Earth Day: How can your wardrobe end plastic pollution?
As we sit and ponder the impact our wardrobe has on the environment (as I’m sure we all do very regularly), plastic pollution might not be the top of the list. But due to the what our clothes are made of, how we wash them and what happens to them when no longer want them, the contrary might be true. In fact, tiny plastic particles that come of synthetic materials when we wash our clothes are speculated to be the next biggest threat to the plastic ocean after microbeads.
Learning this quickly brought to my attention that yes, plastic pollution and what you put in your wardrobe do have a lot to do with each other, in more ways that might first meet the eye. The focus of Earth Day 2018 if ‘End Plastic Pollution’, and so I thought it was time to think about how plastic, fashion and the environment come together in our wardrobes, and what we can do to lower the impact as much as possible.
House of Holland
1. A load to take in: washing plastic out of our wardrobe
This is a big one, so let’s all take a deep breath…
The revelation that plastic particles coming out of our clothes in the wash are a huge contributor to plastic pollution is what sparked me into thinking about this issue, and it's one of the key components of the issue.
There are some pretty gory details about how plastic particles coming off in our clothes are contaminating waterways and thereby the water we drink, the ocean and soil. There are estimates of 700,000 microplastic fibres being shredded in each laundry load we put on (I don’t know how big a fibre of microplastic is, but 700,000 of anything every time we turn on the washing machine must amount to a heck of a lot).
But luckily for us, there are some things we can do to lighten the load.
First up is buying clothes made from materials that don’t shed microplastic fibres. This basically means buying natural fibres, like 100% cotton clothes or wool, or anything else that doesn’t contain synthetic materials and isn’t treated with plastic. Deciding what materials to buy is a really tough decision, and is always a balance of values: do I care more that it’s made of plastic, or that it contains no animal by-products? Is cotton the best way to go, despite all those horrible stories about Monsanto? The list goes on, but this is just something to consider when you’re next weighing up these decisions, and making yourself look quite bizarre as you interrogate clothing labels with furrowed forehead.
But wait, you cry, I already own a whole wardrobe of clothes that contain plastic, and I thought the whole point was not to keep buying new clothes?!
This is quite right! And luckily for us again (we’re doing well on this one!) there are a couple more crafty solutions we can use to reduce our contribution to this part of the problem, all within the washing machine domain.
First let’s keep it simple: wash less! If we all tried to wash our clothes once every fortnight rather than once a week, the impact would be huge, and the fabulous Fashion Revolution points out myriad other reasons to think before you spin, including that it will make your clothes wear out sooner, and end up in landfill sooner. Next time you feel like a slob for wearing the same top for the 4th time in a row without washing, you can safely say that you’re doing it for the planet - you’ll find no judgement from me.
Another more exciting idea is a special bag to wash your clothes in that catches much of the nasty fibres (NB my low excitement threshold). Guppy Friend is one such option. You simply place your clothes inside the bag and when you wash, it catches many of the fibres and tells you how to dispose of them properly (even though we cannot see most of them with the naked eye).
Next up is changing the cycle. Guppy Friend provide a couple of hints and tips as to how we can wash our clothes in a way that lends itself less to the loss of microplastics. Firstly washing on a lower temperatures means fibres are less likely to shed. Older clothes shed more, and so maybe wash these more sparingly. Equally, washing soft fabrics together could mean fewer fibres shed.
Last but not least is to do with what you’re washing your clothes with. This Guardian article (which contains a lot of handy information related to these tips) explains how many detergent brands we see in supermarket are full of petrocarbons which massively contribute to environmental issues. Choosing brands like Ecover can help make your load a little more environmentally friendly.
Phew, now that’s over, here’s a few short and snappy ways we can put plastic pollution in its place.
2. Single use plastic ain’t never fantastic: plastic packaging
This is a big one for shopping online, but also is something to consider in-store. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose excitement to receive a new (ethical and eco!) item from ASOS only to feel disappointed by the amount of plastic it arrives in. It’s difficult for us to avoid this sometimes but there are a few things you could do to help:
Shop in store when you can: this avoids extra packaging to you, and it’s well within your power to say NO to a plastic bag (especially when it costs you 5p, eh!)
Write to stores about your experience. I know this makes us feel like nagging nancies, but if everyone who doesn’t want a kilo of plastic sent to them when all they ordered was one Made earring off ASOS sent a letter expressing our frustration, it might just make a difference
3. Think before you throw: clothes recycling
An oldie but a goodie, it’s important to remember that your clothes don’t have to end up in the bin when you’ve had enough of them. They go straight to landfill if you do this, and if they are made up of synthetic materials they won’t degrade, but even if they aren't, they have little chance of doing so in a landfill site.
Instead, your clothes can be given to a new home through a charity or second-hand shop, or they can even be recycled. Watch this space for a brand new blog post about where you can give your clothes to be re-loved and recycled, but to get you started, Traid will come and pick up your unwanted clothes and word out what’s best to do with them; Mary’s Living and Giving curate collections of slightly more up-market items; and you can recycle trainers in large Adidas stores!
4. If you can’t beat it, wear it
Plastic waste exists, and what better way to get rid of it than turning it into more beautiful clothes to be worn and loved again?
House of Holland recently launched a limited edition range of protest t-shirts in partnership with Brita alongside Lily Cole. Adidas’s collaboration with Parley for the Oceans has resulted in a whole range of sportswear and trainers made from recycled ocean plastic. As you’ll read here, Fjallraven does a whole lot of items made from various recycled materials, including the iconic Re-Kanken. Last year, Weekday released a range of swimwear made from recycled plastic too. The list goes on.
With this items, it would be important to remember the washing principles mentioned above, but wearing anything recycled is a great way to Dress to Protest.
