Shopping For A Zero Waste Wardrobe

Tips before you make your next purchase! If you are trying to lower your waste, you’ve probably already thought of some great swaps for the kitchen and bathroom. However, clothing can also have a big impact on the environment. The easiest way to be zero waste with your clothing is not to buy anything! However, we all need to update our wardrobe from time to time. So if you need some new clothes and still want to be eco-friendly, follow these tips.

Tips For Shopping For A Zero Waste Wardrobe

Before You Go

Figure out what your style is. It’s easy to look at a shop full of clothes and want to wear everything. But if you know what your style is, you can appreciate all the pretty clothes and still put back the ones that don’t fit with your lifestyle. Think about the clothes that you wear day to day and buy for the life that you lead, not a fantasy life!

Write a list to discourage aimless buying. And also, make a list of clothing that you really don’t need. How many times have you ended up buying the same clothes that you already own?! This might seem like a waste of time but when you get to the shops and see all the new season garments piled up it can be tempting to run around and buy everything. When in reality you will get home and be left with a lot of clothes that you don’t really want. I like to make a list and shop a few times a year.

When You Get There

Buy secondhand and vintage. These clothes are already in circulation. If nobody buys them they will end up going to landfill. It doesn’t sound like the most glamorous way to shop, I agree. But when you start to delve into the world of secondhand shopping you may well be surprised. From the usual student grunge shops to high-end boutiques to delightful vintage havens. There are shops who sell secondhand for every kind of person. And if you still don’t like it, there are a wealth of options online too.

Opt for natural fabrics. There are documentaries that show clothes that have been buried since the 1970’s, coming out of the ground looking good as new. The reason for this? They are made of plastic – polyester, acrylic, lycra etc. The 70’s is when clothing started to be made from plastic on a mass scale and these clothes unfortunately won’t decompose in our lifetime. Nobody needs clothing that lasts that long! Not only that, plastic clothes are made from oil. Oil that is drilled out of the Earth causing massive environmental devastation. Natural fibres such as cotton, linen, wool, hemp and many others will decompose within a few months, if buried in soil. This means that they are zero waste because if treated properly can return to the Earth.

Try and buy from eco brands. Now not all brands that claim to be eco actually are! And some ethical brands focus on different aspects of being ethical and sustainable. I like the ones that use natural fabrics such as organic cotton. There are also some great brands using vintage fabrics like Charlotte Bialas. Or brands who use the end of roll fabrics that would otherwise go to landfill, such as Lara Intimates. Sheppards Hook creates a lot of their jewellery from precious bits found in the forest. Some designers also use zero waste pattern cutting to create the garments with no waste – such as Farrah Floyd.

Buy clothes you can wear for lots of different occasions. I buy exercise clothes that suit lots of different activities – yoga, hiking, the gym, lounging at home. I have fancy clothes that I wear to weddings and I can dress them down for every day. Summer clothing can be layered up for autumn and winter. Check this post where I wore a simple black t-shirt ten different ways. The point is that you can get the good of your clothing. It is wasteful to buy clothes and then never get the chance to wear them. If you have a really fancy event coming up there is always the option of renting or borrowing. Likewise, there is always the option of renting or borrowing if its not a fancy event. There are more and more clothing libraries popping up for everyday clothing too.

Stop buying repeats. Just because you love it in one colour, doesn’t mean you will love it in every colour. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve done this in the past. There always tends to be one colour I’ll end up wearing more. Buying clothes should be a thoughtful process. Taking time and effort to really think about the clothing that will look good, make us feel good and also fill whatever other purpose we need from it.

Buy Items Made From Recycled Elements. This is a great way to use resources already in the market. It takes far less energy to upcycle and remould than it does to create from entirely new. And also encourages companies and governments to continue recycling because there is a market for the recycled goods. Upcycled leather is a great way to use what is already in the market. I love The Salvage Heart for earrings. Lots of jewellers now use recycled elements such as silver and gold, I like this one. There are lots of option to buy into brands using recycled plastic bottles and ocean plastic too! Girlfriend Collective do great yoga clothes made from recycled plastic.

And Once You’ve Found The Perfect Piece

Packaging. If you are shopping for a zero waste wardrobe – don’t forget to take a reusable bag with you! I keep a foldable one with me all the time, I also have one in the car. Reusing your own bag is an easy way to save resources. There are lots of pretty tote bag designs around nowadays, much prettier to carry than plastic. Buying clothes secondhand and in person means you can ask to take anything you purchase, without any packaging. You can also ask if the receipt can be emailed to you if you need it instead of using paper to print it.

Buying online? Check if they use Repack which is a service with packaging you can send back. It’s super simple you just pop it in the post box. Or if shopping with independent shops and sellers you can ask for zero waste packaging and they may be able to accommodate you.

Buying hangers? It is possible to buy hangers secondhand. But if that isn’t for you, try to purchase metal or wood. It shouldn’t be much more expensive, will make your clothes hang better and they should last a lot longer too. Not to mention better for the environment! However, don’t buy more hangers if you already have enough, the easiest way to create low waste is to use what you already own.

I hope these are some helpful tips for shopping for a zero waste wardrobe! If you have any more, share them below! And now you have your clothes home –  check out these tips to make your clothing last longer!

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