The 7 R’s of Sustainable Fashion

The fashion industry is notoriously unsustainable, but that doesn’t mean your closet has to be, too. That said, greening your closet can be a daunting task. That’s why I recommend doing so slowly, by incorporating the 7 R’s of fashion into your green lifestyle.

The 7 R’s of sustainable fashion are as follows: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Rot. These principles aren’t just random; they’re a hierarchy of recommended steps to take before throwing away a piece of clothing as the last resort. Incorporate these steps into your life to slow your consumption of fashion and make more sustainable choices.

Even if you’re not ready to overhaul your closet just yet, learning the 7 principles of fashion is a good way to ensure that your future fashion decisions are better for you and the planet. Ready to find out more about the 7 R’s of sustainable fashion? Read on!

Photo by Cristofer Maximillian

What are the 7 R’s of sustainable fashion?

Remember the 7 R’s of the waste management hierarchy? Those principles, which aim to protect the environment by reducing our reliance on natural resources, can be applied to the fashion industry as well, with a few tweaks.

You might be wondering how the 7 R’s of waste management can apply to both waste management and fashion, but you’d be surprised at the overlap between the two industries. The fashion industry, especially the fast fashion industry, is a consumption-driven industry that results in mountains of trash, literally. Not to mention, the fashion industry is responsible for huge amounts of pollution to land and water, from the pesticides used to produce fibers to the toxic chemicals used in the production of textiles.

But all is not lost. An increasing number of fashion producers are turning to more eco-friendly and ethical methods of clothing production. Similarly, consumers have the power to make more sustainable fashion choices, and that starts with the 7 R’s of fashion.

Rethink

The first and most important step in this hierarchy is rethinking your consumption of fashion. Take a closer look at the way you consume fashion. Ask yourself: how important is it, really, to stay up to date on the fast fashion trends promoted by social media influencers? Do you impulse buy clothes when your favorite company promotes a new sale? Do you buy clothes because you’re afraid of “outfit repeating” or being out of style?

If you do, you’re not alone. In 2019, The New York Times did a story on three Gen Z shoppers, all of whom admitted to not wanting to be seen in an outfit more than once. An article in Vogue similarly lamented the lack of social acceptance around outfit repeating, pointing out that influencers who only wear items once do so to increase potential earnings.

However, it’s important to ask yourself these kinds of questions if sustainable fashion is your goal. Don’t get me wrong; fashion can be a powerful tool for expressing oneself, and you don’t have to wear the same thing every day in order to be sustainable. But there’s no reason that outfits shouldn’t be repeated, or that you can’t be fashionable with less rather than more.

The good news is that because the fashion industry is driven in part by consumer demand, consumers also have the power to slow it down. That starts with rethinking your relationship with fashion.

Refuse

Next on the sustainable fashion hierarchy is refusing clothing that is unnecessary or unsustainable. For example, it’s common for events and businesses to give out “swag” such as T-shirts or hats. While there’s a time and place for such handouts, they’re often cheaply made and overproduced, meaning that they’ll eventually end up discarded and sent to the landfill.

So next time you’re offered a fashion freebie – unless it’s something you really want – kindly say “no.” This not only keeps your own closet clutter-free, but it signals to companies that they need to shift their promotion strategies.

It’s also important to say “no” to fast fashion. One way to do so is by refusing to buy from fast fashion and ultra fast fashion companies such as SHEIN, H&M, and Forever21, amongst others. Another way to refuse fast fashion is to make the clothes you already own last longer. Instead of considering an item old when it’s been worn just once or twice, rewear it multiple times, adding different pieces or accessories to change up the style.

Reduce

“Reduce” is the first of the three core R’s of sustainable waste management, and a natural extension of “rethink” and “refuse.” While you may not be able to directly or immediately impact the amount of clothing that is produced each year – anywhere on the scale of 80 to 150 billion items a year – reducing your consumption can have a bottom-up effect on the fashion industry, as demonstrated by researchers.

The most effective ways to reduce your consumption of fashion include buying only what you need, choosing quality items, and making your clothes last longer to reduce the need for new ones. For example, make your clothes last longer by washing and drying them less often, only when needed rather than after every wear.

Did you know that you can also reduce your fashion consumption by renting an outfit instead of buying it? Instead of splurging on an expensive outfit for a holiday party, wedding, or other big event, consider renting one instead. Companies such as Rent the Runway, Nuuly, and FashionPass all offer a variety of styles and sizes at affordable prices.

Reuse

It’s high time that we normalize outfit repeating. Clothes are meant to be worn, so wear them! Unfortunately, most items of clothing are worn, on average, only 7-10 times before they are thrown away or donated. According to the #30wearschallenge, an item should be worn at least 30 times before it “breaks even” in terms of its environmental impact.

While most items can and should be worn even more than that, there may be valid reasons as to why you’re not wearing a piece of clothing anymore, such as changes in your height, size, or style. That’s where donating and reselling come in handy. To make sure that your clothing continues to be reused by others, you can gift, resell, or donate unwanted clothes. You can turn those items that no one may want into rags, stuffing, quilts, plant ties, shopping bags, and more!

Repair

Another key principle of sustainable fashion has to do with making clothes last as long as possible, even the cheap ones. Just because your favorite sweater has a hole in it or a button popped off your pants, doesn’t mean it’s reached the end of its life. Rather, many times a simple repair job can give new life to a well-loved article of clothing.

While it’s certainly helpful, you don’t have to be a tailor or seamstress to mend your own clothes. There are countless simple mending tricks, some of which are covered in this guide. If you don’t consider yourself particularly handy, you can find a willing friend or take your clothes to a professional tailor or seamstress.

Remember, even though it may seem like less of a hassle to simply toss the damaged item and buy a new one for cheap, that’s part of what’s driving the huge amount of waste in the fashion industry. Taking the time to repair your clothes, or having them repaired, is crucial to closing the loop in the fashion industry.

Recycle

As with the 3 R’s, recycling is not the first step in the hierarchy of sustainable fashion. While recycling is a valuable tool for preserving natural resources, it’s not a perfect solution, especially when it comes to textiles.

Contrary to popular belief, textile recycling is not a closed-loop system. Unlike recyclables such as cardboard, textiles are not usually made of a single material, making them difficult to recycle back into usable threads. Instead, most textiles are actually downcycled into things like stuffing, insulation, carpet, and rags.

Still, it’s better for textiles to be downcycled than for them to end up in the landfill, where they take up valuable space and release greenhouse gasses. So if you have items that are torn, stained, or used past the point of repair, recycle them at a drop-off near you or send them in to a company that will recycle them for you, such as For Days.

Rot

Finally, did you know that you may be able to compost some textiles? If an article of clothing is made of 100% natural fibers (such as cotton, linen, or hemp) you can compost it at home. Make sure to cut out any buttons, metal bits, or elastics first. Then, simply cut the item into smaller strips of fabric, and add them to your compost system. Depending on the fabric and your composting system, it may take 6 months or more for the fabric to fully decompose.

Because fabrics can contain lots of different elements and are not always compostable, they are not accepted by most municipal composting systems.

Do you incorporate any of the 7 R’s of fashion in your life? Do you have any other tips for a sustainable wardrobe? Comment below to share your experience!