Three Eco-Friendly Fashion Tips

By Mallory Knee | January 29, 2020

There’s a big trend of living a more sustainable life going around today. People want to abandon their plastic straws, adopt reusable water bottles, and even adapt their diets to ensure their lifestyle is eco-friendly and Earth-positive. One way many consumers fall short, however, is eco-friendly fashion. Check out these easy-to-follow eco-friendly fashion tips you can add to your life without changing your personal style.

Change the way you wash

You already own clothing that you, presumably, wear often. When you go to wash your clothing, consider the environment.

• Wash less often: Most clothing items can be worn multiple times before needing a wash. Conserve energy and water by reducing the frequency of washing machine runs.
• Hang dry: Skip the dryer and let the air do the work for you by hanging your clothes to dry.
• Use green laundry detergent: Cut down on the amount of harmful synthetic chemicals in the water supply and on the Earth by buying an eco-friendly detergent instead of a big brand.
• Wash in cold water: Washing in cold water can extend the life of your clothing’s color and conserves energy. Most of the energy used when washing clothes is to heat the water.

Change the way you buy

Fashion is about expression, so don’t limit yourself. Do, however, be mindful of ways to express the self through clothing without investing in non-sustainable brands, fast-fashion, or harmful materials.

• Buy secondhand: Not only is vintage clothing all the rage right now but shopping at a local thrift shop benefits the environment. Recycling clothing is so important to help reduce clothing production for fast fashion shops.
• Buy organic: When you need to purchase new cotton clothing, opt for organic cotton. This way, your clothing will still be soft and comfortable. Past this, there are tons of reasons to wear organic clothing, including skincare benefits!
• Choose faux: Real fur is overrated and unsustainable. Try out a faux leather jacket or a faux fox rug instead of springing for the real thing.

Change the way you update

When the seasons change, you revamp your wardrobe for the new season to ensure you’re ready for the weather changes. This means you have the perfect opportunity to clear out your closet of all items you haven’t worn in a year or more and hold no emotional value.

• Donate old clothing: If you simply dislike a style now, don’t throw your perfectly good clothing in the trash! Sell it online, give it as hand-me-downs, or donate it to a local charity.
• Fix broken clothing: A single missing button or tiny tear is no reason to dispose of old clothing. Learn to sew things back together, take clothing into a seamstress, or even repurpose it.
• Buy less: Buy less clothing, less often. When you do make a clothing purchase, make sure the clothing comes from an ethical brand and you can see yourself wearing it a minimum of 30 times before tiring of it.