How to clothe ourselves in a sustainable manner and reducing waste on a global scale is indeed an important and in many ways complicated issue. It's a topic I do a lot of thinking about, and is why I am currently on a year-long buy no new clothes challenge (still going strong since I started in February!) Here are some of my top-line thoughts:
1. The most sustainable item of clothing is one you already own. Use up what you have before buying new (or new-to-you) clothing.
2. Buy less. There is simply too much clothing in the world today, much of it of poor quality.
3. Repair. Extend the life of what you already own by sewing back on buttons that fall off and making other repairs as needed. Or pay a tailor to do it. I do small fixes myself (dropped hem, buttons) and am happy to drop cash at tailors or cobblers to do more complex repairs, like re-soleing a shoe or replacing the lining of a coat.
3. Dispose responsibly. If you have an item of clothing that still has life left in it, selling it or consigning it or giving it directly to another individual, like via Buy Nothing or a clothing swap, will maximize the chance that someone else will use the garment. This is controversial in some circles, but I consider donating clothing to thrift shops to be a second choice when I am short on time. Thrift shops often have more clothing donations than they can handle and a lot of good stuff ends up being shunted to the global textile resale/recycling circuit (ala Dead White Man's Clothes) or being landfilled. Also, don't give garbage clothes to thrift stores. Repurpose super worn clothing as rags or sewing project material, donate old linens to animal shelters, and put anything that's left in textile recycling bins.
4. When looking to obtain new clothing, look first to buy secondhand. Lots of nice things can be found in thrift stores or online at places like Poshmark and eBay.
5. If you do buy retail, try to support ethical and sustainable brands, and/or individual artists. Put your money towards supporting businesses that share your values. Look here for some brand ideas:
https://mygreencloset.com/. Also support businesses investing in technologies to do true garment-to-garment recycling, like
https://rifo-lab.com/. This type of effort is still relatively rare.
6. Educate yourself on what is meant by ethical and/or sustainable clothing so that you can spot greenwashing in advertising. Is that "recycled material" pre- or post-consumer? What percent of the garment is made from that recycled material? Is that fabric made from a fiber that is compostable/biodegradable? Does the company post regular financial statements, and disclose the salary of its employees (top marks to Able on this -
https://www.livefashionable.com). Does the company have a takeback program for recycling or reselling its own used products? Do they craft new products from scraps of old product too worn to resell? Did the manufacturer take steps to reduce water consumption during production? Different brands will have different strengths, but you want to be sure you understand what you are buying.
7. Buy quality and try to stay away from buying trendy clothes that you won't want to wear for a long time. Note that your style is your own and no fashion blogger can define what will be a timeless item for YOU.
8. Maintain your clothing well: Over-washing and machine drying wears clothing out faster. Rewear garments between washes when feasible and try line drying or drying using a collapsible folding rack.