Why I Stopped Buying Clothes: Fast Fashion's Devastating Impact

Last year I decided I needed to stop buying new clothes.

When I say stopped buying new clothes, of course I still buy things that I need to otherwise eventually I wouldn't have anything to wear at all! I only  buy things that are second hand (except for clothes from companies that I know are environmentally friendly. And underwear and socks. That would just be weird)

I had a few reasons for doing this. The first few are pretty simple.

Firstly, I did it to save money. New clothes can be expensive. You know the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Buying a stripey t-shirt that looks exactly the same as that other stripey t-shirt you already have and rarely wear (we've all been there..) isn't great and is a waste of money in my eyes. I'd much rather save money towards moving out!

My second reason is that I simply don't have the space! At the moment I have a makeshift wardrobe in my bedroom (which is supposed to be a sitting room...) consisting of about 12 cube storage unit spaces and a clothes rail. I still have a wardrobe in my old bedroom upstairs which still has some of my clothes in. Even with two spaces for clothes in the house, my wardrobe(s) are overflowing... and I REALLY enjoy shopping. I decided I needed to start getting rid of clothes that I don't wear and only keep the things I know I wear regularly.


However, my main reason for doing this is because of the devastating impact fast fashion is having on the environment.

Here's a few of the facts for you:

• The fashion industry is the 2nd worst polluter in the world! The only industry that is worse is oil. 
• Growing plants like cotton is using up so much water that even huge bodies of water have completely dried up (see picture below for an example), affecting the local climate and the people who live in those areas. It takes up to 2,700 litres of water just to make one cotton t-shirt!
• Water is being polluted by the factories that are making the clothes we wear, and they're polluting it with really harmful substances. This creates issues with the wildlife living in the water (resulting in most, if not all wildlife in the water dying.) and for the people who's main and maybe only water source is polluted and unsafe to use to wash and drink.
• The pesticides used to grow cotton etc at a fast enough rate to meet demand are being linked to illnesses that the people growing them are experiences. I read in one place that one farmer had a brain tumour which was caused by the pesticides!
• Fast fashion is causing high amounts of waste. Clothes are being made as cheap and quickly as possible, meaning the quality is forfeited and they don't last as long, and they end up being thrown in the bin and creating more waste than there already is.

This is just one area of water that has been affected by the industry. Taken from News.com.au

I watched a really interesting documentary on the BBC by Stacey Dooley about the fashion industry's impact on the environment. I got a lot of the above information from this program, but one of the main things that was shocking was that almost non of the companies she contacted about these issues were willing to speak to her, or even make a comment about it. Does this mean that these companies know the impact they're having on the environment and they don't want to admit it? Clearly as long as we're consuming and the demand is there, nothing will change.

Just one example of polluted water. Taken from The Independent

Is there anything we can do?

I am in no way saying that everyone has to stop buying new clothes all together. That's what I have decided to do after finding out the information I have spoken about above. However it is most likely the only way that companies are going to realise something needs to change. The less demand we create, the more they'll realise they need to change the way they make and sell clothes.

If stopping buying new clothes is something you don't feel able to do, there are other things you can do to make a difference.

When you are shopping, ask yourself these questions to decide if you really need to buy something:

- How many of your current clothes will it go with? Will it be the kind of things you only wear once a month because you can only make one outfit with it?
- Is it high quality? Will it last a long time or end up in landfill after only a few wears?
- Do you already have something similar? If it looks exactly the same as those other black jeans you have, maybe you don't need it.

You could also try only buying new clothes when you need to replace something, such as a pair of leggings that have a hole in them.

Lastly, I highly recommend downloading the apps Vinted and Depop. I've bought quite a few bits from these apps and they're great. You're protected by their buyers policies so it's all safe. (I'm selling a few bits on these apps too! On Vinted my user name is Caitlan43, and on Depop it's cait425.)

Realising the impact we're having on our planet is such a hard thing to hear about, but we're the only ones who can make a change. You may think that just changing the way you personally shop won't make a difference, but what if everyone who thought that did in fact make these changes in their life? It starts with YOU.


Let me know in the comments your thoughts on this topic and anything you're going to do to help save the environment from the fashion industry - I'd love to hear from you!