5 Benefits of Buying Sustainable Clothing and How to Do It on a Budget

5 Benefits of Buying Sustainable Clothing and How to Do It on a Budget

If you want to live a happy and healthy life, you need to adopt health in every area of your lifestyle. Here are 5 benefits of buying sustainable clothing.

Temporary trends and "fast fashion" have dominated retail markets for years. Stores now strive to pump out as many different articles of clothing as possible to try and keep up with ever-changing demands.

But keeping up with"fast fashion" is not only expensive, but it's also unsustainable. In fact, the average consumer purchased 60% more clothing in 2014 than 2000, and only kept these garments for half as long.

Given the fact that takes approximately 2,700 liters of water to produce just one cotton shirt, "fast fashion" has contributed to a lot of resource use, landfill waste, and carbon dioxide release.

If you want to look good while minimizing your impact on the environment, it's time to look into sustainable clothing. Here are 5 benefits of buying sustainable clothes and how to do it on a budget.

What is Sustainable Clothing?

Sustainable clothing simply consists of clothing or textiles that use the fewest amount of resources and generate the least amount of waste. Because of such a broad definition, you'll learn that finding sustainable clothing is really easy!

Sustainable clothing can be purchased or borrowed second-hand and is really the best option because no new resources are being used, and it prevents textile waste. However, sustainable clothing can also be generated from eco-friendly sources, such as linen, bamboo, hemp, organic wool, etc.

5 Benefits of Buying Sustainable Clothing

Here are only 5 reasons you should start buying sustainable clothing and ditching "fast fashion."

1. Fewer Chemicals

Sustainable brands use fewer chemicals such as dyes, fragrances, bleach, and other harsh products. Your skin, the largest organ in your body, will certainly appreciate fewer harsh chemicals.

2. Less Resource Use

Purchasing products made of hemp, bamboo, or other fast-growing plants that do not require pesticides is another example of sustainable clothing. Linen is another great option, as it is made from flax, a plant requiring less water than cotton.

Bamboo, in particular, has recently dominated the sustainable clothing market, being made into comfortable bed sheets, baby clothing, and even socks such as the popular ecosox.com brand.

3. Easier to Compost

Sustainable clothing made of linen, silk, and other natural fibers are amazing because they eventually naturally break down. That means less trash piling up in our landfills!

4. Human Rights

Clothing brands committed to sustainability also generally promote human and workers' rights. This may include paying fair wages, providing a healthier work environment (fewer chemicals-yay!), and generally treating humans as they should be treated.

Be sure to look for a "Fair Trade" label, which assures these companies are treating employees fairly.

5. Your Clothing Will be Unique

Unlike the thousands of similar, mainstream clothes sold at department and retail stores, your sustainable clothing will be unique. This is true whether it's purchased brand new or second-hand at a vintage or thrift shop.

Sustainable on a Budget

Thankfully, eco-friendly brands are becoming more affordable each year. However, here are some amazing alternatives for those of us on a strict clothing budget:

• Search at thrift stores and garage sales
• Find swap sites and local swap parties
• Contact an online seller (maybe even ask for
available promos or discounts)
• Check out the free section, whether on Freecycle or your local marketplace.

Final Thoughts

Conventional cotton is dirty. It generally uses a lot of water, chemicals, and very strenuous labor to form just a single cotton shirt.

We all need to do more to promote sustainability and protect our environment, and finding sustainable clothing is an easy way to start.

But before you throw away your "fast fashion" clothing, consider donating or sending it to textile recycling first.

For more articles on sustainability and lifestyle, check out our lifestyle articles today!