Why choose socially and environmentally conscious clothing?
Climate change awareness has received a lot of attention lately, and fast fashion is one of the key consumer areas of concern. So, what are the reasons for choosing environmentally friendly clothing?
Studies have shown that more than 1 million metric tons of textiles are discarded annually in India. Much of this ends up in the ocean, with poor environmental practices also meaning pollution is rife.
More so, the average lifespan of clothing is estimated at three years. In other words, after three years, that piece of clothing will be thrown away and often sent to landfill rather than being recycled or upcycled. But good quality clothing will last for much longer if properly cared for.
But let’s look at some of the other reasons why we should be considering social and environmentally-conscious clothing, and why an increasing number of designers are designing clothes that don’t cost the earth!
Discourages child labour
Environmentally friendly clothes reduce child labour. Some questionable fashion brands use children to cut production costs. All of this is changing as more brands look for environmentally friendly ways to produce clothing. In addition, fashion houses that are transitioning to producing green clothing are transparent and provide better factory working conditions.
Saves water
Many fashionistas are unaware that an estimated 10,000 litres of water are used to produce a pair of jeans, enough for 900 days of drinking water for four people.
Most sustainable clothing options will reduce the amount of water used. Meanwhile, other sustainable fabrics like linen and hemp don’t require using so much water.
This is a lot of water usage to consider in any country, but if you consider some of the counties producing the fast fashion clothing so popular in the west have limited access to clean drinking water, this statistic is even more shocking.
Better for your skin
Aside from being suitable for the climate, sustainable clothing is a better option for your skin. Organic fabrics offer benefits such as breathability, softness, and cleanliness for your skin. Also, organic fabrics are not made with harmful chemicals that could cause skin irritations like acne and dermatitis.
Reduces pollution
Remember, the goal of opting for organic fabrics is that they reduce carbon emissions into the environment. Besides, carbon emissions are a major cause of climate change. Studies have shown that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter. Furthermore, sustainable brands have created ways to reuse materials instead of discarding them into the environment.
Reduces animal cruelty
More than 430 million animals are slaughtered annually for the leather industry. Fashion brands are beginning to create animal cruelty-free clothes. Some alternatives to cruelty-free fabrics are silk, bio-fabricated vegan wool, grass fabric, etc. These new fashion trends reduce the killing of animals for fabric or leather.
Encourages better working conditions
Ethical brands pay more attention to the working conditions of those who work for them. Ethical brands provide better working conditions for everyone on their payroll compared to others. The wages of ethical brands are often above the average paid in the fashion industry.
Don’t encourage child labour or poor workers’ conditions by patronising brands that are not supporting the fight against climate change!
Conclusion
Be part of the fight to halt climate by purchasing sustainable and environmentally friendly clothing. Buying ecologically friendly clothing will encourage ethical brands and help them do more. Finally, you can find sustainable dresses and other conscious clothing items from online clothing retail stores too. Just do a Google search to find what’s available.
And of course, don’t forget you can find great bargains in charity and vintage clothing shops which is the best possible option for purchasing sustainable clothing!
The options for choosing environmentally friendly clothing are probably broader than you might think.