How can I be more sustainable? A question that needs to be asked a lot more and we, as a consumer, have to show more accountability. As a fashion and lifestyle blog, my focus is on this topic – fashion. We are living in a time where the supplies are higher than the actual demand. That leads to tons of tons of waste and if we only take the fashion industry as an example, it is estimated that in 2022 more than 21 billion tons of textiles will end up in landfills or will be incinerated. Twenty-one-billion-tons! That is an incredible high amount of waste and that needs to be changed.
Let’s start with us as a consumer. We need to become more conscious and change the way we buy our clothes. I know it’s easy to online shop and as many other, I love it. Some days I actually just want to check my favorite brands for inspiration (or ti kill some time) and find many beautiful new clothes on their websites. Even though I know I wouldn’t need it, if the price is convincing, I purchase it. It’s easy, it’s fast and some brands are cheap enough to buy often and a lot. But from now on I promise to overthink my online shopping behavior and I guess if I can do it, everyone else can do it too.
Sustainable adjustments
Everyone can and should be more sustainable in many ways. Small adjustments will have a huge impact and everyone can do something. Why not start today with a few tips on how to be more sustainable – at least fashion wise.
Do I really need this
Frankly I sometimes get overwhelmed and hit the purchase button way too fast before I realize I actually don’t need it. Or worse, there is already something quite similar in my closet. It happens and I’m not proud of it but I try to avoid it by following a simple question – do I really need this or do I already have a similar piece in my closet?
How often will I wear it
You don’t have to name a number precisely of course. But a piece gets sustainable when you wear it at least 30 times. That doesn’t sound much, right? I definitely wear my jeans more often than just 30 times. If you check your stuff in your closet you will detect a lot of pieces that were worn less. It’s easy to get to 30 with your wardrobe staples but it’s definitely a lot more difficult with “trendy” stuff.
Is it on my “Don’t-like” list
As I said I sometimes get overwhelmed and purchase something I actually don’t need. Usually I buy basics because I always think that I can never have enough of them. But sometimes a piece catches me because it is just so cute, or the color is amazing, or it looks awesome on the model – whatever. To avoid that I made a “Don’t-like” list. This list contains features I don’t like and therefore won’t wear it – like a really short hemline or thin straps on a shirt.
If you don’t wear it, give it away
There are a lot of possibilities. Maybe a friend likes it and would be happy to have it, or you can sell it online or donate it. There are many things we can do and before we get rid of these pieces we should check why we don’t like / wear them. Maybe we can add new features to our “Don’t-like” list.
These are just a few small adjustment that might help to be more sustainable fashion wise. At least it will help to control your online shopping behavior a bit more. Nevertheless, I’m still a fan of the capsule wardrobe and frankly I bought a lot less since I assembled the pieces for my summer capsule wardrobe. If you need some outfit inspo, go check out my instagram. I will show you different possibilities with just a limited amount of clothes. Stay tuned!