Sustainability

Lets Consume Consciously

Fast fashion has erupted in the last decade and laid out the blueprint for today’s consumer habits. It has shaped the way we shop and definitely not for the better. Fast fashion and the push towards excessive consumerism have taken a huge toll on our planet. Put simply, we’ve been shaped to believe that we need to constantly BUY something new because so many clothing items are constantly being made. Looking into the facts, we can see that sustainability in the fashion industry needs to be addressed ASAP. 

  • The EPA found that there is such an overabundance of clothing options that 20% of clothing items made aren’t even sold and have to be incinerated, buried, or shredded. 
  • The fashion fashion industry is the second largest polluter and is responsible for creating 20% of industrial water pollution, a figure sourced from the World Bank.
  • 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions are released into the atmosphere every year in the production of garments.

Most of us want to leave a positive impact on the planet, but not all of us are ready to keep a compost bin with worms in the kitchen for our food trash items. Renting occasion pieces with All Borrow is an easy way to start being more environmentally conscious by minimizing the environmental impact involved in creating an outfit. For each clothing item that is rented rather than purchased, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that an average of 77 gallons of water are conserved and 17 pounds of CO2 emissions are kept out of the atmosphere. That’s an insane amount of resources that go into making just one outfit! The environmental savings are even higher when you consider that purchased occasion pieces are usually meant to be worn once and go unused. Green Story Inc. found that just using an item for a second time, reduces its carbon, waste, and water footprint by 82%! With more people renting and forgoing a purchase, the shared clothing economy will grow and overproduction within the fashion industry  will be forced to scale down. 

Along with renting from Allborrow, you can also make the following conscious shopping choices with your clothes.

Repurpose: 
      • Cut old dresses into shorter, flirtier fits.
      • Old T-shirts and tank tops make for perfect cleaning rags. Wet them a little to prevent dust from flying around when dusting.
Resell:
      • Sell items in your closet that are in good condition but no longer of use to you. 
      • Platforms such as Poshmark, Depop, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Etsy (for vintage goods) make the selling process simple and secure.
Donate:
      • They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Consider donating to Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or our personal favorite, Dress for Success, where your used professional clothes empower a woman on her journey towards financial freedom.  

Support:

      • Support brands that are transparent about their production process, pay their workers livable wages, and have an actionable sustainability initiative in place. 
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