How Sustainable Fashion
Benefits The Environment
Environmentally friendly fashion is becoming more and more popular these days, and for good reason!
People are starting to recognise the need for fashion, which is the world’s second largest polluter, to find more sustainable means of production. Unfortunately, not all brands will choose to make this change, at least not as quickly as they should. This is why making a conscious decision to choose ethical and sustainable options are consumers’ best chance at contributing to a healthier and safer planet.
If you’ve ever considered switching to environmentally sustainable fashion but want to know exactly how you’re helping the environment, then read on to learn the different reasons why.
Less Energy Use
When fashion brands produce brand new clothing pieces, these garments have to go through the entire process of being manufactured, from sourcing to logistics and its production in the factory.
Synthetic materials, such as new polyester, produce more greenhouse gases and energy, especially compared to their recycled counterparts. Using sustainable materials such as hemp, bamboo, and linen is ultimately more energy-efficient than working with synthetic fabrics.
Local production also reduces how much energy is used for transportation. New dyeing methods can help lessen water and energy use, and more ethical fashion brands are choosing to create smaller collections with hand-made items. This is called slow fashion, and it follows the principle of producing fewer but better-quality pieces that cut the need for too much production and energy use.
Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Recyclable Materials
When you toss an old swimsuit you no longer use, it adds to textile waste. This is currently overwhelming landfills, which have very little space to accommodate even more fast-fashion finds that are discarded. Purchasing eco-friendly swimwear and other sustainable clothing items from recyclable fashion shops is the best course of action consumers can take to reduce textile waste.
While seemingly obvious, recycling textile wastes into new clothing is not always easy. Fabric blends are difficult to recycle, and oftentimes the recycled material is worse than the original. Clothes are best repurposed into other items such as rugs or insulation material.
Fortunately, there are also materials that can be recycled into clothing fabric. Many have taken to using plastic bottles to create shoes, bags, and clothing pieces that are beautiful, sturdy, and long-lasting.
REPREVE is a great example of this as they turn plastic as they turn plastic bottles into a beautiful performance fibre. Cali Rae is a glorious sustainable swimwear brand that uses REPREVE!
Avoid Insecticides
Most clothing items are made from cotton. To harvest the cotton required to make such garments, farmers need to ensure that their crop is undisturbed to produce the greatest yield.
This is where insecticides and pesticides come into play. It has been shown that food quality and safety suffer as a result of too much pesticide use, and the same can be said for clothing. What comes into contact with your skin can also have adverse effects depending on the fabric’s chemicals.
Avoiding pesticides and insecticides increases your chances of safety and contributes to the planet by keeping the soil healthy. It encourages biodiversity rather than monoculture.
Source: Agrilabour
Reduced Toxic Waste & Water Pollution
Water pollution is a big part of traditional textile manufacturing as dyeing and leather tanning involves harsh chemicals. Not only does this cause a safety hazard for workers handling the fabrics, but it also pollutes the water in rivers and any marine life in it.
Unfortunately, if a water body is polluted enough, the damage will be irreversible and render it completely incapable of harbouring life. They essentially become toxic streams of water with some plastic waste thrown in. It affects more than just the worker handling what is to be made into fast fashion clothing.
Villages are sometimes forced to relocate because water pollution simply cannot sustain safe and healthy living. Choosing ethical clothing brands can prevent a similar chain reaction from happening in other areas.
Conclusion
The sustainable fashion community safeguards the world and consumers from unsafe and unhealthy practices commonly used in fast fashion.
Whether it’s reducing water pollution and toxicity or encouraging the recycling of materials, environmentally friendly fashion choices contribute significantly to the betterment of the planet and its inhabitants. It reduces costs, creates longer-lasting clothing items, and makes the world a little bit better to live in, all while looking fabulous.
Stride creates Australian made apparel with sustainable fashion standards in full practice.
We carry ranges for men, women, and non-binary folk, so you’re sure to find something that suits your fashion taste minus the guilt.