One of the most significant manufacturing industries in the world is the textile industry, with an export value of over 28 billion dollars. Constantly evolving trends, back to school sales, online stores, large shopping malls, etc. have lead to the mass consumption and production of yarn, nonwovens, specialty and industrial fabrics. It is not easy to avoid buying new clothes more often than needed. As zero-waste warriors, we must be conscious of where we buy our clothing and where it goes when we are no longer using it. It is still possible to be fashionable while keeping textiles out of our landfills.
Some Facts About Textile Waste (Council for Textile Recycling)
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Textile waste accounts for 5% of landfill space according to the US EPA
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The United States generates an average of 25 billion pounds of textiles per year
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That’s 82 pounds per United States Resident
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15 percent of that gets donated or recycled, and the remaining 85 percent goes to landfills.
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That’s 21 billion pounds of textile waste going to landfills per year!
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The average US citizen throws away 70 pounds of textiles.
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These numbers are growing exponentially.
What is Fast Fashion? Why Should We Avoid It?
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Fast fashion is the mass production of cheap, poor quality, and disposable clothing
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High demands fashion industry produce more almost $1.5 trillion dollars worth of clothing
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Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, and other developing nations are used as a cheap workforce
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Exhausting work hours
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Unfair payment
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Alienation
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An undercover investigation of the fast fashion company Boohoo revealed its factory workers made as little at $4.40 an hour despite a minimum wage of $11.40 an hour for workers over age 25.
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As fashion trends are changing at rapid speeds, prices and quality are dropping.
So you want to be trendy, but you don’t want to contribute to the fast fashion industry.
Don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to keep your maintain your style in a sustainable way. Plus, your closet will be completely unique and your own!
How You Can Keep Your Closet Green (on a budget)
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Invest in Durable Clothing!
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When possible, buy from sustainable, durable brands like Label By Three
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Label By Three is a Black owned business committed to using “slow fashion” practices.
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Slow fashion: mindful clothing production, usage, and wear.
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Trade, Sell, Donate
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Have a clothing swap with your friends if your bored with your closet.
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Sell your clothes at stores like Apocalypse or Platos Closet. You can get cash or store credit!
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Poshmark is also a great platform to sell clothing online!
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Make sure clothing is laundered before selling to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Can’t sell a piece? Donate it to Goodwill, ARES, or Boulder Shelter for the Homeless
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Thrift shopping is also a great way to shop without breaking the bank, and give unwanted clothing a new life!
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Repair
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Test your skills with a needle and thread and repair ripped clothing, or take in the waist of those jeans that no longer fit!
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Check out these youtube channels for any tutorial you may need!
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Repurpose
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Old t-shirt that literally no one would want to wear! Cut it up and use it for rags! T shirt material makes for a great duster.
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Have fun amping up your closet the right way, zero waste warriors!