Your closet can help cut waste
Your closet can help cut waste
- Fri, Nov 13 at 10:40 AM
Mark,
Fashion trends come and go, but our clothes don't have to be disposable.
Americans throw away about 17 million tons of clothing and other textiles each year.1 Keeping clothes in use longer can help cut down on all that waste and reduce the environmental impact of our wardrobes.
Here are five ways to dress more sustainably:
Buying secondhand is one of the easiest ways to keep clothing in use longer. Thrift stores, vintage shops, yard sales and online secondhand marketplaces can all give clothes a new home instead of requiring something new to be made.
You can also organize a clothing swap with friends, family or coworkers. Everyone brings items they no longer wear and trades them for something new to them.
Before buying something brand new, consider whether you can find what you need secondhand first.
Just because a piece of clothing no longer works for you doesn't mean someone else can't use it. Clothes that are still in good condition can often be sold through a consignment store or online resale platform.
Giving unwanted clothes a new owner can help keep them in circulation and out of the waste stream.
A ripped seam, missing button or small hole doesn't have to mean the end of a piece of clothing. Simple repairs can help your favorite clothes last longer and save you from having to replace them.
When clothing is too worn out to wear, the fabric may still have another use. Old shirts, towels and other items can be turned into rags, bags and quilts. You can also check whether your community offers textile recycling for items that can't be reused.2
Before tossing worn or damaged clothing in the trash, see whether it can be repaired, repurposed or recycled instead.
When you do need something new, take a little time to learn about what you're buying. Look into a company's environmental practices and consider whether the clothing is designed to last.
Consider fabrics such as cotton, hemp or linen and be wary of clothing made from synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon or acrylic. These synthetic materials are made from plastics and can shed tiny plastic fibers as they're worn and washed.3
Choosing clothes you expect to wear again and again can help you get more life out of every purchase.
Sometimes the most sustainable outfit is already hanging in your closet. Before shopping for something new, take another look at the clothes you already own. You might rediscover pieces you haven't worn in a while or find new ways to combine old favorites.
Getting more use out of the clothes you already own is a simple way to reduce clothing waste without changing your entire wardrobe.
As consumers, we can make choices that help our clothes last longer and reduce waste. But there's only so much individuals can do when major fashion companies continue producing huge amounts of clothing.
That's why PIRG is working to hold fashion giants accountable. We're calling on companies like H&M to keep new, unsold clothing out of landfills and incinerators and give those clothes another chance to be used.
Together, we can push the fashion industry toward a less wasteful future.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President, National Office
1. Janet Domenitz and Celeste Meiffren-Swango, "Fast fashion by the numbers," PIRG, September 20, 2023.
2. Janet Domenitz and Celeste Meiffren-Swango, "Fashion tips: How to dress more sustainably and reduce your environmental impact," September 11, 2023.
3. "Reducing Laundry Microfibers," National Parks Service, last accessed August 18, 2026.
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