In the lifecycle of our clothes, the fourth stage out of five is the use phase. Each stage – from production to end of life – has different implications and impacts, but the use phase is particular and can make a big difference. Wearing, washing, drying and ironing represents up to 30% of the overall footprint of our clothing.
Unlike the impacts from production and distribution, which vary depending on choices made by the brands and their suppliers, the use phase is almost entirely up to us. Changing our habits around the use and care of garments can influence the impact of our clothes positively or negatively. For example, a T-shirt's use phase can vary from 2.5 kg CO2-eq per year in Sweden, to 24.6 kg CO2-eq in the USA.
Microfibres and microplastic
All textiles shed microfibres during production and use phase: the simple fact of wearing them or washing them will release them.
If microfibres from natural fibres can carry pollutants into the environment, the situation is a lot more severe with synthetic fibres, especially polyester. Not only is polyester shedding a lot more fibres than any other fabrics (up to 700 000 per item per wash), but these are microplastic fibres, contributing significantly to oceanic plastic pollution. Knowing that 70% of all fibres produced are polyester, it can be quite worrying. Therefore the quality and the nature of fabrics can highly influence the impact of a piece of clothing. Additionally, the way you wash and dry such clothing can contribute to more or less microfibres being released into the environment.
Washing
Washing clothes is a major contributor to water use and pollution. On average, a household’s laundry uses between 14.000 and 18.000 litres of water a year, which equates to the amount of water drank by one person in 12 years. Additionally, laundry detergents can be highly polluting when they contain non-biodegradable substances like surfactants and fragrances, which can also be allergenic to humans. The frequence and temperature at which we wash our clothes also plays a role in the overall footprint of a garment. Learn more about that in our dedicated article.
Drying and Ironing
Using a clothes dryer not only consumes a lot of energy but also releases additional microplastics due to the heat and friction it subjects the clothes to. Air-drying is a much better option whenever possible. Ironing, while necessary for some fabrics, also consumes energy, and frequent ironing can damage and reduce the lifespan of clothes.
It might sound obvious, but the longer we keep an item in circulation, the less impact it’ll have. Prolonging the life of our clothes mitigates the previous environmental costs associated with their production while delaying their entry into the end-of-life stage, which comes with its own set of environmental challenges. The use phase’s impacts are closely related to the lifespan of the garment, measured in years, number of wears, cleaning cycles, and number of users.
The way we care for our clothes greatly affects their durability. Excessive laundry cycles, which are common today, can impair the durability of our garments. Extending the amount of time we use or reuse clothes—keeping them in circulation—is crucial for reducing their environmental impact.
Research suggests that extending the average lifespan of a T-shirt by just nine months can reduce its environmental impact of use by 30% .
If all T-shirts in the UK were kept for 10% longer, 100,000 tonnes of CO 2 eq and 2000 tonnes of waste would be saved in a year.
Understanding the full lifecycle impact of various fabrics can help make more sustainable choices. For instance, wool jumpers have a significant environmental impact during the production phase due to the resources needed for raising sheep and concerns about animal welfare. However, wool has a smaller impact during the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life stages because it is durable, requires less frequent washing, and is biodegradable.
Conversely, polyester shirts may have a lower impact during production but have high use-phase and end-of-life impacts. They often require frequent washing, release microplastics, have an overall shorter lifespan as well as limited recycling options.
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