Sustainability
#SustainableSunday with Petra Němcová: Environmentally conscious fashion
Petra Němcová26. 7. 2020
“Isn’t the idea of fashion to beautify us and protect us from harsh environments? Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity's carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams, and does other harm. On top of it, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year. Washing some types of clothes sends thousands of bits of plastic into the ocean. And the environmental damage is increasing as the industry grows.” Topmodel and Sustainability Editor Petra Němcová exclusively every Sunday on Vogue CS.
Is this beautiful? Clothes on our skin may temporarily protect us but in the long run destroys our nature which means it is destroying us as we can’t live without balanced nature, but she can live without us.
WHY do we need to make sure to select ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS FASHION?
This is a worldwide problem. The carbon emissions from clothing stem from all countries and that really add up in the long run.
In the US alone, there are over 25 million pounds of clothing thrown away each year.
By 2030, it’s expected that fashion waste will increase to a 148 million ton problem.
If we keep this up, by 2050 the fashion industry could use more than 26 percent of the “carbon budget” associated with a 2oC pathway (a long-term goal to limit global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels).
- Water pollution
- Water consumption
- Microfibers in our oceans
- Waste accumulation
- Chemicals addiction
- Greenhouse gases emissions
- Soils degradation and desertification
- Rainforest destruction
In this article below, you can learn about each of these issues and mainly WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT?
In short, how can you reduce your fashion environmental impact?
* Buy less. Even the greenest garment uses resources for production and transport to your home, creating some environmental impact.
* Buy CLOTHES FROM sustainable BRANDS. There are so many wonderful options now. Some are here sustainyourstyle.org/en/women.
* Buy better quality. So your beloved clothes stay with you for a lifetime or close to it. I have had some of my clothes for 15-26 years now.
* Think twice before throwing out your clothes. Try to repair them. You can have so much creative fun with upcycling. In Czech, we use to pass on our clothes to family or friends. I still do this and it makes them sooo happy. Or I donate them to charity. Some clothing stores take back used clothes from their own brand or even from other brands. Put them in the textile recycling bin. So they can be recycled to make new clothing.
* Rent clothing. There are many great websites to do all this like rentmycloset.com In the USA and In the UK there is frontrow.uk.com. In the Czech Republic, there is @alpaka.app. You can also do swap parties and buy vintage in second-hand stores.
* Keep an eye on your washing. I have this bag to capture microplastic. Their website Is GUPPYFRIEND Washing Bag Online Shop | STOP! Micro Waste – Guppyfriend Shop | Europe | Global. More tips on #WhatsInMyWash.
HOW do you know which new clothes are ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS?
Look for garments with the certification label controlling chemical content such as OEKO-TEX®️, GOTS, or BLUESIGN®️ certification standard which indicates that a textile has the smallest ecological footprint possible. More than that Bluesign assesses brands from the bottom up, looking carefully at their resource productivity, consumer safety, water emissions, air emissions, and occupational health and safety standards.
WHO is a great example?
There are so many from the very high end Like @StellaMcCartney to more casual @Patagonia which are both pioneers in sustainability to @MaraHoffman, on a first photo, which has an incredible holistic commitment to the planet & people and I would highly recommend checking their approach marahoffman.com/pages/our-approach. To @ShopRedone, they up-cycle jeans from old jeans, @bottletoppers up-cycle, and artisanal bag & @yatay luxury sustainable sneakers which are on a second photo.
From local designers, the more high-end is @jirikalfar who is not just #sustainable #ethical and plant-based, but also #zerowaste and @bohempia_official is doing a great job using natural rubber and hemp which is one of the best fabric for a sustainable world.
As I wrote before we are the solution and there are so many alternatives to a smarter wardrobe. Let's be smarter with our choices for us and our children. I believe in us!