One massive step towards living an eco-friendly lifestyle starts with your clothes that can create negative environmental impact especially with fast fashion. 

Fast fashion refers to the industry speed of turnover increases as time passes that might seem efficient but is a waste of money and materials that aren’t environmentally friendly. Some customers don’t even realize they’re supporting fast fashion as it is an unregulated industry that is becoming more prevalent. Luckily there are a couple of methods to help quit fast fashion and promote other sustainable style options.

Quitting fast fashion might not happen overnight but you can start taking some steps towards building an ethical wardrobe. The best place to start is to evaluate what you must ensure you value and take good care of the clothes you already own.

Taking care of your clothes is important so they last longer while avoiding waste and preventing damage that can lead to being tossed in the trash. Most fabrics are made using non-organic materials with traces of man-made fibers that are designed to last a long time but take a long time to degrade resulting in more waste.

The next step is to shop less and only buy items that you truly love acknowledging you’ll be keeping clothing for a long time to come. Another important shopping tip is starting to choose clothes that are more durable made of high-quality materials and support ethical brands with eco-friendly initiatives.

Shopping local will help support your community’s local economy and locally produced goods that tend to have a lower carbon footprint. When shopping tries to bring your own reusable bag to reduce additional waste practicing refuse, reduce, recycle, and reuse.

Some store employees naturally start placing products in a bag and it’s best to present your reusable bag requesting to use your own bag before handing products over to an associate. Shopping with a reusable bag also is easier so you don’t have to use a cart or basket that also avoids germs from other shoppers.

You have the chance to save clothing that is destined for a landfill by buying vintage or used/second-hand clothes that will help extend the life span of clothes. A bonus with buying used or vintage clothes is the money you’ll be saving if you were to buy new clothes.

Caring for your clothes can ensure they last a long time, and a majority of a garment’s environmental impact occurs after the purchase mainly through washing. It’s recommended to wash garments less to preserve water and electric resources while reducing detergent runoff into water supplies. If you have garments that require dry cleaning, try to clean them when needed.