In this article, I will talk about Sustainable Clothing and what we must do as responsible consumers while buying clothes. Is your shopping cart a trash load?Only if before loading up our shopping basket we could give a little thought to what and why we are buying what we are, many things could have been saved! Not just things but energy, resources, and man-labor too. And above all, the burden on Mother Earth to consume it back when it gets dumped into landfills or gets suspended into the atmosphere in the form of air pollutants or pollutants of any sort, for that matter!Just donβt buy excess waste, thatβs all. We are beginners in this journey and itβs okay if itβs a slow transition. Because think for a while: One small difference in a day is nothing if seen in the bigger picture. But that same difference for a total of 365 times?Now, what do you say if I extend it to the rest of your life and if I add a couple more βoneβ small differences to it??Thatβs something you canβt ignore, Can you?Well, I am also a total noob in this journey and do not live a sustainable life yet but aspire to, one day.Sadly, we live in a use-n-throw era where everything comes with an expiry date. And even if it doesnβt, we feel the urge to replace it with the latest in the market! This is peer pressure, you guys, and we should talk start talking openly about this too!Here is what I do, at least while buying clothes and some random stuff:
- Do I need it?
- Is it the kind of material I will wear often? (I always prefer comfortable, easy to wear, versatile and breezy clothes and I guess a lot of you too!)
- Is it worth it?
- Will it last me long enough? (A random analysis by running a quick self-quality check)
And this pretty much leaves me with my answer!
Now that I have started this conversation on clothes, let us take this topic further.These days, people change clothes faster than their mood changes! And there is nothing bad in that, really! But before you decide you need more clothes, just sit for a while and skim through your wardrobe. Unravel the old treasures! Even consider digging out those hidden suitcases or your diwan that always stays obediently shut!Chances are, you will find something youβll get hooked to, all over again! In the crazy chase of βfor the sake of the trendsβ, be your own changemaker! Ditch Trends and set yourself apart. Each year most of the rejected clothes reach landfills. And a lot of this mishap can be prevented from happening if we bought less in the first place! Itβs a textile flood that we create each year! And chemical dyes and textile only add to the problem.Not just the disposal but the manufacture of clothes is a pretty hefty business for our environment – cotton being a water-intensive plant! And if you remember from the last post, Polyester is made of microfibers and on each wash, microplastics (what it is made up of) flow past all drains and filters owing to its small size and enter aquatic water bodies. So, by consuming responsibly, we can play a huge role in controlling the mess!Fast Fashion is nothing but an accelerated way to increase the dump and demand load. And can we do something to prevent it?There is a multitude of ways one can reuse old clothes. Not just using them up as rags but making it into DIY decor pieces! DIY your old pair of jeans into something that recreates that trending Instagram post right inside your bedroom space with your humble old jean pair! Make it into DIY rugs and pillows and mats. Just be a little creative with your waste and youβll feel a lot more content with and about yourself. This truly acts like therapy, youβll see!Share your clothes with your siblings and friends and feel proud of it! Everyone needs a change of looks once in a while and I agree that it adds dimensions to who you are but there are better ways to do that. Sharing being a wonderful option!Buy second hand: you might just bump into the oldie you’ll adore and would want to flaunt around while saving yourself for a lovely dinner at that Michelin star restaurant youβve been waiting to dine at!And for your old clothes that you’ve out’grown or got bored of, just donate them away. Or resell it and make some more cash!And really, if you are a little mindful of what you buy, not just quality wise but also quantity wise, with some thought to your needs: the type of clothing you require (for instance, casual jeans or formal trousers or a chic skirt), you will be a bit kinder to Earth through your actions and Mother Earth will certainly send you good vibes!Creating no waste is always better than recycling it! While recycling is definitely the way to go, we should try to delay that process and use a piece of clothing as much as we can before sending it to the recycling center.Yes, it is not as easy as going out on a carefree shopping spree, but that doesnβt mean we wonβt give it a shot, right?