Clothing purchases are up 60% from 18 years ago. With the wave of talented designers and brands, we surely understand the temptation to grow your wardrobe. With consumption increase; there are rising concerns about environmental impacts. Many companies within the industry are creating innovative policies and practices for sustainability, but what can we do on the consumer side? Sudsies is committed to supporting the green movement, and with just a few changes you too can be a part of the solution.
Extending your wardrobe by just nine months can help reduce your carbon footprint by 25-30%.
Depending on your budget, investing in higher-end brands may equate to fewer purchases, but provides a level of quality that can last well beyond the less expensive fast-fashion items. Sudsies specializes in the care designer and couture garments require, with hand-care processes that can help extend their life even longer. If a piece does become damaged, that doesn’t necessarily equate to its demise. Sudsies’ master tailoring team is seasoned in repairing an array of issues, from those tiny holes, to rips, tears, broken seams, and full restorations. For those seeking a fresh look, our tailors can revamp damaged or dated items with a few simple tweaks giving them a second life.
Natural fabrics are still evolving.
Many favor going back to all natural fabrics over synthetic options, whose production impart chemicals on both the resulting fabrics and the environment. Some natural options, however, can have environmental consequences in other ways. For example:
- the majority of cotton seeds are genetically modified and require ample water to produce (organic cotton with accreditations under the Global Organic Textiles Standard, Fairtrade, or the Better Cotton Initiative are safer to both harvest and wear)
- bamboo is actually produced via a chemically-laden process (instead look into Tencel fabric, which minimizes toxic waste)
- processing silk kills the very worms that create the threads (seek out the cruelty free option, Ahisma or “peace silk”, which preserves the worms).
Here is a great article to help you start navigating through the various natural options – https://goodonyou.eco/everything-about-natural-fabrics.
No matter what fabric you choose, Sudsies believes in matching natural textiles with natural cleaning processes. We use eco-friendly solutions and offer both wet cleaning and dry cleaning options. In addition, all Sudsies facilities are equipped with low water-usage machinery and LED lighting to aid in other green ways.
85% of unwanted clothing ends up in landfills, up to 12 million tons annually.
For those pieces you are certain you want to part with, reuse is still possible. Fashion label Eileen Fisher offers a renew program under its umbrella of sustainability initiatives. The company currently receives between 4,000 – 6,000 pieces a week, which they either resell, renew, or incorporate into brand new fabric creations. There are several other retailers that also offer recycle programs.
Donations in the form of charity have a huge impact on your local community. Sudsies clients can always place their unwanted clothing in their yellow VIP bags for pickup or can drop-off at any of our three boutiques. We donate the items to Camilla’s House, a South Florida non-for-profit dedicated to lifting up individuals and families in need.
Sudsies is a proud member of the Green Cleaner’s Council. More information about our additional eco-friendly practices can be found at https://sudsies.com/services_environmental_drycleaning.asp.
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