1) Use more natural fabrics instead of synthetic fabrics
Synthetic fabrics are made from fibers derived from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool, silk, or linen, come from renewable resources and are biodegradable. Just like our society recognizes the benefit of natural alternatives to plastic, natural fabrics are better for sustainability than synthetic ones.
Even fabrics with blends of natural and synthetic materials can be an improvement from purely synthetic fabrics, however blended fabrics are more difficult to recycle than purely natural or synthetic fabrics. But in 2017, only 15% of fabric waste was recycled in the U.S. while the rest was landfilled or incinerated [1]. Since it's better for a larger portion of the landfilled fabric to be biodegradable, it seems that fabrics that are partially natural are still better than pure synthetic fabrics when they are likely to end up in the garbage at the end of their life. In the future, if/when fabric recycling becomes more commonly available to communities, choosing fabrics that are easier to recycle will be more significant. But overall, choosing natural fabrics will reduce your environmental impact.
On another note, it is important to point out that bamboo fabric differs from other natural fabrics. Although commonly promoted as eco-friendly, it depends on what you are comparing it to. Bamboo fabric is usually a form of rayon that is manufactured using harmful chemicals. Other rayon fabrics are made with wood pulp, so bamboo rayon comes from a more renewable resource than normal. But unlike rayon, cotton fabrics don't require chemical processing. If you want to use bamboo fabric, look for bamboo fabric certified to be processed without harmful chemicals or lyocell processed bamboo rayon which has the water and chemicals in production in a closed loop system that is not released into the environment. Overall, even if bamboo is easy to grow sustainably, the way that it has to be processed for fabric may have a higher environmental impact than you’d think.
