On top of the issues that come with garments not being used at all, the Use/Care phase plays a very significant role in the life cycle impact of clothes, and has even been estimated to be the stage with the highest impact together with raw material extraction. Laundry alone accounts for approximately 30% of the carbon footprint of clothing. During this phase, large amounts of water, energy and chemicals are used in washing, tumble drying and ironing, and there is the issue of microplastics shed into the environment. It also is the longest phase of the garment, as these actions can be repeated hundreds of times, further degrading the garment and turning it into waste. It really is a critical stage, where our habits can make a big difference. Additionally, impact varies for different products and depends upon factors such as consumer behaviour, geographical zone in which the product is used, and even the weather conditions in that zone. Let’s look at each one of these issues in detail… 

 

Similarly as in the Finishing phase described earlier, (where jeans are washed to get desired effects) washing, drying and ironing jeans at home requires large amounts of water, energy (mechanical and thermal), and chemicals.

 

Additionally, all this stress reduces the lifespan of clothes, as fibers degrade or shrink, colours fade, and clothes end up not being usable anymore. 

 

The impact of your wash highly depends on the energy mix of your supplier (whether your electricity was made from impactful sources such as coal, or through renewable energy, like hydro), and the temperature that your tap water starts from, which is why we mentioned the geographical area. According to the UK Energy Saving Trust, choosing to wash at 30 degrees rather than at higher temperatures uses around 40% less energy, and reduces the degradation of clothes. According to WRAP, extending the average life of clothes by just three months of active use per item would lead to a 5 to 10% reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints. 

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Many of you have probably read terrifying headlines detailing the amount of plastics that we eat on average every year due to microplastics having entered the food chain, and being found in water, vegetables, milk, etc. Remember us mentioning microplastics earlier? What is the difference? 

 

Microplastics are plastic pieces less than five millimeters in length (mostly formed when plastic waste material that has been discarded in nature breaks down), and microfibers are a subcategory of microplastics that are fibrous in shape (mostly formed in the washing of textiles that contain plastics, such as polyester and nylon). According to researchers at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), plastic particles washed off from products such as synthetic clothes & textiles contribute to 35% of primary microplastics polluting our oceans. That is a LOT!

 

How does this happen? During each wash, the fibres undergo a large amount of stress due to the force of the water, the temperature, and the chemicals that are applied through soaps, softeners etc. This causes tiny pieces to break, so small they’re not visible to the human eye, and end up in the water.