Zero Waste Clothes Shopping

Patagonia

Walking through the mall I am always shocked at the number of clothing stores I walk past. The sheer number of clothing items for sale in a single mall is mind blowing to me. There are usually a handful of department stores providing clothing for all age groups. Then you walk into the main part of the mall only to find more of the same - different brands of course. Do we really need to be selling that many clothes? And if we don't need to be selling that many items of clothing - how much waste are we creating in producing such excess?! 

There is waste in materials, waste in energy usage, waste in pollution, waste in people's skills and talents who are making clothing not necessary for our fellow neighbors.

Coyuchi

With this in mind, I have decided to become very conscious of what clothing companies I support and the number of clothing items I have in my closet - because in the end - we don't really need that much!

I started looking for clothing companies that focus on eco-friendly clothes - organic cottons mostly. These companies also follow eco-friendly manufacturing of their products. I feel good about the quality of my clothes and supporting companies focusing on sustainability. I love my pajamas from Coyuchi. I love my sweatshirt from Patagonia.

Goodwill

To take zero waste to another level, we decided to start shopping resale as well. I took my 5 year old to a children's resale store for a winter jacket. She picked out a jacket she loves for $17! My husband needed new jeans (He's been wearing jeans with holes in the knees for over a month.) and got a pair at Goodwill for $8. Now, it was my turn to try out the resale market. I was in need of a sports bra and workout pants. I was able to get a sports bra for $2.29 and athletic pants for $4.29!

Buying resale saved us over $75. We didn't upset our budget and we have our clothing needs met. I feel so great about supporting the resale market, the impact it made on our budget, and ultimately supporting our zero waste lifestyle.