6 Benefits of Buying From Sustainable Clothing Brands (2020)

The clothes we wear aren’t always good for our planet or the people in it. From harmful cotton farming practices to toxic chemical additives, most clothing brands have a large negative impact on the environment. But, you can be a part of the change.

By switching to sustainable clothing, you can help make a difference and preserve our earth for future generations. Who doesn’t want to do that?

Here are just some of the reasons you should make the switch to eco brands and the benefits of doing so. 

1. You Ditch the Chemicals

Did you know that the clothing industry uses around 8,000 different chemicals to produce the shoes, t-shirts, and jeans that you wear? 

While not all “chemicals” may be bad, there are some which can be carcinogenic and toxic. When you wear your clothes, you’re putting those chemicals directly on to your skin. 

That isn’t just fear-mongering. Studies have shown that the toxins added during production will stay on your clothing, leaving a residue that can eventually leach off onto your body. 

They can cause rashes, allergies, or even worse; those carcinogens are cancer-causing, and you’re putting them on your skin every day!

The blue dye in some jeans, for example, has been found to be carcinogenic (potentially cancer-causing), according to a report by Business Insider.

Now, to be fair, the majority of clothes should be safe to wear, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry! By buying organic and eco-friendly clothing, you can ditch these chemicals and keep your skin healthy and safe. 

2. Save the Planet

The harmful chemicals added in clothing don’t just ruin your skin—they ruin the Earth too. Fast fashion is destroying the very surface of our planet and the people who live on it. 

In fact, the fashion industry is the second biggest polluting industry in the entire world!

According to the World Bank, between 17% and 20% of all water pollution from industrial processes comes from dyeing and treating clothing. 

These processes of clothing manufacturing pollutes rivers with chemicals, harming local ecosystems and making vital water sources undrinkable. 

Villages that are close to textile manufacturing plants are often forced to drink polluted water because they don’t have the means to purify their water or source it from elsewhere. Not only is the physical environment harmed, but many humans in developing countries are suffering because of polluting textile factories.

Switch to eco-friendly clothing brands to save the planet and save real people’s lives. 

3. Focus on Quality Instead of Cost

A lot of people don’t want to switch from fast fashion because they can’t find affordable eco-friendly clothing brands. Whilst it’s true that eco-friendly clothes are usually more expensive than fast fashion brands, it’s time to start looking at that differently.

If your clothing is cheap, it’s because of exploitation. The process of making cheap clothes abuses both the workers involved in making them and the planet. By paying more for ethical eco brands, you can be sure that the people who worked on your clothing get a fair wage, there’s support for local communities, and you keep the planet safe.

You’re also paying for better quality when you buy from eco-brands. Fast fashion is made to be thrown away quickly so you buy more. Eco-fashion is made to last.

Related: Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion (With Facts and Statistics)

So, whilst you may pay more upfront, you probably won’t in the long-term. You’ll also stop contributing to the crazy amounts of clothes we throw away every year. In the US alone, the average person chucks out 81 pounds of clothing per year, which just isn’t sustainable. 

4. Support Animal Rights

Do you ever think about the animals involved in your clothing? Aside from the fur industry, there isn’t too much attention on animal mistreatment in clothing, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there!

Just take a look at leather. This everyday material is made by skinning animals – often cows – who have had a life of torture and mistreatment. Even the journey to be killed can sometimes be cruel, as this video from Peta shows.

By switching to responsibly sourced shoes, handbags, and clothes made from vegan leather instead of animals, you’ll be transforming the cattle industry.

5. Biodegradable Materials

When it comes to the question of “why eco-friendly clothing?”, have you ever thought of plastic?

In a lot of clothing, synthetic cloth made of plastic is a key component. Polyester, for example, is made of plastic, which means that it’ll never degrade completely. The materials in your jumper will make their way into our land and oceans, polluting the planet with micro-plastics that we can’t get rid of. 

In eco-friendly clothing stores, there’s usually a very obvious lack of plastic. Instead, natural materials like cotton and hemp are used, which won’t stick around forever and are more sustainable.

6. You Get to Find Your Unique Style 

If the environmental and ethical benefits aren’t enough, think of your style. High-street fashion is full of thousands of similar-styled garments, made over and over for thousands of people to wear. The chances of turning up to a party in the same outfit as someone else is pretty high. 

Sustainable fashion brands are different. Clothes are made in very small batches to make sure they’re sustainable, meaning that there are fewer on the market. By buying eco-friendly brands, your wardrobe instantly becomes more unique!

Sustainable clothing often doesn’t follow the style rules, either. Most high-street stores have the same sorts of clothes over and over, which can get very boring. But in eco-friendly stores, the same fads aren’t being followed so you can find timeless pieces that will last a lifetime.

Will You Make the Switch to Eco-Friendly Clothing?

There are plenty of ways we can make the world a better place, and buying eco-friendly clothing is one of them.

These clothes are designed with the planet and the people who live on it in mind, reducing exploitation and climate change at the same time. They’re also made to high standards of quality, so you can build up a wardrobe of pieces to last forever!

The final choice is up to you. Will you start buying from sustainable clothing brands? Let us know in the comments below.

And, if you found this article helpful or informative, please do us a favour and share this blog post on social media using the share buttons below. Help us spread the word!

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This post was kindly sponsored by EarthFriendlyShoes, an online store that offers sustainable and fashionable footwear.