Sustainable Clothing Choices
Approximately 92 million tons of clothes end up in the landfill each year. Creating new clothing uses a lot of water. 20,000 liters of water is used to create just one t-shirt and one pair of pants. To put into perspective, it would take about 15 years for a single person to drink that amount of water.
With that in mind, consider doing a clothes swap with friends, purchasing gently used clothes on websites and apps, and supporting local by hitting up thrift stores or consignment shops close by.
Kid's Clothing:
Women's Clothing:
Men & Women's Clothing:
Thrifty Shop in Edwards & Eagle
Katie's Consignment in Glenwood
Clothing APPs & Websites:
- Cotton is a very pesticide-intensive crop and consumes 16% of all insecticides worldwide. Choose organic!
- "Wildcrafted" silk is produced without chemicals and pesticides and without killing the larvae as in traditional silk production
- A single hemp plant yields 220% more fiber than a cotton plant, uses very little water, and naturally pest resistant.
- Look for clothing made from recycled plastic!
- Avoid synthetic fabrics because their production is harmful for the planet.
- Fabrics with permanent press, stain resistant, gore tex, etc. have numerous harmful chemicals.
- Minimize dry-cleaning because perchloroethylene is highly polluting to groundwater and is carcinogenic.
- Leather production often uses a lot of chemicals to create the look and feel of the final product, as well as an abundance of water through all the processes. Consider looking into Cactus Leather which is more sustainable.
- Check Clean Clothes Campaign, Behind the Label, and the Fair Trade Federation to see which companies employ best and worst labor practices.
- Get a Certificate of Origin for diamonds and make sure that the supplier is not providing conflict diamonds. Also ask for the KPCS certificate for the same reasons.