral and very durable.
You can watch the full episode on YouTube HERE or on Netflix HERE.