When my husband told me that he had just paid $180 to get his beloved boots resoled, my first reaction was “ You’re CRAZY!” But after thinking about it for a while, I was very impressed. He has had his boots for over four years now wearing them most days. Those boots are a daily reminder of what it actually means to think about buying quality rather than quantity. As many of you may know, clothing and accessories from the fashion industry are a huge contribution to landfill. The sustainability consultant, Jane Miliburn, author of Slow Fashion, writes in her book that Australians buy an average of 27kg of textiles each year and then discard 23kg into landfill. These are mostly synthetic fibres. This figure almost doubles the world average of clothing consumption and puts Australians at the top of the fashion consumption ladder. A large number of clothing is thrown out after only one wear and additionally only a very small amount of the money spent on clothing goes back to those who actually manufacture it. An Oxfam report found that just 4% of the money spend on fashion goes back to the garment workers.
The total amount of textile and leather ware going to Australian landfill in is 500,000 tonnes a year.
These statistics are a shocking reminder of how we all can contribute to improving our impact on the environment we live in. Not only is it more sustainable to buy quality, it also might save you a dollar buying better quality and timeless designs. I am pretty sure my husband will wear his beloved boots for another four years, which means he’ll spend $45 a year on them and contribute no shoes to landfill. Quality will last longer.
I think there is a great lesson to learn about choosing quality products and timeless designs. The same counts for our kids. I have been lucky enough to have been given a number of hand-me-downs for my children. Especially one close friend (thank you Claire) who has great taste and choses natural, beautiful, high-quality textiles has passed on pieces to my children. Those pieces of clothing still looking great and now that my kids have outgrown them, I can pass them onto another friend. We all enjoy seeing a friends little one in those pieces that our kids have worn and being reminded of those precious moments when they were little.
Next time you feel like a shopping fix, think about what you really need, save up for that one beautiful piece of clothing that will last you for years. Furthermore, another idea is to get your friends together and do a little clothing swap party. It’s a great way to catch up and think about reducing that landfill whilst having heaps of fun.
