What do fashion and environmental responsibility have to do with
each other? A whole heck of a lot, as it turns out. Textiles are
some of the hardest products to recycle, and among the most
environmentally hazardous to produce. Textile manufacturing results
in 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, which
is more emissions than international flights and maritime
shipping1 combined. Some studies estimate that around 5%
of total global emissions come from the fashion
industry.2
Gross, right? And when you take into account that, on average,
20 new garments are manufactured per person every year,3
buying fewer new clothes starts to feel like a pretty good
idea.
Still, those of us who work in professional environments
(especially law firms) tend to have some significant hesitation
around the idea of second-hand clothes. We need to look
put-together, and most of us don't have the time or energy to
go through the racks at Value Village in the hopes that one of
