Why textile care is so important

"A sustainable textile industry is achievable, but it requires a complete change in the way we treat our fabrics."
- STEAMRS 

As has often been discussed, the textile industry is one of the most polluting sectors. But since the signing of the Sustainable Garment and Textile Agreement in 2016, more and more brands seem to be working toward a future-proof textile industry. This is already a great trend, and one we must all (as consumers) continue! How can you do this at home? Where should you start? Read on to find out! 
 

A quick recap of the damage caused by today’s textile industry

Every year, one hundred billion new garments are produced. More than half of all clothing is thrown away within a year of being produced, and much of it ends up in incinerators or landfills. The textile industry is the most polluting sector after the oil industry. The production of clothing and shoes together accounts for around 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, of which clothing accounts for 4 to 6.8 percent . For comparison, global aviation is responsible for around 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions aren’t the only problem. The industry has other issues: dyeing textiles causes significant water pollution, and the enormous amount of water used to grow crops such as cotton also contributes to extreme drought. In addition, working conditions in low-wage countries are often poor, as workers are exploited and human rights are not protected.

Make your clothes last longer!

Take care of the clothes and textiles you already own!

You can help tackle the polluting fast-fashion industry! Start small by throwing away clothes or furniture less often. Here’s how to make textiles last longer: 

1). Wash and dry less

The washing machine is one of the most energy-hungry appliances in the home. According to Milieu Centraal, washing machines account for around 4 percent of total household energy consumption. The energy used by the appliance has the greatest impact on the climate. Electricity use generates greenhouse gases, so doing laundry contributes to climate change. Washing frequently is therefore not very environmentally friendly, and it also shortens the life of your clothes. Repeated washing quickly wears down and damages textile fibers. 

Not only will the climate benefit when you do laundry more responsibly, your clothes will too. It helps preserve their quality, so your items stay in good condition for longer and you don’t need to buy as many new clothes. We throw away 70 percent of our clothes because the color has faded or they have shrunk or stretched in the wash. This is often the result of bad laundry habits we’ve picked up. What a waste, when it’s so easy to do things differently!

For example, we often wash at an unnecessarily high temperature, even though the temperature of the wash has the biggest impact on energy consumption. So the first step toward more sustainable laundry is to turn down the temperature.

We also often use more detergent than necessary. These are two things you can easily change, and doing so makes a big difference for both your clothes and the environment!

Tip: Use sustainable detergents and only run the washing machine when it’s full.

Use sustainable wool dryer balls when drying your clothes. They significantly shorten drying time and make clothes extra soft and less wrinkled in the dryer. 

2). Avoid ironing

Sometimes you simply can’t avoid using an iron on certain textiles, but be aware that the heat and pressure you apply to the fabric with your iron flatten and damage its fibers. Every time you iron, you shorten the fabric’s lifespan a little.

Tip: Try using a steamer or garment steamer. The hot steam easily removes wrinkles from many fabrics without damaging the fibers. This also makes scorch marks impossible, and the hot steam lifts and plumps up the fabric fibers. This makes a garment look fresh and almost new again. 

3). Use tools to smooth fabrics 

Lint, pills, or pet hair can make a garment look extremely untidy. Make sure you have a few tools at home to remove lint and hair from clothes, such as a lint brush/clothes brush or an electric fabric shaver. These tools can easily breathe new life into an old or worn-out garment. 

4). Want to get rid of clothes anyway? 

Absolutely don’t throw your clothes away! Donate them to charity or take them to vintage shops. Buy clothes that are such good quality that they can have a “second” life and make someone else very happy, too. 

"After food, transport, and housing, our tablecloths and towels, but especially our trousers and T-shirts, have the greatest environmental and climate impact."

The European Commission argues that if clothes last longer, fewer new clothes will be produced, bought, and thrown away. The figures show that if we wear a garment from our wardrobe twice as long before throwing it away, we save 44 percent in greenhouse gas emissions compared with buying and wearing something new instead.

Extending the life of clothes by an additional nine months can reduce their carbon, water, and waste footprint by 20 to 30 percent. 

In our ideal world, every garment would come with information about its expected lifespan, and clothes would have to meet quality standards. Currently, EU regulations state that a T-shirt is expected to last for 52 washes. Assuming a T-shirt is washed once a week, it would therefore be expected to last a year. Ecostandard: How ecodesign can make our textiles circular

Pay attention to the quality of the clothes you buy. Ideally, a quality fabric or garment:

• should be made from thicker fabric (otherwise it will lose its shape or tear too quickly);
• should have excellent colorfastness, so the color doesn’t fade too quickly;
• should have a high-quality zipper;
• should have neatly finished seams;
• should have labels and text securely stitched on;
• should be easier to reuse, repaired, upgraded, and recycled. 

The European Commission hopes this will counter the clothing industry’s focus on low costs, rapidly changing fashion trends, and a constant stream of new clothes. That would spell the end for popular fast-fashion chains such as PRIMARK and SHEIN, which post more than six hundred new items on their websites every day at extremely low prices.