We follow the 3Rs most of the time, isn’t it? Now let us add more Rs i.e. Refuse and Repurpose.

We need to refuse to reduce the amount of waste being generated on a day to day basis. It is the first step in this cycle to create the greatest impact. When all of us do this as a collective work, then the demand for new production decreases, which will ultimately reduce the number on its production and benefit our environmental impact.

As a global citizen, we need to question ourselves before we purchase a new cloth:

1.     Do I actually need it now?

2.     Can I afford to buy it?

3.     Will I be using it?

4.     Is it worth the cost that I am spending?

5.     Can I find the cloth cheaper elsewhere?

In case the answer to the above questions are yes, then try and donate something from your wardrobe. Consider buying cloths that are more eco friendly to our environment. There are many cloths which doesn’t have a negative impact on our mother earth.

Linen doesn’t require more eater and pesticide to grow and produce. It is made from flax. Another one is Hemp. It is very similar to Hemp. When compared to cotton, these require very little water and chemicals to grow.

The next step is to reduce. We need to decrease the quantity and number of clothing items we need in our life. We need to use less which will decrease our purchase of new items.

Let us try to follow a few simple steps:

1.     First remove the cloths that no longer fits you

2.     Pass on such cloths to someone who can reuse them

3.     Recycle your stained, faded, ripped cloths

Reuse is the next step as we wear our cloths more than once. We also can try to wear clothes from our family members such as siblings, friends and vice-versa. Alternative is to donate them to charity organizations.

Have you repurposed your clothes? It means modifying your existing cloths or remodeling them to create a new dress. This is upcycling. This is really interesting and challenging. As you can create a wrapped skirt with your scarf. You can try to create a top for a girl or woman with a men’s shirt. You can also try to cut your clothes into smaller bits to stuff for a cushion or pillow or make a stuffed soft toy. Else, make a bag out of your old t-shirt. Isn’t it quite interesting?

Now the final process is to recycle if none of the above mentioned 4 steps does not help you. This step will greatly reduce our impact on environment as it reduces our requirements for extracting the natural resources and energy usage.

In case you are working in an A/C office, then we can use clothes more than once before sending them to laundry. You can fold your clothes instead of using plastic hangers. Try to always set your water level in the washing machine to low as this will greatly reduce the water consumption. Try to purchase eco friendly detergents.

Utilize the natural heat from sun to dry your clothes instead of dryer.

I hope all of you will try to plan your actions based on the 5 Rs.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse and repurpose.

I refuse to shop and buy new clothes until I have sorted my wardrobe. I will try to sort the ones that I use and the others separately. I will donate the unused clothes to charity or family members for reusing them. I will also use my creative side to repurpose my clothes.

Courtesy:

Fashion becomes the latest fashion victim

Repurpose clothes