In honour of July being plastic free month today we wanted to shine the light on plastic within our wardrobes and learn how it impacts our environment. Whilst our textiles might not be the first thing we think of when it comes to reducing our plastic waste, the shocking reality is that the production of your clothing reveals that most fabrics are made up of plastic. From polyester to acrylic, on average 65% of most traditional clothing fabrics contain some form of plastic.
The real issue is between our oceans and the plastic that comes from our clothing. Did you know that every time we wash an item of clothing the material shreds millions of plastic fibers? Resulting in our Ocean absorbing these heavily damaging chemicals.
So what can we do to help? Here are four tips on how you can help reduce plastic within your wardrobe.
Reuse
The concept of reusing our clothing is now classed as the most impactful way to reduce our environmental footprint in the textile industry. Re-wearing old outfits, ensuring we buy less, getting creative such as tie-dying or using DIY techniques to transform our old pieces of clothing helps us give new love to old items.
Shop Consciously
Before rushing to buy a brand-new dress or T-shirt why not do some research on brands that are trying to become more sustainable.
Choosing to buy from a more sustainable brand over a fast-fashion company is one simple step that any of us can do to help reduce the plastic in our wardrobe.
Here is a list of some of our favourite sustainable brands:
- Patagonia
- Re-formation
- Levi’s
- Everlane
- H&M conscious
Wash Your Clothing Less
Washing your clothing less often is a way to reduce microfibre pollution. Here at Collect My Clothes we now say only wash clothes if they are dirty. It is so easy to wash your favourite items 2 to 4 times a week, but by pausing and asking yourself does this item need a full wash or can it just be wiped down this will help cut down on your washing.
We also suggest doing a sniff test, as it’s always the best way to tell if your clothing really needs to go into the washing machine.
Secondly, we say get rid of the tumble dryer. Tumble dryers are relatively useless when we consider that we can hang our clothing out to dry, rather can than using a machine to hurry up the process. They also increase the microfibre shedding in the next wash, something to keep in mind the next time you go to use one.
Use A Reusable Shopping Bag
When you’re out shopping for your new wardrobe additions remember it’s just as important to be conscious of what you’re buying, as well as what you are using to take the items home in.
It can be said that more people than ever are now using reusable shopping bags. However, it is still so easy to fall into the trap of buying a plastic bag whilst you’re in a store. Maybe you forgot your reusable one or you simply don’t have enough bags to pack your purchases into.
For this preparation is key. Ensuring you have more than enough bags before you leave the house will help eliminate these issues.
To conclude, learning to change and adapt your shopping habits will drastically reduce the plastic within your wardrobe and the plastic from the fashion industry that is harming the environment. The list of ways to reduce plastic in your life is endless, so start by writing a list of all the ways you believe you can help.
Together a combination of all our work will add up to help create a better environment for us all.
So to get involved and follow our three step process to recycle your textiles, click here.
