Make What You Wear Count: Sustainable Fashion Choices for a Healthier Planet
By Patricia E. Langan
Alexandria, VA – Every morning we get up and choose what to wear. That choice not only protects us from the elements but also signals to the world who we are and what we care about.
If you care about the environment or fair labor conditions for workers, consider how you buy, maintain, and dispose of clothing. Why? Because textiles, apparel, and shoes are top emitters of hazardous chemicals and greenhouse gases – more than international flights and shipping. Plastics from fossil fuels are in 69% of all the clothes we wear. Experts estimate fashion is one of the world’s top 5 dirtiest sectors.
As I’ve learned how dirty fashion is, I’ve decided to more consciously choose what is in my closet and advocate for a more ethical and sustainable industry through the community I’m building, Women for Women’s Wear. The workers in fashion’s value chains – 80% of whom are women – need better working conditions and protections against the ravages of extreme heat and flooding. For example, in Bangladesh, from which the United States imported $8.2 billion of apparel in 2025, heat waves of 104 F are common, and most factories do not have air conditioning.
The business model for fashion is overproduction, which fuels overconsumption. Today Americans buy and dispose of clothes at record rates. Annually, the average American throws away or donates 80 lbs. of clothes. But donating clothes is a stopgap since 85% of donations go to landfills or are incinerated; only 15% are recycled.
What can be done to clean up fashion? Better policy can incentivize better business practices. Two congressional caucuses, the Slow Fashion Caucus and the Recommerce Caucus, and states such as California are promoting circular economy laws to reduce overproduction and natural resource consumption, increase use of natural fibers, create biodegradable and more durable textiles, strengthen reuse and recycling infrastructure, bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and pay garment workers a living wage.
What can you do? Locally, you can shop at Old Town’s wonderful consignment and thrift stores. Donate fabric and jewelry to Alexandria’s UpCycle Creative Reuse Center. Support local designers who create decent jobs. You can find them at boutiques that carry sustainable brands such as World Crafted in Old Town, Park Story in Chevy Chase, and The Phoenix in Georgetown. Invest in the type of craftsmanship and lasting quality you get at local Dash’s of Old Town or Donna Lewis.
When you buy new clothes, use Women for Women’s Wear shopping tips (https://bit.ly/4u84R3H). Choose brands that have take-back programs, such as Athleta, Patagonia, and Reformation that have stores in Old Town and Georgetown. Download the rating app Good on You (goodonyou.eco), and use it when you shop.
Let your elected officials know you care about overproduction and textile waste management. Encourage Alexandria to follow the successful example of Fairfax County and adopt textile recycling. Tell state legislators to follow California’s example and pass an extended producer responsibility law for Virginia, which discourages overproduction and encourages sustainable design.
When you get up tomorrow, make what you choose to wear count for a healthy planet and community!
Patricia E. Langan is founder of Women for Women’s Wear, the community of women living in the U.S. who want to find and buy ethical and sustainable fashion designed and made by women more easily. Join for free @WomenforWomensWear on Facebook and Instagram.
