Simple & Sustainable Shopping Tips

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone’s been doing well during these times! In this week’s blog topic, I wanted to talk about shopping sustainable to help reduce textile waste in our city.

Did you know that it is estimated that one garbage truck full of clothing is landfilled globally every second? When I heard about this, I was shocked! But at the same time, I can understand because we go through trends faster than the seasons change.

Many companies are turning a new leaf and are attempting to be more environmentally conscious. For example, H&M has added "Sustainability" on their homepage with their "Let's Change" campaign to educate people on ways to be sustainable. If you're curious, check it out here. Another example of how times are changing is that Forever XXI went bankrupt.

WHAT IS SLOW FASHION?

Slow Fashion was coined by Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion. She saw that we need to change our fast paced consumer habits because they have a surprising impact on our environment.

Slow Fashion is a movement towards changing our shopping habits from fast fashion retailers to an alternative approach that is more sustainable. Essentially, it is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. Much like the name, it takes longer to acquire slow fashion items whether they are locally made using materials that have longevity or if it is from finding the items in thrift stores or consignment stores. All these methods take more time however, the garments will last longer and are given a new life which helps our planet.

SO, WHAT IS FAST FASHION?

Fast fashion is the exact opposite. It has detrimental effects on our planet, resources, and people’s lives, but the price tag is cheaper. Fast fashion refers to mass production of clothing that tends to last a single season. It is made affordable, for instant gratification of being in style, but the quality doesn’t last.Think stores like H&M, Zara, and Forever XXI.

Did you know that approximately 100 pairs of hands make our clothes before we buy them? (Source: The Garnette Report)

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Here are some ways to shop sustainable and give some love to local small businesses and mother nature.

• Shop at thrift or consignment stores! A list of our favourite ones are in this blog post here.

• Shop local. Shopping local is one way to be more sustainable. With local businesses, the money stays in the community and often you are supporting someone's dream come true.

• Buy less. Instead of buying something new when it is old, try to repair it or shop secondhand.

• Quality over quantity. Invest in pieces that you love and can wear over and over again. There are a lot of brands that practice sustainable measures to help out the planet. Support these companies! Find all the ratings of companies here.

Also, if you want to learn more, we've curated some helpful resources to help shop sustainable and limit textile waste.

1. Metro Vancouver has implemented a textile recycling program called "Think Thrice" it highlights the importance to reduce, repair and donate your clothes to help minimize landfill waste. For more info, check out their link here.

2. Hey Archive is Vancouver's largest consignment popup where they host bi-anual events where you can shop all types of brands and help reduce clothes going to the landfill. For more about their mission, check them out.

3. Value Village has implemented "RethinkReuse" which inspires people to think about sustainable shopping and reduces the stigma about thrift shopping. For more information, read about it here.

We would love to see how you shop sustainably! Share your thoughts and tips or take a photo and tag us @reform.yvr on Instagram or @reformyvr on Twitter!