fashion

What You Can Do to Make Your Clothing Ocean Safe

What You Can Do to Make Your Clothing Ocean Safe

As Fashion Week kicks off in New York City Thursday, it’s a good time to think about the impact that our clothing has on the environment. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the problem of microplastics, which enter rivers and oceans, accumulate toxins and work their way up the marine food chain […]

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    5 Items That Reincarnate Plastic Bottles Into Outdoor Gear

    5 Items That Reincarnate Plastic Bottles Into Outdoor Gear

    By Jill K. Robinson What’s the most environmentally friendly approach to gear and clothing? Hang on to what you have and repair your goods. When it’s replacement time, choose items upcycled from plastic to help keep bottles, fabric and other detritus out of landfills and waterways. Here are four items that source responsibly reincarnated plastic. […]

    The Environmental and Human Cost of Making a Pair of Jeans

    The Environmental and Human Cost of Making a Pair of Jeans

    Americans do love their denim, so much so that the average consumer buys four pairs of jeans a year. In China’s Xintang province, a hub for denim, 300 million pairs are made annually. Just as staggering is the brew of toxic chemicals and hundreds of gallons of water it takes to dye and finish one […]

    Want Sustainable Clothing? It’s Time to Meet Regenerative Fiber

    Want Sustainable Clothing? It’s Time to Meet Regenerative Fiber

    By Valerie Vande Panne Do you know where your clothes came from? No, not the store, the label or the brand. Or China, India or Vietnam. I mean, do you know who made your clothing? Do you know what your clothes are made from? Or where the fiber in your clothing came from? The cotton, […]

    New Report Promotes Need for Fashion Industry Action

    New Report Promotes Need for Fashion Industry Action

    By Linda Greer The fashion industry doesn’t necessarily have the biggest nose-to-the-grindstone, follow-the-numbers reputation of an industry, let’s face it. It is better known for its creativity, innovation and trendsetting. But this sector packs a major punch environmentally, let me tell you—in terms of climate impact, water use and pollution. We urgently need a serious […]

    Consumer Society No Longer Serves Our Needs

    Consumer Society No Longer Serves Our Needs

    My parents were born in Vancouver—dad in 1909, mom in 1911—and married during the Great Depression. It was a difficult time that shaped their values and outlook, which they drummed into my sisters and me. “Save some for tomorrow,” they often scolded. “Share; don’t be greedy.” “Help others when they need it because one day […]

    Fashion Industry Report: One Truckload of Clothing Is Wasted Per Second

    Fashion Industry Report: One Truckload of Clothing Is Wasted Per Second

    When we think of environmental foes, the fossil fuel industry is often pegged as one of the biggest villains. But the shirts off our backs also leave a devastating planetary impact. According to a new report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the fashion industry’s current “take-make-dispose” system creates greenhouse gas emissions of 1.2 billion tonnes […]

    Fast Fashion Wrecks the Environment: Here Are 3 Ways to Slow It Down

    Fast Fashion Wrecks the Environment: Here Are 3 Ways to Slow It Down

    By Gabriele Salari The fashion industry is considered to be one of the most polluting in the world. Its material-intensive business model relies heavily on our addiction to overconsumption and feeds the destruction of the planet. There is one way to solve the problem: slowing down fashion. We need a model that doesn’t compromise on […]