Dear Eartha, I need to buy new clothes, but I’ve heard that many items are poorly made and end up in landfill after wearing them, even if I donate them. How can I avoid contributing to this problem?

Clothing is such a complex topic. We all need new stuff from time to time, but there’s a big difference between needing and wanting. And I get that! I find it hard to resist a cute St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt that’s just perfect for the upcoming holiday. Most people only wear about 20% of their clothes, and the other 80% takes up a lot of closet space.Before you go shopping, think about which clothes you really need and don’t want to replace.

Fast fashion vs. high quality

You may have heard the term fast fashion before. For everyone else, it is an approach to designing, creating and marketing clothing that focuses on making fashion trends available to consumers quickly and inexpensively.. These clothes are made from low-quality materials and wear out quickly (ahem, St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt). People are attracted to fast fashion because it’s easy to find and the low price allows people to buy new clothes whenever they want, not just when they need something new.

Keep in mind that high-quality materials like wool, cotton, hemp and linen not only last longer, but they also wash better and hold their shape. These garments take more time to produce and are of a higher standard – some are even handmade – and that adds to the cost. High-quality fabrics also don’t wear out as quickly as fast fashion. There’s a reason your grandmother’s flared trousers look just like they did in the 1970s and will easily integrate into your new wardrobe.

Overconsumption

We also buy four times more clothes than in 2000. Why? Because fast fashion manufacturers produce more than 100 billion items of clothing every year. And not everything is bought. If you think about the world population of 8 billion people, that would mean that each person would have to buy 12-14 items of clothing every year. That’s impossible.

With all these items being sold at ridiculously low prices, it’s hard to resist the temptation to buy something new every day. It doesn’t help that adverts on TV and social media suggest the latest and greatest item of clothing are constantly being pushed. It really is the power of suggestion that drives our purchasing behaviour.

Environmental impact

All of these cheaply made clothes end up in the trash. In fact, 92 million tons of clothing end up in landfills every year.That’s the equivalent of a full garbage truck taking a load of clothes to the landfill every second. Fast fashion also consumes enormous amounts of water and energy.that are depleting our non-renewable resources. It takes 713 gallons of water to make one pair of jeans, enough to drink for one person for 900 days..

Save money?

If you’re on a budget—and let’s face it, who isn’t—buying a new shirt for $10 sounds a lot better than buying a $70 shirt. But if that $10 shirt shrinks quickly in the dryer and falls apart at the seams, you’ll find yourself buying another shirt. And another. And another. And before you know it, you might as well have bought that $70 high-quality shirt that will last years instead of months or weeks. For comparison, the average American family spends $1,700 annually on clothing. Unfortunately, most of it is wasted on inferior quality clothing.

Sustainable brands

So how can you avoid the fast fashion trap? Look for companies that are local, manufacture in America, or strive to reduce their environmental impact. There’s a reason companies like Patagonia, Toad & Co, and Cotopaxi are so popular. They make high-quality products that last. And new companies appear constantly.

The initial cost of items from these sustainable brands is higher than their fast-fashion alternatives, but think of them as an investment in something you can wear for years. And you can feel good knowing you’re reducing your impact on the environment.

Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff of the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing waste and conserving resources. Send questions to Eartha at [email protected].