How to shop sustainably:
1. Buy natural fibers, not synthetic
Always buy clothing made from all-natural fibers (like wool, cotton, linen, silk, hemp, etc), not synthetic fibers (like polyester, nylon, spandex, rayon, acrylic, etc). Synthetic textiles are oil-based products and are basically a derivative of plastic. That means they never biodegrade (or have an incredibly long half life, for the science folk out there). I would go so far as to argue that some of the synthetic clothing sold at “fast fashion” stores should be considered “single use plastics”, and should be outlawed the same way plastic straws are. If you combine a synthetic textile with a hyper-trendy short-lived design, the end product is essentially a “single use plastic”…and it’s much larger and more intricate to produce than a straw.
2. Avoid trends, buy classic timeless designs
The absolute best, most sustainable thing you can do, when it comes to shopping for clothing is to buy an item and wear it as frequently as possible, for as long as possible. Replacing clothing, or buying new styles (even if it’s made from all-natural fibers or made by a “sustainable brand”), is the worst thing you can do. Think of it like this: in order to make a new garment (let’s call it a cotton t-shirt for this example), a farmer needs to plant cotton seeds using industrial equipment, apply pesticides, harvest with more large equipment, then ship the raw material to a processing plant. The processing plant then uses a whole lot more water, and chemicals, and large machinery, to treat the fibers and get them ready for weaving. This treated material is then shipped once again to a textile mill which again uses a whole lot more water, and chemicals, and larger machinery to turn the treated raw material into a textile. The textile is then shipped once again to a sewing plant, which then uses more water, oil and large machinery to turn the textile into a garment. This garment is then shipped once again and then hung in stores that flash 100-foot-tall neon signs in order to attract your attention and convince you to buy this new product. Then you buy it – and wear it 1-3 times before the trend is announced as “over”. Then this garment is considered garbage, and all of the energy and resources that went into its creation are wasted. This is happening every second, of every minute, of every day. And the “cycles” or “trends” are only getting faster, not slower.
3. Buy the best quality you can afford
With the same idea of avoiding trends so your purchases will last longer, you should also try to buy the highest quality (most durable) product you can afford. It takes a similar amount of resources to make a garment that is glued together and will fall-apart in the wash as it does to make a hand-sewn garment that is built to last. Again, the key is not replacing items or throwing them out. Buy quality and whack it till the wheels fall off.
