I’ve been visiting thrift and outlet stores recently and there’s just So. Much. Clothes. there. I’ve been wondering what are the features of clothes that impact environment the least. Guess being “naturally dyed” or undyed, is one of them.
The garments that have the least impact are definitely the thrifted ones, even if originally produced in the most polluting method possible. Used > new even if the new clothes were made from the most regeneratively grown cotton and stitched by well paid workers. Textiles contribute to 10% of global emissions, cotton is a very demanding crop and the production process itself can be quite nasty.
linen can have issues too, depending on how it is retted. Im not a fan of bamboo based viscose either. Wool is awesome but $$. Which other fibres are more environmentally sound?
Honestly not sure. You can buy fancy American grown cotton which I presume has slightly more stringent environmental regulations and fewer human rights violations involved in its production. Then there’s synthetics which have their own host of issues. I think you’re better off buying quality clothing that will last instead of fast fashion that you don’t keep for long.