Ecozone | How your laundry habits are affecting the planet…
We’re so pleased to be supported by Ecozone as one of the sponsors of our non-profit event. Here we hear from their team about the care of clothing… a completely integral aspect of sustainability in fashion. Check out their tips for how to care for your precious items of clothing whilst keeping them clean…
At Ecozone, we seriously admire the work Sustainable Fashion Week is doing to inspire us all to have a more eco-friendly relationship with fashion. But once you’ve adopted new practices like repurposing old clothes, opting for second hand and choosing sustainable or recycled materials, how do you continue to look after your outfits to ensure they’ll stand the test of time?
Well, for starters, you might want to take a look at your laundry habits. The Mirror recently reported that 350,000 tonnes of clothing are binned every year in the UK, and in many cases, this is due to fading, weakening or shrinking of fabrics making items unwearable and destined for landfill. Ensuring you’re looking after clothes properly is therefore essential.
But it can be tricky to know which products are good for your clothes and kind to the environment at the same time. Many laundry liquids, powders and capsules contain synthetic chemicals, which remain in the water system when washed away. This can cause serious damage to the aquatic ecosystem and lead to some disastrous consequences for the environment.
To help make sense of it all, we’ve put together some top tips for making your laundry routine kinder to your clothes and the planet:
Keep it short
One of the biggest problems for clothes during a laundry cycle is being tumbled around and rubbing against each other, which causes abrasion and wears them out. Choose a cycle that’s less than an hour long to minimise this and you’ll also save lots of unnecessary water and energy waste.
Stay cool
Did you know that 90% of the energy washing machines use goes towards heating the water? Washing at 30 degrees not only saves energy, but also protects your clothes, as it prevents fading, shrinking and colour transfer. Cooler washes also limit the amount of microplastics that shed from clothing and end up in the water system.
Always do a full load
Always make sure your washing machine is full before doing a load. The idea of a weekly wash is ingrained in a lot of people, but how much do you really have to wash by the end of the week? It can also be tempting to wash a couple of items to wear for an occasion, but doing fewer washes will help you save precious energy and water.
Wear and wear again
Another way to limit the number of washes you’re doing is by wearing clothes multiple times before cleaning them. Generally speaking, your clothes aren’t going to be dirty after just one wear, so wait until they actually need a wash before adding them to your laundry pile. The fewer times you wash them, the less stress will be placed on the fabrics and the longer they’ll last.
Go plant-based
Choosing the right products is essential for looking after your clothes and the environment while doing your laundry. At Ecozone, we’ve got plenty of powerful plant-based alternatives to harsh chemical detergents, including completely natural Soap Nuts, specially-formulated liquids for delicates and sportswear, stain removers that use natural enzymes and so much more.
Check out Ecozone.com to explore the range.