Sustainable clothing is made from natural fabrics that have not been treated with chemicals, contributed to deforestation, water pollution, or inhumane animal practices.
Sustainable clothing is also referred to as eco-friendly wear, slow fashion, or conscious fashion. Buying sustainable eco-friendly clothing is about making decisions that benefit the planet.
I recently began a journey in learning about sustainable clothing and remaking my closet to be more eco-friendly. Fashion is the third biggest industry worldwide (after automobiles and technology).
Fashion, a $2.5 trillion-dollar industry, is the second-highest user of water worldwide contributing to the scarcity of safe drinking water in some areas
Clothing manufacturing produces between 8 - 10% of carbon emissions globally
Each year textiles amount to 21 billion tons of waste entering landfills. The irony is many landfills don’t accept textiles due to chemical contamination.
Yes, this can be a bit overwhelming to think about! However, these are the real costs of making clothing. It is important to consider how our choices affect the environment, animals, and humans.
That doesn’t mean we have to spend a lot of money either! We can still make clothing choices within our budget. Take your time and start to replace clothing articles as you need them. You can also make your own clothes!
Read our article on Sustainable Knitting and Crochet.
My closet. Teacher clothes. Photo by Ame Vanorio
The song Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson always tickled my funny bone. In the song there is a line:
Victoria's Secret, well their stuff's real nice
Oh, but I can buy the same damn thing on a Wal-Mart shelf half price
And the truth is yes, you can buy it “cheaper” at Walmart. But the point is, should you?
My Sustainable Clothing Journey
I have spent the past 29 years living off-grid on an organic farm and have two sets of clothing.
The first is old sweats and T-shirts typically portraying my children’s sports teams or animal fundraisers. The other set is casual business clothes for my teaching career.
I hate shopping so the first was an easy quick purchase that supported a cause. The second sent me into great fits of whining and procrastination.
Stores can be overwhelming, cause sticker shock, and trying on clothes in stores - yuck. You do not want to go shopping with me!
My recent move to Madison, WI area has brought all my “practice what you preach” talk to the forefront.
I have been hiding a dark secret. For all my environmentally friendly practices, I am not a good sustainable clothing shopper.
During the move I purged my closet, taking 5 large trash bags of ill-fitting clothes to charity (and sadly some to trash). I was ready to restock with fewer items but better quality.
I needed to make choices that reflected my passion for living a life that respects the planet.
I called on my good friend, Brandy, who has the podcast For Animals For Earth and knows a lot about purchasing sustainable clothing - on a budget. With frequent texting support, I was able to start the journey of replenishing my closet with better choices.
Check out Brandy’s podcast below!
Why Buy Sustainable Clothing?
When we go to purchase sustainably made articles of clothing we are looking at the big picture.
Were the fibers farmed organically or in an eco-friendly manner?
Were human workers treated fairly and were they adults?
Was water, a natural resource, used in a sustainable manner?
Was the carbon footprint considered?
Caring about the environment means making daily choices to have a positive impact. Recycling, shopping for food at a farmer’s market, and using renewable energy are all ways we can make a difference.
We do these things because we care about the health of our planet and the detrimental effect many modern industries have. Buying clothes is a choice that affects the environment and the plants, animals, and people who call earth home.
F&F is a sustainable clothing brand headquartered in the UK. Photo by Warszawska róg Szerokiej
Step by Step Closet Cleanout
Did you know 40% of the clothes in our closet are never worn? Brandy recommended I read The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline (Amazon). This is a great book for someone starting out on their journey.
Kline recommends you spend an afternoon doing a complete closet cleanout. I recommend doing this with a glass of wine, a plate of cookies, and classic rock n roll played loudly!
Take everything out of your closet and try it on. In my case, I had clothes from high school still lingering around. I get attached to clothing which is weird since I hate to shop!
Put the clothes in piles
Consignment shop - nicer clothes that can be resold
Charity such as St. Vincent de Paul for everyday
Dress For Success is a charity that I found when my mother passed and I had to clean out her size 6 business attire-filled closet. Dress for Success is an international company with locations throughout the USA that gives business clothes to working low-income women.
Clothing recycling company for disgusting, ripped, old clothing
Keepers - this is clothing that you love and fits you comfortably
Old T’shirts - still love them? There are lots of fun things you can do with old T-Shirts. I love the idea of T-shirt quilts.
I enjoyed listening to Cline's book on Audible which is availble in the free trial!
2. Don’t Feel Guilty
Don’t stress about the clothing you have that is not eco-friendly. It’s ok. We are on a journey and the next piece of clothing you buy will be more environmentally friendly.
3. Do I need all these clothes?
For someone who hates shopping, I have a lot of clothes! This is exactly what the fashion industry wants. They often produce cheap clothing that wears out quickly so that we will need more.
For years I had a bumper sticker that said “Live Simply So Others May Simply Live”. Living simply is an eco-friendly idea and one I strive for.
I have adjusted my clothing needs and wants to a much more realistic number. I am now looking at buying better quality but less overall.
On a side note, one thing I noticed when I moved and went into massive declutter mode was that it was uplifting. I find it much more joyful to have less stuff and a closet that doesn’t want to eat me.
Good Fibers/Bad Fibers
You can read more details on these fibers in our blog Sustainable Knitting and Crocheting where we talk about each one.
Good Fibers
Organic Cotton
Tencel
Hemp
Wool - humanly sourced
Bab Fibers
Acrylic
Nylon
Polyester
Spandex
My First Purchase
I agonized over my first purchase. I spent a lot of time comparison shopping.
The frustration was real. Much of the clothing in the eco-space is geared towards young, hip adults. I’m a 57-year-old farmer/teacher.
In addition, I had a budget I needed to adhere to.
So finding some brands that offered clothing for my style took a bit of research. But now I have some go-to brands that I can watch for sales and other deals.
My first pair of slacks came from Toad & Co and I love them. They are casual and comfy but cute enough for school.
I bought the Chaka Wide Leg Pull-on pants from Amazon (their clothes on Amazon frequently have a discount).
My Toad & Co pants! Photo by Ame Vanorio The socks came from REI and are Smartwool brand
Standards In The Industry
The fashion industry has standards to be able to mark clothing as sustainable. The following are some of the more popular labels you can look for.
Organic Certification
Many countries have organic certification for farmers. These standards govern how a crop or animal can be raised.
Organic methods do not allow man-made chemicals and fossil fuel products to be used on plants or in livestock food. It encourages earth stewardship and the intelligent usage of natural resources.
Animals raised under organic certification must eat organic and natural foods, have access to pasture, and shelter with ample room.
Look for the USDA Organic label for USA cotton products
Forest Stewardship Council
I first started looking into the FSC years ago when I was building my off-grid cabin in the woods. They certify lumber that is sustainably sourced.
Come to find out that applies to clothing and fibers as well. They use independent third parties to make sure wood products meet environmental standards.
Global Organic Textile Standards
The GOTS is a label given to clothing that is made with 70% organically farmed fibers for articles labeled natural and 95% organic fibers when labeled organic.
In addition, they have humane human goals that must be met including a fair living wage and safe working environment. They forbid the use of child labor.
Look for their logo on clothing tags or on brand websites.
OEKO - TEX ®
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is a clothing label that demonstrates that the fabric has been tested by independent institutes for harmful substances.
They actually look at the impact of things like zippers and buttons as well.
Look for this label in your clothing from STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
Wildlife Friendly Certification
As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator this certification is near and dear to my heart. We often don’t consider wildlife's negative impact when we shop for products.
This organization specifically looks at species on the ICUN Red List (endangered and threatened) on a global level. Some American species include grizzly bears, cougar, wolves, eagles, and even pollinators. Globally it includes elephants, lions, and sea turtles.
WFEN looks at wildlife poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife products. The organization goes beyond “certification” and seeks to provide sustainable employment and education in low-income countries where poaching is a problem.
Look for the WFEN logo on products.
Author, Ame Vanorio, is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center and on a quest to be the most environmentally responsible person she can be. Every day is a new day in a beautiful green world.
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