Everything You Need to Know About Sustainable Shopping
Conscientious shoppers know we must shop responsibly to protect the environment. Sustainable shopping means making responsible decisions that reduce our negative impact on the environment. This could also help you spend less than buying brand new fast fashion clothes in shopping malls. Who doesn’t want to save a penny while helping the environment?
Do you need more convincing? Here are more reasons to shop sustainably:
- It minimizes the pollution that goes into the air, land, and sea.
- It boosts local businesses and employment.
- It protects workers by encouraging fair wages and safe working environments.
- It minimizes and manages the need to slaughter and skin animals for clothing.
Do you want to invest in the sustainability movement? Here are five ways to make responsible and intelligent purchasing decisions.
Buy Less, but Better in Quality
Whittling down purchases is a sure way to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact, help you simplify your wardrobe, and help you make better buying decisions. Using your clothes to the fullest by purchasing versatile, timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched can help you stick to your budget while maintaining a trendy style.
Go for Vintage Options
Many vintage shops offer second-hand, high-quality clothing. This option is perfect for shopaholics looking for guilt-free shopping spree purchases. When you buy clothes from thrift shops, you give new life to clothes. You also keep good clothes out of the trash and keep your money away from multinational fast-fashion corporations. As an alternative to thrift store shopping, you may also do clothes and accessories swapping with friends.
Go for Better Fabrics
Knowing different natural and synthetic fabrics can help you make informed choices when buying clothes. Synthetic, factory-processed materials like polyester, acrylic, and viscose-rayon are some of the major culprits of environmental pollution. They make polyester fabrics from oil, while they produce cotton from farms using heavy pesticides and herbicides that pollute the environment.
Today, some companies are innovating ways to develop new textiles using sustainable methods, like creating polyesters with recycled plastic bottles.
Practice Upcycling
Upcycling is the usage of old materials (like an old pair of jeans that no longer fit) to create new and better fashionable materials to give them a new life. You can look for simple online tutorials on upcycling old clothes into new stylish pieces.
Go Beyond the Usual Shopping Options
If you live near stores and shopping districts, try to walk, bike, or ride public transportation when visiting malls. Better yet, choose to buy online. E-commerce shopping eliminates the need to use private cars that emit greenhouse gases. And as a bonus, getting a package in the mail can make you feel like receiving a present from yourself!
Final Thoughts
Studies have shown that excessive consumerism destroys our environment. If more people look into making conscientious purchasing decisions, it will lead others to do the same. You can start with small steps, such as following the tips in this article. In your own way, you invest in the sustainable shopper movement to help in shaping policies and save the Earth.
Start sustainable shopping by checking out AdventureCo. We offer sustainable clothing pieces and outdoor equipment to provide high-quality materials with minimized impact on the environment.
