How To Save The Earth Through Sustainable Fashion

Do you know that lifestyle changes play a major role in climate change? By practising sustainability, we can together cause a fashion revolution.

Fashion is one of the most evolving, biggest polluters and contributors to textile waste. The increasing demand for fast fashion is damaging the serenity of our planet.

In this article, I will share tips that will help you embrace sustainability in your fashion choices. You’d also learn about:

• The textile recycling journey
• Recycling skin-friendly textiles
• Making a profit from recycling clothes
•  Living an eco-friendly lifestyle
• The inexistence nature of perfect fashion sustainability

Source: Girotti

Source: Design and alter

Source: The Guardian

Revolutionary Guide to Embracing Sustainability in Fashion

Sustainability starts from our mindset and to embrace it, these basic steps must be considered:

• Buy essentials
• Embrace quality over quantity
•  Cloth care
• Afterlife Cloth Care

Buy Essentials

Before shopping, ask yourself questions like where I can wear these to? what I will wear these with? Will they be out of style in a few months? and how long will I wear them for?

Embrace Quality Over Quantity

While shopping, check the quality and sewing of the fabric to avoid anything that will likely fall apart or fade off after a few washes.

Cloth Care

Hand washing is best for your clothes to reduce generating heat from washing machines. Sorting out clothes based on colours and textures, and using a cool air-drying method, cool water temperature, and delicate bags for sensitive materials to achieve a long-lasting impact. Mend worn-out clothes and dye faded clothes instead of disposing of them.

Afterlife Cloth Care

When your clothes are completely worn out, ask yourself if they can be recycled and give them a new lease of second life and not a throwaway culture. A guide to fashion sustainability clip:  

          

Source: YouTube

Source: Lauren Indvik

The Textile Recycling Journey

Textile recycling is an important part of the fashion journey as a solution for a sustainable fashion future. 

Here is How the Textile Recycling Journey can be Achieved:

• Transport your used clothes to the textile recycling services
• Choose textiles that are easy to recycle
• Maximize repairs
• Transport your used clothes to the textile recycling services
• Buy or Donate to Charity

Transport Your Used Clothes to the Textile Recycling Services

Recycling services can be found on social media, the internet, etc. To help recycle your clothes for a better appearance and to help reduce environmental pollution.

Choose Textiles that are Easy to Recycle

Not all textiles can be recycled and it’s best to use recycled fibers.

Maximize Repairs

Sewing kits like needles, threads, scissors, buttons, zips, etc. can be used to maximize repairs. 

Clothes that can’t be repaired can be turned into rags or dishcloths, cut into strips for cushion padding, or sewn together to make a rug and create face masks. This is a good way to save textile resources and costs.

Buy or Donate to Charity

Support sustainable fashion by being charitable. Buy clothing from charity shops or second-hand shops. Charity homes are a good source of recycling because they mend and give life to old clothes and resell them at an affordable price so people to enjoy pre-loved items and be happy. 

Your donations can also earn you a tax deduction if you itemize (Bankrate.com has a guide to help you value your giveaway items). You can search for a site near you to find a charity to pick up your items. 

A guide to textile recycling: 

Source: YouTube

Source: YouTube

Recycling Skin-Friendly Textiles

The best skin textile for recycling is natural fibers and not all textiles can be recycled. Textile recycling is skin-friendly which can be achieved without compromising quality through:

• Avoid blending fabrics with spandex, cotton, and other materials; this will decrease the quality of the fiber.
• Avoid blending cotton and polyester, they are difficult to recycle and sometimes will be turned into things like cleaning rags. Skin-friendly textiles clip:

Source: YouTube

Source: Matteo Montanari

Making a Profit from Recycling Clothes

Recycling is another way to make a profit at your promising time through:

• Selling recycled clothes on several online resale marketplaces 
• Turning a profit on vintage clothes is great
• Selling recycled clothes to recycling companies

Selling Recycled Clothes on Several Online Resale Marketplaces 

Selling recycled clothes on several online resale marketplaces like Poshmark, or even putting together a garage sale. To achieve this, pictures of your clothes and set-up prices must be activated. Some apps charge a flat fee for all sales and a commission for more expensive orders while the buyer pays for shipping.

Turning a Profit on Vintage Clothes

Vintage clothes are trendy right now and a pre-loved fashion marketplace. If you're clever you might be able to spot boot sale goodies and flip them for profit in stores like Depop.

Selling recycled clothes to recycling companies

Selling recycled clothes to recycling companies as a Job opportunity. How to make a profit recycling:

Source: YouTube

Living an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Textile recycling is environmentally friendly and living an eco-friendly lifestyle can be achieved through:

• Cutting down an incredible amount of textile waste.
• Reducing the use of washing machines will conserve a lot of energy.
• Avoid disposing of clothes that can be reused or recreated.
•  Use sensitive chemicals on your clothes. 

A guide to living an eco-friendly lifestyle: 

                     

Source: YouTube

In Existence Nature of Perfect Fashion Sustainability

Recycling most times is seen to be 20-30-% instead of 100%. Even if we can’t get 100% recycled material, some textiles can be recycled into an original fibre quality such as:

• 100% pure synthetics like polyester.
•  Synthetics made from plastic bottles, old clothes, etc.
• Nylon made from a recycled fishing net.

 We need a healthy planet, not only to survive but also to inspire the creativity that drives fashion and design. This choice lies in us. We can recycle and repurpose, and we can change our attitude towards fast fashion. Sustainable, clean, and considered fashion should be our lifestyle.

Source: Freepik

To find out more about sustainable fashion, visit The Earth Day Org.