4 Reasons You Should Start Buying Sustainable Clothing

Treating yourself to a new dress feels amazing. It feels even better when you know that the dress you bought is good for mother nature. Thanks to technological advances, it’s easier than ever to buy clothing that’s good for the environment and our health.

Nowadays, designers are trying to leave as little impact on the Earth as possible, while still creating beautiful fashions. We can continue to look our best using sustainable clothing and also feel good about what’s hanging in our closets. Here are the top four reasons why you should consider eco-friendly clothing:

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1. It’s better for our health

Our skin is the biggest organ we have, and it’s also the most exposed. Cotton, which is used in most of our clothes, is traditionally grown using pesticides and herbicides. Then, it’s sprayed, treated and cleaned with other harmful chemicals. These toxins are still clinging to the fibers of our shirts and sweaters when we wear them, meaning that the toxins are absorbed into your skin.

Even if we don’t feel the effects, these chemicals can cause health problems, such as weakened immune systems, reproductive failure, and even cancer. Organic fibers, like hemp and bamboo, are better for our health because they are grown without the use of harmful chemicals. Having fewer chemicals in our lives is a good thing.

2. It’s better for the environment

There’s only one Earth, so we need to do our part to protect it. Wearing sustainable clothing is an easy way to do that. To grow enough cotton for one t-shirt, farmers have to use about 1/3rd of a pound of chemicals. These chemicals can seep into the soil, poisoning the dirt and getting into underground water supplies. Speaking of water, millions of gallons of water are used daily in the production of clothing. 

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Hemp is grown organically, which means that it isn’t grown using chemicals or pesticides. Also, hemp uses only about 1/20th the amount of water that cotton does. Many sustainable pieces of clothing are vegan, which means that they are made with absolutely no animal products. It uses a lot of resources to raise animals, so vegan clothing drastically reduces a number of resources farmers need to use. 



In addition to being grown better, sustainable fibers last longer than traditional fibers, which leads to less clothing ending up in landfills. It’s estimated that we buy a total of 80 billion new pieces of clothing and get rid of about the same amount per year. Buying and using clothing made out of sustainable fibers, such as hemp and bamboo, can drastically reduce the amount of clothing that we throw away each year.

3. It saves us money

I’m sure all of us could benefit from having some extra cash in our bank accounts. Hemp is known to be a tough fabric. People have been using hemp since 770 A.D. because of its durability. In addition to clothing, it’s been used to make linens, rope, and furniture. It’s 4 times stronger than cotton and retains dye better.

Having clothes made from hemp means that your clothes will look brand-new longer and won’t need to be replaced for many years. Since it doesn’t need to be replaced, you’ll save hundreds of your hard-earned dollars. You can use the money you save on other things, like that beach vacation you’ve been dreaming about or a fancy, new car. 

4. Farmers are treated more fairly

Most sustainable clothing is produced under the Fair Trade Act. This act ensures that the people working to create our clothing receive fair wages, are working in healthy environments, and are given job security. When you buy clothing that is labeled Fair Trade, you’re showing corporations that you support ethical businesses that value their employees. This forces big corporations to adopt more ethical business practices. 
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Many traditional clothing companies use sweatshops in developing countries, where they can pay workers as low as $0.03 an hour. Sweatshops are known for using child labor, meaning that your favorite cotton sweatpants could have been sewn together by a 5-year-old child. Almost all sustainable clothing companies try to lead by example by not exploiting workers. You can guarantee that the eco-friendly clothing in your closet was made by workers that were being treated fairly, which is another thing you can feel great about when purchasing sustainable clothing.

Author Bio:


Carolyn Lewis is a freelance blogger who has been writing about the environment and its influence on our society for nearly 10 years. When she’s not brushing up against a deadline, she can be found exploring the hiking trails around her home in Denver, Colorado.

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