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Clothes

Given the choice, most people would probably like to avoid buying clothes from companies that employ sweatshop labour practices. But knowing which brands to avoid can sometimes be daunting. One simple way around this problem is to resist the temptation to follow the latest fashion trend and just buy fewer clothes. The fact is, even clothes have a carbon footprint. Throughout its lifetime a typical tee-shirt will generate 28 times its weight in carbon emissions.

One reason for this is that although the textiles industry spawned the industrial revolution there is still no good way to automate the final phase of assembling good quality clothes. As a result the industry is still dependent upon cheap labour, often in places like China and Bangladesh.

But surprisingly, despite the huge transportation involved in the long supply chain (growing cotton in one part of the world, made into clothes in another and then shipped to yet another to be sold), the growing of the cotton and then knitting and stitching the material actually burns more energy than transporting it. And the real killer is at our end of the supply chain – laundry. This can account for as much as 80 per cent of a garment’s carbon footprint alone.

Washing clothes at a cooler 30 degrees can make a difference, reducing emissions by as much as 40 per cent. Avoid tumble-drying too since these use twice as much energy as it takes to wash clothing. So in short, try to make your clothes last, wash them at low temperatures and buy a washing line.