The global clothing industry accounted for 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2015 – this is more than the output of all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Looking down at the outfit I’m currently wearing, I can’t help but wonder where everything was made and what it’s made of. I could look at the tags and read you out countries I can only roughly locate and list out materials I struggle to pronounce, but I don’t have a real understanding of what it took for this shirt to end up on my back. This is because I bought most of the clothing in my closet with only a low-price point in mind. I realized not long ago that I am a part of the toxic “fast fashion” culture that our current apparel economy is based around. So, what can we all do to reject this industry and support slow fashion?

1. Understand your impact

To begin to realize the effect your clothing choices are having on the planet, take ThredUP’s How Dirty is your Closet? quiz to calculate your fashion footprint. The quiz asks about your shopping habits, clothing washing methods and disposal practices. The results will tell you the total number of pounds of carbon emissions that your fashion habits add up to annually. While this might seem daunting, it is only 11 questions and they put helpful tips throughout the quiz to teach you how to reduce your impact.

2. Buy less and use less

This means being intentional about your purchases. Ask yourself if you really need what you’re buying, how long you’ll use it and if it’s a ‘trend’ item or a piece that surpasses the fashion of the season. This way you won’t find yourself with impulse purchases that still have the tags on them gathering dust in your closet 6 months later.

illustration by @mindful_mending and words by @orsoladecastro, founder of @fash_rev

A concept that has been growing in popularity is the ‘capsule wardrobe’ which basically means stocking your closet with a smaller number of items that you love and can easily mix and match. You can learn more and get inspiration over at The Good Trade for creating your own capsule wardrobe for each season.

3. Repair and repurpose

We can all do a better job at keeping our clothing in use for longer. One of my goals for the year is to learn how to sew and alter clothing myself. Taking the time to learn to sew is not realistic for everyone, but it is also easy and inexpensive to find a quality tailor or cobbler to fix your items for you. If something has truly worn out past its use, consider if it can be repurposed. For example, old t-shirts can be cut up into cleaning rags.

4. Borrow and swap

I have gotten into the habit of borrowing clothing from friends for holidays and events that I used to go out and buy one-time-use items for. We all get to expand our closets and often end up trading perfectly good clothing that doesn’t fit our style or bodies anymore. Clothing swap groups and events are growing in popularity across cities. You only need to type ‘clothing swap’ into your Facebook search bar to find tons of options close to you.

5. Buy second hand

We are fortunate in Vancouver to be surrounded by numerous consignment and thrift stores where you can often find some of your favorite brands, without creating new demand. My favourites are Front and Company, The Main Exchange and Turnabout. It is not uncommon to find pieces from Aritzia and Lululemon with tags still attached, for half the price.

I acknowledge that thrifting is harder and more tedious that just heading to the mall to pick out your preferred style and fit. However, you can find unique pieces, save money and support local businesses all at once. If you’re more partial to online shopping, you can browse through Poshmark and ThredUP to find affordable and often barely used items.

6. Buy from companies with circular models and sustainable practices

beautiful illustration by @mindful_mending

I know that wearing used clothing isn’t for everyone and some people don’t have the time required for thrift shopping. Fortunately, businesses are taking the lead in this regard by sourcing recycled materials, pioneering end of life programs and increasing transparency across the board. I recommend buying from smaller companies rather than shopping from ‘sustainable’ collections at large brands such as H&M that often use misleading marketing terms to cloud their true practices. Patagonia, Native Shoes, Everlane, L/L Supply, Frank and Oak and the Girlfriend Collective are just a few examples of inspiring brands that are working to change the industry standards.

The fact of the matter is that the entire fashion industry needs deep, systemic changes and consumers have the power to drive this transformation. Let’s make it happen.

To learn more, the Patriot Act has a great episode explaining fast fashion from an American perspective. CBC Marketplace also has an episode focused on clothing waste in Canada

6 Steps to Lowering your Closet’s Carbon Footprint