Yes, I want to…
Resize My Fashion Footprint!

The social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry are many, from unfair labour practices to improper waste disposal, from high energy and water use to life threatening toxic chemicals.

However, there are alternatives. If we each make simple daily actions to Resize Our Fashion Footprint, we can change the Fashion World — one pair of jeans and a load of laundry at a time!

Take the Pledge below to discover some of the many ways you can make a difference. Set goals that you can reach — with a little stretch. The challenge will be worth it!

I pledge to resize my WATER footprint by…

Doing fuller, and fewer loads of laundry.

The average washing machine uses approximately 150L/load.
To give some context, if you presently do 4 loads/week, in one year you will have used enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool twice!
You can make a huge difference in the environmental impact of your clothing just by reducing your loads/week by 2.
Even if you already use a water efficient machine at around 97.5L/load, the savings are still great!

Right now I do loads of laundry/week.

My Pledge is to do loads/week.

Purchasing a water efficient washing machine when I replace my old one.

North Americans have a weak water conservation ethic. This is in large part due to the myth of water abundance. Of all the world's water, only 1% of it is usable fresh water. We have some of the most plentiful sources of that 1% of fresh water, yet we are using it at an unsustainable rate. Both the Great Lakes and the Ogallala Aquifer, for example are not replenishing at the same rate as we are using their water.

That being said, what ever you can do to reduce your water footprint is an important act. Look for the High Efficiency and Energy Star logos when you shop for your new washing machine. These machines can use as much as 42% less water than traditional agitator machines.

I pledge to resize my ENERGY footprint by…

Doing fuller, and fewer loads of laundry.

In Ontario, power is generated using nuclear fuel, hydroelectric dams, and thermally by burning coal, natural gas and oil. A very small but growing part of the mix is renewable energy. Each energy source comes with problems: nuclear energy makes waste that is radioactive for 1000s of years, hydro electricity is destructive to ecosystems, and burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) creates CO₂ emissions, which in turn are causing Climate Change. Even renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, have down sides, although far less destructive than the others. In the end, the best policy is to use less energy at every opportunity, and if you can, choose renewable energy.
Check out the Energy Atlas of Canada to discover what the energy mix is where you live.

Right now I do loads of laundry/week.

My Pledge is to do loads/week.

Doing my laundry in cold water.
(Please select ONLY if this is a new practice.)

Advances in laundry detergent technology mean that washing in cold water now means that laundry can get just as clean as it would in warm or hot water. Just read detergent labels to make sure your brand is made for cold water.
For every 10°C reduction in temperature of water during washing, you reduce your energy consumption by 10%.
For reference, a cold water wash is under 30°C, warm is between 30°C–40°C, and hot water washing is 40°C and above.

Hanging my laundry to air dry.

The added benefit to using less energy and saving money on your energy bills is that your clothes will also last longer. Hot water and hot dryer temperatures both accelerate the rate at which the fibres of your clothes degrade.
if your clothes are wrinkled when you first pull them out of the washing machine, tumble them in the dryer on "Air" (i.e. no heat) for a few minutes to get some of the creases out, and then hang them up.
Gravity will do the rest of the de-wrinkling from that point on!

Right now I hang loads of laundry to air dry/week.

My Pledge is to hang loads to air dry/week.

Purchasing an energy efficient dryer when I replace my old one.

How does using less energy connect to Climate Change?
If the electricity that powers your appliances comes from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), then carbon dioxide (CO₂) is produced as a bi-product of the burning. CO₂ is what is known as a Green House Gas (GHG). As human activity releases more and more CO₂ into the atmosphere, it makes it harder and harder for heat to escape into outer space. This creates the same effect as glass in a greenhouse, which is why it is often called the Greenhouse Effect. All that extra heat changes our climate patterns, giving us stormier storms, chillier cold, and drier deserts.
We have to use radically less energy (and switch to energy from sources that do not produce GHGs), in all aspects of our lives to avoid doing damage to the Earth's ecosystems that we cannot fix.

I pledge to resize my WASTE footprint by…

Acquiring "new to me" clothes by attending clothing swaps.

When you put on that new sweater or pair of jeans, you don't normally think about how many natural resources were used to produce them. However, the fashion industry is in fact a resource hog. For example, "in 2009, the world used three trillion gallons of fresh water to produce 60 billion kilograms of fabric", and "one trillion kilowatt hours are used every year by the global textile industry, which equates to 10% of global carbon impact".
Considering the global scarcity of fresh water, and the rising amounts of GHGs in our atmosphere, those are numbers to be concerned about! The bottom line? Whenever you have the opportunity to "swap" instead of "shop" for new clothes, go for it! You will satisfy both your Earth-lover and fashionista sides.

Right now I swap items of clothing/year.

My goal is to swap items/year.

Buying second-hand or vintage pieces.

In North America, the average person consumes over 36 kilograms of textiles per year, or the equivalent of 36 pairs of jeans. Over a 5-year span, this would add up to 180 pairs of jeans. What a waste if all that went to landfill!
Give clothes a second life; buy second-hand or vintage.

Right now I buy items of vintage clothing/year.

My goal is to buy items/year.

Buying less, but buying quality, seasonless pieces that don't go off-trend.

We are a culture infatuated with speed and quantity of cheap stuff—and are blissfully ignorant of the true cost of our convenience. In other words, it's a perfect environment for fast fashion to thrive.
Canadians spent $21.5 billion on fashion in 2009. That's an average of $630 spent by each one of Canada's 34 million men, women and children. Considering that trends fly in and out the door faster than you can take off that pair of jeggings, we can guess that most of those garments were not made to last.
So, instead of being part of this Race to the Bottom, you can cultivate your own personal style with unique, classic, and well-made items. Some of these pieces may be more expensive, but they will last 5 years, instead of 5 washes!

Right now I purchase garments, shoes and accessories/month

My Pledge is to reduce my purchases to items/month and to include more quality pieces that don't go off trend in the purchases I do make.

Making or buying items of repurposed clothing.

"Repurposed clothing" has been given a second life through reconstruction, and is thus diverted from the landfill. It also means that raw materials (e.g. cotton), farming, manufacturing and transportation inputs (e.g. water, fuel) have not been used to create a new garment. Examples from the fashion world include, turning a wedding dress into a cocktail dress, cutting and sewing sweaters with rips or moth holes into mittens and scarves, or designing a new purse from a worn out leather jacket.

Right now I purchase or make items of repurposed clothing/year.

My pledge is to purchase or make items/year.

Making or buying items of upcycled clothing.

"Upcycling" simply means taking waste and turning it into something of greater value. Examples from the fashion world include, recycling plastic pop bottles into fleece jackets or sneakers, rescuing lace scraps from the mill floor to create a party dress, turning busted bicycle tire inner tubes into fabulous purses, or transforming the panels of otherwise broken umbrellas into whimsical skirts. For a more technical definition, please visit our glossary.

Right now I purchase or make items of upcycled clothing/year.

My pledge is to purchase or make items/year.

I pledge to resize my CHEMICAL footprint by…

Buying or sewing clothing made with organic textiles.

Why is "going organic" good? Organic fiber crops typically use less water and are GMO-free (i.e. not grown using seeds that have been genetically modified). This promotes biodiversity, which in turn helps crops to be more resistant to insect pests. Toxic chemicals, such as pesticides and insecticides are also not used, which protects surface and groundwater, aquatic organisms, soil quality and the farmers themselves. Organic textiles then, are not just good for us by eliminating the chemicals from our clothing supply chain, but also because we wear these textiles and chemicals do transfer from our clothes to our skin. By "going organic", you are voting with your dollar and helping to promote the growth of more organic agriculture.

Right now I purchase or sew items of organic clothing/year.

My Pledge is to purchase or sew items of organic clothing/year.

Buying leather goods that are coloured with non-toxic dyes.

The most common and traditional leather tanning (dyeing) process uses a form of chromium called hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium is toxic, cancer causing (i.e. carcinogenic).
It is not only dangerous to the workers in the leather industry but to the environment where it is disposed. Dye water is often inadequately treated (or not at all) before it is emptied into the nearest watercourse.
We can reduce human exposure and its presence in the environment by choosing leather products that have been dyed using non-toxic alternatives. Companies such as Roots, El Naturalista and Eddie Bauer carry some non-toxic leather products.

Right now I purchase items made with non-toxic dyes/year.

My Pledge is to purchase items/year.

Taking my clothes to an eco-friendly dry cleaning service.

Traditional dry cleaning methods utilize many chemicals that have been linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, infertility and damage to liver and nervous systems.
The most common chemical used in dry cleaning is perchloroethylene or "perc" as it is most commonly known. Perc, like other chlorinated compounds and their by-products, are persistent harmful pollutants to both the environment and humans.
To limit exposure and the discharge of these chemicals into the environment, choose a dry cleaner that does not use perc. Ask about the chemicals and processes used.
The two most effective natural methods use wet cleaning (biodegradable detergents) and liquid carbon dioxide cleaning. Asking helps you to make an informed decision and lets the dry cleaner know that their customer-base wants. If they haven't switched yet, maybe they will.

Right now I dry clean items at an eco-friendly dry cleaner/year.

My Pledge is to use these services for items/year.

Using the correct amount of detergent when I do a load of laundry.
(Please select ONLY if this is a new practice.)

Even though detergents today are not as harmful to the environment as they once were, they are still a problem. Super concentrated detergents in smaller packaging are now widely available. However to reap the benefits of these concentrated forms for your clothes and the environment, it is important that the correct amount of detergent is used.
High efficiency washing machines use less water, which means more residues left on your clothes. If you’re using more than the recommended amount marked on the cap of the detergent bottle, you could also be washing a lot of concentrated soap into the environment.
Another side of "right-sizing" your soap is that you’ll also save money!

Using alternatives to chlorine bleach in my laundry.
(Please select ONLY if this is a new practice.)

Chlorine is a harmful carcinogen (i.e. cancer causing chemical) that is easily absorbed through skin. However, chlorine’s unintended by-products are considerably more harmful for both humans and the environment. Once released into the environment, chlorine reacts to other compounds it comes in contact with.
A common by-product of chlorinated chemicals is dioxin, a long-lasting pollutant that is one of the most carcinogenic and highly toxic compounds known.
We can reduce the amount of exposure to these chemicals by substituting them with hydrogen peroxide or ozone. They are just as effective as chlorine bleach in your laundry, but with out the bad side effects

Using fragrance free detergent.
(Please select ONLY if this is a new practice.)

Many fragrances used in detergent are synthetic (i.e. man-made) and 95% of the chemicals that make up fragrances are derived from petrochemicals (i.e. fossil fuels). Typical fragrances contain more than 100 chemicals.
Fragrances are subject to labeling loopholes in law because they are considered to be trade secrets. This means companies do not have to disclose the ingredients.
However, many of the chemicals used are not assessed for human health and safety. Most of these chemicals pose health risks in the forms of allergens, toxicity or cancer-causing compounds. For example, phthalates, a common ingredient used in fragrance, has been linked to liver and kidney damage, and reproductive and endocrine system disruption. Limit your exposure by choosing detergents free of synthetic fragrances, and if you must have perfume, add some of your own natural essential oil to the wash.

My Information

Yes, I would like additional resources to help me keep my Pledge. Please contact me later to hear about my successes and challenges.

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