Shopping and Consumer Choices
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
Take a moment and reflect on what you are wearing and what’s in your closet, in light of your understanding of the impact of supply chains on climate change. For your average pair of jeans, a cotton crop is grown and harvested, water, energy, and chemicals are used to manufacture the fabric, and they are transported to the store or online retailer where you buy them.
The emissions aside, the waste from the fashion industry is estimated to be over 92 million pounds per year. It is not just that we are clothing ourselves to fit our lifestyles and occupations, but rather it is the widescale practice of “fast fashion” that is driving the waste and climate impact. In an unsustainable practice “73 percent of discarded textile materials end up buried or burned” with only 1 percent being recycled into new clothing.
And the trend is to more waste as over the last 15 years we have seen a 36 percent decrease in the number of times the average garment is worn. Shoes are the same, with the US leading the world in the consumption of shoes at 7 shoes per capita compared to 2.9 shoes per capita globally which translates to 94 kg of CO2e emissions per capita with production and transportation the key contributors to emissions.
“The apparel and footwear industry account for 6 to 10 percent of global greenhouse emissions”
Heidi Roop
You can search “sustainable clothing brands” and the claims are obscure and despite the prevalent use of green labels (and greenwashing) it is possible that there may not be a supply-side solution to this issue. Clothing rentals or short-term recycling services may not be a climate-friendly approach either.
Heidi recommends “embracing the first two Rs in ‘reduce, reuse, recycle'”. We can sort our closets and dressers into the quality, long-lasting clothing and the “fast fashion”. The actions you can take can start today and be an evolution as you buy fewer clothes, wear what you have longer and find ways to pass along the ones that don’t work for you.
When I went to create a new wardrobe for a new position several years ago, I was guided at a local store to choose two jackets, two shirts, and two pairs of pants that could be mixed and matched in any combination. They were expensive, but quality clothing like this will last a long time and be versatile for any work situation. You combine that with some simple skills like repairing a torn seam, and you can look good for years!
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 42: Weigh Your Diaper Options
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Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com