Humans of Shenzhen
WearSustainable
"WearSustainable" is a student-led initiative spanning over 20 high schools across the world, aspiring to transform the paradigm of the textile industry by promoting sustainable clothing choices, offering personalized guidance towards sustainable lifestyles, and "making green the new black."
Initaitive
Accessible guidelines towards sustainable lifestyle based in schools and communities. Exploring the challenges of Shenzhen's garment workers.
Leader
Albert Wang
Members
BIPH ESG Club, BNDS Sustainability Club, SCIE SDGs Club, MHIS MUN Club, etc.
Latest Posts
Find journalistic coverage of the polluting, exploitative clothing industry, tips for living a sustainable life when it comes to what we wear everyday, academic studies of the trends behind fast fashion, and the stories of those workers who produced your clothes, told by themselves. Fiber by fiber, learn about the garment workers whose narratives are weaved into the clothes we wear, one story at a time.
01
Cost on the Environment
Climate change
Textile generates the most greenhouse gases per unit of material. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) measures that the textile industry causes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This huge carbon footprint is further increased after apparel is produced, transported, and purchased. Washing, drying, and ironing clothes increases water and energy consumption, whereas the incineration of disposed old clothes emit CO2 and other pollutants. A pair of $15 jeans on Amazon, for example, produces 11.5 kg of CO2, 9% of which comes from cotton cultivation, 10% from yarn cultivation, 57% from garment production, 4% from transportation and retailing, and 20% from use phase.
02
Water Use
Accountable for 79 billion cubic meters of annual water consumption in 2015, textile production is the second most water intensive industry in the world. The cultivation of fibre (cotton and linen, for example) alone uses 44 trillion liters anually for irrigation. It therefore comes as no surprise that for every ton of testile produced, 200 tons of water must be used. Studies have associated this extravagant use of water to water scarcity in arid regions, demonstrating that the fashion sector is responsible for 7% of local groundwater and drinking water losses, predominantly in water-stressed manufacturing regions in India and China, as well as other developing nations. 20% of water loss suffered by Aral sea resulted from cotton cultivation.
03
Chemical pollution
.Using 15,000 chemicals during the manufacturing process, the textile industry contaminates local water supplies and degrade entire ecosystems by generating poisonous by products. Beginning with fibre production, 16% of the world's insectide, 4% of herbicide, and 1% of fungicide is used to produce cotton for clothing. These toxins cause over 1000 deaths per day. During the production process, over 466 g of chemicals is used for every kg of textile, including sizing agents, pretreatment auxiliaries, dyestuff, pigments, dyeing auxiliaries, final finishing auxiliaries and basic chemicals. Of these chemicals, 10% pose significant human health risks, and 5% pose risks to the environment.
Sustainable Clothing in community
Stitch by stitch, every choice makes a difference
01
Buy sustainably
From keeping abreast with the latest trends to replacing worn-out garments, we need to buy new clothes. But buying new clothes can be done in more sustainable ways - if that textile is part of a circular economy. Here are the most convenient methods to buy clothes in socially- and environmentally-responsible styles.
02
Wear sustainably
While production and disposal of garments pose huge threats to our environment, a huge portion of your ecological footprint comes from use-phase of clothes. Washing and drying textile, for example, are extremely energy- and water- intensive.
03
Dispose sustainably
Don't throw away old or unwanted garments or "donate" them to old garment boxes - they will end up as scraps in a landfill, CO2 in the air after incineration, or items sold secondhand in African shops. But don't keep them at the corner of your closet either. Try giving your old clothes a brand new life!
04
Live sustainably
"Sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter."
---United Nations Environmental Program
Buying "green" styles
"In 2022, the global market value of secondhand apparel was estimated to be $177 billion. This value is projected to rise rapidly, reaching $351 by 2027.”
---Statista.com
Rent Apparel
Need a nice and special suit, dress, or costume for a performance, job interview, or dance party? If you won't wear them often, then instead of purchasing expensive apparel and piling them up at the corner of your closet, you might want to consider renting them, which saves space, money, resources, CO2, and ultimately the future of our planet.
Share/swap
Want to keep abreast with the latest trends with the newest design? Before you know, your "new design" might become outdated by fast fashion's ever changing taste. So, why not consider sharing/swapping new designs with your friends, classmates, or neighbors? Sharing and swapping spears the need to buy multiple garments and prevents harms to our environment.
Buy Second Hand
Need new clothes to wear on casual occassions? If you know you will wear them frequently, consider buying second-hand, saving your money as well as the energy, resources, and work that's put into producing new clothes. To reduce the ecological footprint of transporting garments, buy clothes offline. If there is no offline thrift shops around you, choose the online platform with clothes stored near where you live.
Find sustainable clothing shops/platforms around you
Wearing "Green" Styles
"For a cotton shirt, 35% of its associated CO2 emissions result from textile manufacturing, while 52% is produced during the use phase.”
---Nature Review
1
Hand Washing
Washing machines consume huge amounts of water and energy. Though it might be more time- and labor- consuming, hand washing your clothes can spare huge amounts of water and air pollution (from waste water and CO2 emission). If a washing machine must be used, try washing more garments together.
2
Air Drying
Drying machines are energy intensive. Air drying your clothes on a rod saves your money (cheaper electricity bills) and our planet (less greenhouse gas emission). Ideally, you want to find a place outside, with abundant sunlight and moderate wind. Remember to shake out clothes to remove water and wrinkles before you hang them up.
3
Increasing Lifespan
Along with hand washing and air drying, washing your clothes with laundry detergents with more neutral pH (7-8) extends the durability of textile, thereby extending the lifespan of your garments before they get worn out. Increased lifespan means less buying and less disposal, saving money, time, CO2, and our planet.
Treating your old clothes
Don't throw away old or unwanted garments or "donate" them to old garment boxes - they will end up as scraps in a landfill, CO2 in the air after incineration, or items sold in African shops. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Try giving your old clothes a brand new life!
Consignment Store
If your garment is still in good shape, sell it at a consignment store near where you live to get some easy cash out of it!
Recycle
If your clothes are seriously worn out, leave them to a recycling station, where its textile fibers will be reused.
Repurpose & Reuse
Make your old garments into mats or rags, sparing you the need to buy them at a store, saving you time and money.
01
Consignment stores
Consignment stores help sell your old apparel on your behalf, paying you a percentage (ranging from 5-90%) of the selling price. Find a consignment store near you from this list! (If there are none, try an online store.)
02
Recycling
If your clothes are worn out, put them at a community used clothes recycling bank or a used garments collection station near your home. Your garments will then be classified, and usable textile fiber will be taken out and repurposed. If there are none in your community, organize one with your neighbors!
03
Repurposing/Reusing
With some effort, old garments can be turned into new clothes, accessories, patches, bags, keepsakes, home decor, dolls, curtains, rugs, cleaning rugs, and so much more! Find more inspirations and detailed guides for repurposing old textile from the link below.
Sustainable clothing on campus
School uniforms and on-campus clothing constitute a huge portion of students' carbon footprints and textile wastes. Find campus-oriented guidelines towards a sustainable lifestyle in your school by clicking at the name of your school --- including unique ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle clothing on your campus!
