Ethical, sustainable seasonal fashion

Jo Kerrigan looks at ethical gift choices to help protect our planet

Have a positive influence this Christmas by buying clothing gifts that have a low environmental impact.

We are right in the midst of the festive season, the time that everybody looks to his or her wardrobe and wonders what to wear to impress friends and family.

Shops are besieged in search of that perfect sweater, those designer trousers, the party frock to create envy. Fun things too: Christmas jumpers, festive dog outfits, the cutest garments for Baby’s First Christmas, and even, heaven help us, matching pyjama sets for every single member of the household.

Hang on a minute. Before you dash out to spend your hard earned cash - not on sufficient fuel to keep the house warm for the months ahead, not on food to keep you and the family alive, but on something bright and showy to wear perhaps only once — just stop and think.

Do you care about the environment at all? Have you not listened to the dire forecasts, seen the endless programmes warning about the state of this world we live in? Global warming, pollution of our oceans, extinction of wildlife, a worrying future for the next generation, and all because of the way we have decided to live? Of course you have. Well then, take it on board, and be a bit — no, a lot — more choosy when shopping for clothes this Yule. Instead of the cheap easy option, why not dress to impress ethically as well as doing your bit for our future?

OK, so it can get a bit confusing when you start to look into it. We are bombarded with information about organics, recycled fibres, environmental certifications, vegan, eco-conscious collections. At the same time, advertising both on TV and in glossy magazines never stops encouraging us to buy, buy, buy the latest fashion trend, and you really need to treat yourself to a new outfit at least every week, especially at Christmas. Today’s thinking seems to be that after all, you can dump it if you don’t like it.

Recycling is good, right? Well, not always. Modern garments, especially the inexpensive ones, are often made of multiple fibres which makes recycling extremely complicated. Did you know that more than half of the clothing given to charity shops and textile recyclers ends up in landfill or incinerators?

And, more frighteningly, that microplastics, which are released when we wash fibres such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, are released into our rivers and oceans, and can be found eventually in our food chain? Even the detergents we use in the washing machine should be checked carefully for the damage they might do to our water supply.

And how about sweat shops in far away countries where that incredibly cheap garment which so delights your eye was made by someone who gets paid little or nothing for endless toiling? Don’t know enough? Then look it up and find out. Aren’t you supporting that cruel regime just by buying the clothes?

On top of that, think about the transport costs, the huge amount of fuel involved in sending shipments across the world. Wouldn’t it be better to buy locally-made clothes, from a sustainable point of view, as well as supporting local industries?

Our parents and grandparents lived in harder times. They bought only when necessary, and made sure what they bought was as good quality as possible, and would last a long time. (Remember coats that were far too big in childhood days, because you would “grow into them”? Embarrassing for the child but very practical too from a parental point of view, when the cost of clothing a family was always a problem to be considered.) Does anyone these days check to see if seams are well sewn, linings included, no telltale ends of thread hanging from buttons, meaning that these will unthread and drop off almost immediately?

We have come some way from the days of our grandparents, admittedly, and have known more relaxed, even more extravagant times than they ever dreamed of. However, the tide is turning, and even the most self-indulgent hedonist is beginning to feel the chill. It is definitely time to think more carefully and buy more considerately than we might have done in the past.

There is a lot to consider and to remember when you have made up your mind to shop ethically and do your bit to help the environment. To help, we have put together a few hints which may make your progress easier. And, when others admire your clothing choices, make sure to tell them you have been thinking and shopping with important issues in mind. You might just convert them to doing the same, and wouldn’t that would be a good thing?