What’s in my clothes?
6 MAY 2020
It’s not often that we stop to think about this, but the composition of our garments is one of the key places to look at when we consider minimising the impact of our clothes.
Not only it is important in order to understand their environmental impact, but knowing what our clothes are made of is also fundamental to know how to take care of them, extend their lifetime, and minimise their impact while they live a happy life in your wardrobe.
Individual vs systemic change.
Our panelists discuss whether individual change makes an impact, and how to trigger large systemic change in the fashion industry and beyond.
Kate Nelson explains why we should know what is in our clothes.
Our favourite quote:
Synthetics shed microfibres; the more synthetic our garments are, the more plastic we’re shedding into the ocean.
Courtney Holm explains why we should know what is in our clothes.
Our main conclusion:
It’s about the whole picture of the garment, how it came to be and the afterlife. It is important to know as it is a huge topic that includes, people, the environment and animals. We must look at the whole picture and the purpose of every garment.
How do we recycle our clothes? Beatrijs Brenninkmeijer reveals all.
Our favourite quote:
Mixed fibres are our worst enemy when it comes to recycling. It is extremely difficult to separate blended clothes, which is an extremely costly process.
Kate Nelson gives us her tips to reduce the at-home impact of synthetic fibres.
Our favourite tip:
There are currently 1.4 million trillion plastic fibres in our oceans at the moment, released from our synthetic garments during wash cycles.
To reduce this, we must wash our synthetic garments separately by hand and dump the waste water in our garden or redirect our waste water from our machines.
Courtney Holm talks about the power of transparency to create consumer change.
Our main conclusion:
The more we promote change, the more commercially viable it is for companies and businesses.
Can we really recycle textiles? Our panellists share their thoughts.
Our favourite takeaway:
We’re still in the starting phase of textile recycling, but Terracycle are developing how they can recycle tights by shredding the fabric and then integrate into a new textile.
Courtney Holm shares her tips to choose the best fabrics for the planet.
Our favourite tip:
There is no perfect fibre, as there is an environmental impact from every material. However, the top fibres to look our for are, hemp, organic linen, organic cotton and tencel.
Our clothes at supermarkets really sustainable? Our panellists discuss.
Our main conclusion:
Aroa: Instead of buying clothes from supermarkets, renting clothes is an amazing way forward.
Courtney: If the supermarkets are not displaying the origin of the garment, it’s probably not a great story. The best action you can take is to ask the question to the chain.
Kate: Hopefully we will be seeing a lot more recycled plastics being sold at supermarkets as more consumers push for change.
Courtney Holm explains the importance of transparency for a fashion brand.
Our main takeaway:
It’s not as simple as just being about fabric. We must hold ourselves accountable, and being an open-book is part of this process. Businesses should not create products that they do not want to take responsibility for.
What is the Closet Mass Index? Mariana Anacleto explains.
Our favourite quote:
Students have a very critical role to play in revolutionising the fashion industry. Our consumption rates have doubled in the past 10 years, and the Closet Mass Index allows consumers to measure and reflect on how much they own.
Does organic cotton really use less water? Courtney Holm answers.
Our main conclusion:
It depends where it comes from, the majority of the world’s organic cotton is grown on rainwater.
Connect with our panellists
Beatrijs Brenninkmeijer
Beatrijs is part of the business development team at Terracycle, the global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials, where she develops brand partnerships across industries to bring recycling schemes to life. Beatrijs previously worked at C&A and Fashion for Good.
Mariana Anacleto
Mariana is one of the activists behind Dirty Laundry, a student collective at Amsterdam Fashion Institute that facilitates meaningful change in the industry by bringing together a diverse community of students, educators and professionals.
Courtney Holm
Courtney is the founder of A.BCH, Australia's first circular fashion label centred on total transparency and whole garment design. A.BCH provides honestly engineered, designer basics for global, conscious citizens and is revolutionising the fashion status quo.
Kate Nelson
Kate Nelson, aka Plastic Free Mermaid, quit disposable plastics 4 years ago and hasn't looked back. Since then, she's been campaigning tirelessly against plastic pollution inspiring thousands across the world to reduce their plastic consumption and become more mindful of their environmental impacts.