Sustainable style is not only about what you buy. How long you keep each piece matters a great deal.
The nine-month figure
WRAP, the UK sustainability charity, reports that keeping a garment for just nine months longer could reduce its carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 20 per cent. It estimates this would save around five billion pounds in resources every year. Longer-lasting clothes mean fewer replacements and less demand for new production.
Durability is being tested
WRAP’s Clothing Longevity Protocol sets out tests and performance criteria for how physically durable clothing is. It has worked with the University of Leeds and 25 fashion brands on a unified testing method, and retailers including Primark, ASOS and John Lewis have used its guidance in their designs.
What this means for shoppers
Choosing well-made items you expect to wear often, and caring for them properly, supports the same goal of longer garment life.
Sources: WRAP: clothing durability case study.
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