It is that time of year again; time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new one. Looking back at 2012, I have researched, written and read a number of articles about clothing and I’ve learned a lot about the wastefulness of the fashion industry.
So, looking ahead into 2013, I am resolving to do my small part to reduce the waste that I contribute to in fashion industry. I resolve to avoid buying any new clothes for myself this year.
This will probably be one of my most challenging resolutions to date. When I see an adorable new trend, I go weak in the knees. But, I’m looking forward to helping the environment and showing my daughters that being a slave to fashion is so last year.
- According to the U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year. Clothing and other textiles make up about 4% of the municipal solid waste stream, according to Brenda Abdullah Designs: Recycled, Reborn Thrift Store Finds.
- A typical cotton shirt is produced using more than 70 gallons of water. And, that’s being conservative — many use more than 700 gallons.
- According to Treehugger.com, about 15 to 20% of fabric used to produce clothing ends up in the U.S. landfills.
- It takes around 1,600 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of cotton, and it takes about 2 pounds of cotton to produce one pair of men’s jeans.
So, looking ahead into 2013, I am resolving to do my small part to reduce the waste that I contribute to in fashion industry. I resolve to avoid buying any new clothes for myself this year.
This will probably be one of my most challenging resolutions to date. When I see an adorable new trend, I go weak in the knees. But, I’m looking forward to helping the environment and showing my daughters that being a slave to fashion is so last year.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.— Edith Lovejoy Pierce
