5 ways to build a more sustainable wardrobe

The most sustainable garment is the one already in your closet- Orsola de Castro

I have often been asked what we can do to build a more sustainable wardrobe. Although the first thought that mind pop into our heads is to support sustainable brands only, the best alternative for our environment might just be not buying anything at all.

All of the processes involved in consumption have repercussions that may challenge sustainability goals on all scales, as it is not an individual phenomenon rather a global one, one that includes production, trade and investment, engaging different actors and forces (Milfont & Markowitz, 2016).

The now obvious idea that what we produce and consume has an impact on the environment is still relatively new. It started to develop in the 1970s and only got cemented into popular culture and global politics and economics with the publishing of the Brundtland Report “Our Common Future” (WCED, 1987). When the phrase “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” entered international policy and research on Agenda 21, it was adopted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and quickly became the most popular definition of sustainability.

The report shed light on just how unsustainable the existing patterns of development, production and consumption were. If humankind were to reverse it and take steps towards actual sustainability there would have to be actions greater than just developing new products or substitutions, it would also mean developing and incorporating concepts like responsible consumption, consumption reduction and adopting a sustainable lifestyle. (Peattie & Peattie, 2009). In short, both the notion of more efficiently produced goods and a so-called green or sustainable consumer who, with his or her consumption choices, drives a market transformation that incorporates both environmental and social concerns.

Sustainable consumption now includes terms like anti- or reduced consumption, collaborative consumption, sharing, bartering and lending and last but not least, consumption rejection, that comprises protests and boycotts aimed at enacting change in the marketplace.

That being said, here are 5 easy steps towards building a more sustainable wardrobe:

1. Take care of the clothes that are already in your closet.

2. Find alternative sources for clothes to freshen up your wardrobe: thrift, borrow, swap… get creative!

3. Go for quality over quantity, only buy pieces you love 100% and will use at least 30 times

4. When possible (if it is in your budget and vicinity), shop from brands whose values are aligned with your own, i.e. sustainable brands.

5. Inform yourself about the materials and conditions under which your favorite brands make their clothes, so that you can make better choices if/when you choose to buy new.

Bottom line, we need to keep our clothes for longer, wear them again and again, buy less and better quality and never let them go to waste.

Sources:

Milfont, T. L., & Markowitz, E. (2016). Sustainable consumer behavior: a multilevel perspective. Current Opinion in Psychology, 10, 112–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.12.016

Peattie, K., & Peattie, S. (2009). Social marketing: A pathway to consumption reduction? Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 260–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.01.03

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