This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Your friend asks you to go to the mall. You open your bank account, then text her, “Sure.” You get home from the mall and start to hang up the clothes in your closet. You begin to see multiples of one piece and not enough room to fit more.
Not to call anyone out, but we’ve all been through it. Every day, we are being targeted by fast fashion. According to Earth.org, “fast fashion is a term used to describe cheap and low-quality clothing that are rapidly produced and are cycled in and out of the market quickly to meet new trends.”
As we all know, the Earth is slowly dying. Climate change is getting worse, and fast fashion isn’t helping. To produce one cotton shirt it requires around 700 gallons of water. For a pair of jeans, it’s about 2,000. In their 2017 report, the IUCN had estimated that about 35% of microplastics found in the ocean are from synthetic textiles like polyester that come from clothing.
No, you buying a skirt from Hollister isn’t killing the Earth, but it isn’t helping your carbon footprint either. Being college students, we believe we can’t do anything about it. But we can, and here is how.
The first step to being sustainable when it comes to clothing is to look after what you already have. Be sure to always wash correctly, even if it “doesn’t matter.” Taking only a few seconds to read the tag and care instructions can make your black going-out skirt last more than 10 outings.
Taking care of your closet also includes donating unwanted clothes. Help someone else dress sustainably instead of having your clothes rot in your closet. Posting on apps like Depop and Poshmark is a great way to get rid of clothes and make a few extra bucks.
Another great way to shop sustainably is to buy secondhand. A good thrift trip is better than any mall day. We all have bad thrift days; it takes time. I promise the one-in-a-kind pieces you find will be worth more than whatever H&M has to sell.
One of my favorite ways to shop secondhand is to use apps like mentioned before, Depop and Poshmark. You can find exactly what you’re looking for, for a fraction of the price. Who wouldn’t want to spend less money while being environmentally friendly?