How to make your clothes last longer

The fashion industry alone produces 10% of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Did you know it takes on average a whopping 9,000 litres of water to make one pair of jeans? Buying fewer, better quality clothes that you love and wear for longer will save you money and reduce your impact.

1. Wash with care

If you can, air your clothes to get another wear out of them! When you do wash them, wash at 30degC and on gentler cycles to help them last longer. What to know more laundry tips on protecting your clothes and using less water? Here are 5 tips which will help.

2. Breathe new life into old togs

An estimated £140 million worth of clothing is sent to landfill every year in the UK alone (WRAP) and fabrics take hundreds of years to decompose (many don’t due to the plastics they contain). The good news is that old clothes, even damaged and holey ones, can still be put to good use to avoid being wasted. Stitched Up has lots of great videos on how to repair and rework your clothes.

3. Your trash could be another’s treasure

Over half of us have bought clothes and books second-hand. Browse this guide to passing on unwanted items or grabbing a preloved bargain.

4. Avoid the bin

When your clothes have reached the end of their life, don’t put clothes in the bin - instead put them in a textile bank so that they can be recycled, find your closest textile bank with The Firefighter Charity or the Salvation Army or find your closet R4GM centre.

5. Make a reusable face mask

Old cotton fabrics such as t-shirts and towels are perfect for making into reusable facemasks. Globally we are estimated to use 129 billion every single month, and single-use masks aren't recyclable or biodegradable, so with everyone needing them day-to-day a reusable can make a big difference. Here's an easy tutorial on how to make a mask in minutes. Reusable face coverings should be washed regularly and can be washed and dried alongside other laundry - or boiled or steamed for quicker washes between laundry loads.. For more information on using a face covering, check out the official government guidance