How I’ve reduced my carbon footprint
Does your closet contribute to climate change? A Fashion Footprint Calculator will answer this question. I tried it out and reduced my carbon footprint greatly.
In the past, I didn't care how a piece of clothing was produced. If I liked it, I bought it. Full stop. I never questioned fashion. That was a mistake, as I’ve now realised. The fast fashion documentary «The True Cost» was one of the things that opened my eyes.
The documentary shows who pays the true price of a shirt that we buy for no more than 5 francs. Also, did you know that the fashion industry produces more harmful carbon emissions than the aviation and shipping industries combined? Hen I heard of the «Fashion Footprint Calculator» a few months ago, I loved the idea. And I couldn’t wait to know what my carbon footprint said.
The online test asks twelve questions and then determines whether my wardrobe has a negative impact on the climate. Answering these questions doesn’t take much time, but shameless honesty. I'm tempted to lie one or twice so that I don’t look like a terrible person. But my honesty is rewarded. I’ do better than I expected. In addition to the evaluation, I get tips on how I can reduce the carbon emissions I cause. I decide to implement some of them. These are the actions I want to take in the next three months:
- reducing online shopping
- doing laundry differently
- disposing of clothes properly
Three months later...
..it's D-day. Has my carbon footprint improved? Yes, I have. By how much? I’ll tell you after I’ve shared my experience with the above mentioned actions.
Online shopping:
Online shopping is one of my biggest vices. I love ordering things online in the evening while I’m sitting in front of the TV – multitasking at its best. Although I prefer to shop in actual stores, I’m not keen on fighting for a dressing room on a Saturday afternoon. Shopping without having to set foot outside the door has its perks. If I’d known what was coming up when I decided to change my shopping behaviour on 28 January, I probably wouldn't have chosen this point of action. The lockdown has put a huge dent in my plans. It made it impossible to reduce online shopping. On the contrary. But I limited myself to ordering household items. This way, I could at least minimise my carbon footprint when it comes to fashion. And after all, that was the goal of this challenge.
Buying in shops leads to higher CO2 emissions, as the energy consumption of light and heating is high. Online shopping is only the better choice if the purchases aren't returned. What's particularly bad is ordering ten items and returning more than half of them. In the future, I'll order more one-size accessories and fewer clothes online to minimise the return rate. This means that fewer parcels are sent around the country and the globe. If you find this too difficult to follow, then at least give up the express purchase option, as I did. As express delivery requires your order to arrive within a short time, large distances are usually covered by car.
Laundry:
Laundry drying causes lots of carbon emission. That's why I've decided only to tumble dry my bedding and towels. I hang everything else up to dry. That would also work with bedding and towels, but they come out softer if they're tumble dried and I don't like drying myself with a scratchy towel. I insist on that bit of luxury.
«75% of laundry’s total carbon impact comes from machine drying your clothes. Air drying is the most sustainable way to dry them. Another quick switch? Washing your clothes in cold water reduces your carbon impact by 10%.»
I’ve made a habit of not starting the washing machine until it’s full. On top of this, I don’t wash any laundry at 90° to 95° Celsius. I pre-soak any items that are very dirty before I wash them. I also never use the pre-wash cycle, as the regular wash cycle is enough to remove most stains. This saves water and energy as well as money.
Old clothes:
It's a pity that so many clothes that could still be worn are thrown away. The reason for this could be that fashion is becoming less and less expensive. Only 9 of 100 kilograms of raw materials are recycled. That's a frightening figure. I only want to throw items away that really can't be worn anymore. For the rest, I will differentiate between: giving away, selling or recycling. This gives my clothes a second life and makes someone else happy.
My verdict
Apart from my plan te reduce online shopping, which wasn't entire possible due to the current situation, I was able to integrate all tips into my everyday life without any problems. Does the Fashion Footprint Calculator also see progress in my actions? I'm curious, take the same test again and am delighted with the result: I’ve reduced my carbon footprint by no less than 38 percent. This motivates me to keep going. After all, there's always room for improvement. Let's see if I've made more progress by the end of the year 😉
When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.
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