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Keep clothes in circulation

Vintage clothing classics can be found in all kinds of places, and passing on your own unwanted clothes keeps the clothing reuse cycle going. Ways to keep clothes in circulation include:

• checking out online auctions, clothes fairs and specialist shops for vintage classics
• buying to last means you can splash out every now and then on really well-made designs that will last longer
  

Wash with care

Today's detergents wash just as well at 30 degrees

How you wash clothes can affect the environment:

• washing clothes at 30 degrees saves energy and carbon emissions – today’s detergents wash just as well at low temperatures
• avoid tumble drying where possible
• choose washable clothes over dry-clean only: some dry-cleaning chemicals are toxic
• only put the washing machine on when you have a full load

• Household appliances that save energy, water and money
• Greener ways to clean

Re-use and recycle

There are lots of useful things you can do with clothes after you’ve finished with them. Here are just a few:

• take your old clothes and shoes to jumble sales, charity shops or car boot sales
• try homemade recycling and turn your old clothes into cleaning cloths, covers, or fancy dress costumes
• take your old clothes to one of more than 6000 recycling banks across the country
• you can recycle shoes too, but remember to tie them together in pairs so they don’t get separated

More than half of the textiles thrown away in the UK could be recycled – yet only 14 per cent of our clothing waste is recycled or reused.

• Clothes recycling: find a scheme near you Opens new window
• Shoes recycling: find a scheme near you Opens new window
• Textile recycling: find a scheme near you Opens new window

Choosing organic or recycled materials

The EU Ecolabel shows a product is made in a way that minimises its environmental impacts

Some clothes are made in ways which try to reduce the impact on the environment or the people who produce them. Here are a few things you can look out for:

• clothing made from organic or recycled materials is increasingly available on the high street, with an increasing number of companies offering a range of products
• Fairtrade clothes are also starting to appear on the high street now, and are easily available online or by mail order too
• look out on clothing for certification labels such as: organic; Fairtrade; MADE or OEKOTEX and the EU Ecolabel (flower symbol)

• More about green labels
• Find clothes made from recycled materials Opens new window
• Fairtrade Foundation Opens new window

The wider issue

Production, processing, transportation, wear and disposal of our clothing all have an impact on the environment:

• the heavy use of pesticides in cotton production causes pollution: this can harm the environment and people’s health in developing countries
• irrigation, fertiliser and pesticide use, as well as bleaching and dyeing of processed textiles, use vast quantities of water and can lead to water pollution
• valuable non-renewable fossil fuels are used in the production of oil-based synthetic fibres such as nylon, and in the processing and transportation of our clothing, releasing carbon emissions which contribute to climate change

Over 1.5 million tonnes of textiles, and over 100 million pairs of shoes, are thrown away every year in the UK, most of which ends up in landfill sites. Synthetic materials stay there intact, whilst woollen garments emit methane as they decay, contributing to climate change. Only 14% of this waste is currently recycled.

• More on waste and resource use

More useful links

• More on where to find ethical fashion Opens new window
• RecycleNow Find out more about recycling Opens new window
• Find a charity shop near you Opens new window

The link below will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local authority website where you can find out more.

• Contact your local council's recycling team Opens new window