As you may have noticed, on International Earth Day we shared a few great tips on our Instagram page on how to be more sustainable. On the 5th of June we will also pay attention to the International Environmental Day, which is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. So we thought it would be a great idea to write this blog to create more environmental awareness.
According to the World Economic Forum, the fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. Washing some types of clothes sends thousands of bits of plastic into the ocean. Additionally, a lot of this clothing ends up in the dump, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second (WEF, 2020).
At FV we are all about sustainability and durability, that is why our products are intended to be ‘slow fashion’ – high quality, produced in small amounts and designed to last you a lifetime. Here are our 5 tips to help you create a longer lasting wardrobe
Consume Eco-Friendly Fabric
Eco-friendly fabrics are those that are safe for the environment, are biodegradable or recyclable. Safer fabrics include cotton, linen, wool or hemp. This does not mean that plastic-based fabrics are entirely bad, it’s up to us and the industry to use it consciously and sustainably. Nylon is extremely versatile, recyclable and is found in everything, from parachutes to activewear to car parts. Although it is not biodegradable nylon and spandex have an extremely high durability and if treated properly, your nylon-based clothing can last you a lifetime. Recycled polyester, also known as rPET, is obtained by melting down existing plastic and re-spinning it into new polyester fiber. rPET is almost the same as virgin polyester in terms of quality, but its production requires 59 percent less energy compared to virgin polyester.
Timeless Designs
Don’t follow fast fashion trends and buy in a rush. Before simply buying an item ask yourself how much you like it on a scale of 1-10 and if you find it comfortable. Does it make you feel confident? Do you love the way it fits you? Would you use it on a regular basis? Then buy it!
Wash less/ Wash gently
Plastics are largely an unavoidable component in clothing, especially activewear unfortunately.
Washing clothes that contain plastics meanwhile releases 500,000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year — the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles. Many of those fibers are polyester, a plastic found in an estimated 60% of garments. Producing polyester releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton, and polyester does not break down in the ocean. (WEF, 2020). That is why at FV we use recycled polyester as our main fabric. Our polyester fibers are made by the Green Circle recycling system. This system can reduce 50% of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Our tip: Wash less, wash colder! It isn’t always neccesary to wash each clothing item after wearing it once. By washing your clothes less and at colder temperatures, you are not only using less water and chemicals, but you are also being kind to the integrity of the fabric, making your clothing last longer.
Hang Dry
Just like washing, the dryer and heat can cause damage to the durability of the fabric, especially activewear. Besides, hanging your clothes to dry also saves electricity and reduces your footprint.
Recycle or Swap
Dont like an item in your wardrobe? There are many places you can bring your clothes to where the fabric either gets recycled or donated to organizations such as the salvation army or similar. If you have friends with the same size as you, why not do a clothes swap and exchange cute outfits to freshen up your wardrobe? Lastly, we think a fun way to get creative with your clothing is to give your items a new look by cutting and remodeling them, or adding accessories such as buttons or a zipper. If it goes wrong, they can be recycled anyways!
At Federal Violet we truly believe in the next quote:
'Buy consciously, buy sustainably'. This way you also save money on the longer run, plus you are saving the planet at the same time.
We’d love to hear your 'Sustainable' tips & tricks, so send us a DM at @federal.violet on Instagram!
Love,
Team FV
*If you are interested, you can read the full World Economic Forum article at:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/