When people think about environmental pollution, images of plastic waste, smoke-filled streets and polluted waterways often come to mind. Clothing is less likely to be part of that conversation, yet what people wear also has an environmental footprint.
The fashion industry generates large amounts of textile waste. Clothes that are no longer wanted may be discarded, sent to landfills, burned or passed on to other users. Synthetic garments also present an additional challenge because many are made from plastic-based fibres.
These materials do not simply disappear when a garment is no longer worn.
During washing, synthetic textiles such as polyester and nylon can release tiny fibres known as microfibres. Some of these fibres can enter wastewater systems and eventually reach rivers and other aquatic environments.
The environmental impact of clothing also extends to how garments are produced. Manufacturing textiles requires resources such as water, energy and raw materials. Producing new garments therefore involves environmental costs long before a piece of clothing reaches a wardrobe.
This makes extending the useful life of clothing an important part of reducing textile waste.
Repairing damaged garments, donating clothes that are no longer needed, exchanging clothes with others and finding new uses for old textiles can help keep garments in use for longer. Upcycling can also transform unwanted clothing into new products instead of sending it directly into the waste stream.
These practices form part of a broader approach to sustainable consumption, where the emphasis is not only on recycling materials after they become waste but also on reducing unnecessary consumption and making better use of existing resources.
For consumers, this can mean reconsidering how often clothes are purchased, how long they are kept and what happens to them when they are no longer wanted.
The environmental footprint of fashion therefore does not end when a garment leaves the wardrobe. Its production, use, washing and eventual disposal can all have environmental consequences.
Sustainability does not always require buying a new product designed to be environmentally friendly. In some cases, it can begin with using what is already available for a little longer.
The next time an item of clothing appears ready for disposal, repairing, donating, exchanging or repurposing it could give the garment a second life and keep it out of the waste stream for longer.
