5 Environmental Benefits of Choosing Upcycled Textile Products Over Fast Fashion

As the world grapples with issues such as fast fashion, the need for sustainable approaches is more crucial than ever before. The term fast fashion describes the mass production of cheap clothing, which directly contributes to environmental degradation. The utmost consumption of resources, pollution, and a non-stop cycle of textile waste are linked together. In today's world, many consumers are turning to upcycled fabric products as a mindful and artistic way to ease their carbon footprint. Here, at Dwij Products, we focus on the old and cast-off textiles like denim and give them a new purpose that is functional, stylish, and eco-friendly.

With that said, crafted below are five reasons why upcycled textile products are an eco-friendly alternative to fast fashion:

1. Reduces Textile Waste In Landfills

The cycle of fashion never ends, and one of the biggest waste producers in it is the fast fashion industry, which encourages a throwaway lifestyle. As a result of their cheap pricing, millions of fast fashion stores pop up. This leads to more than hundreds of millions of footfalls each year, contributing to an ever-growing cycle of wasted clothes. Used clothing stores and second-hand shops quickly became a solution to society's shopping addiction, with the newly added feature of 'thrifting' in the curriculum. The average person these days has dozens of clothes lying unused and unwanted in their closets, contributing to dozens of tons worth of clothing waste piled into the landfills every year. Not only is this bad for the environment, but the clothing often consists of synthetic fibers, which take hundreds of years to break down while emitting a constant stream of microplastics. Recycled or upcycled products, however, provide unused materials a new lease, inherently reducing the amount of waste created, ultimately leading to more sustainable systems.

2. Water and Energy Reduction

The raising of clothes has a huge toll. For example, the cultivation of a single pair of jeans uses nearly 10,000 liters of water. In addition, dyeing and finishing processes require an extraordinary amount of energy. By upcycling denim products from old garments, there is no need for virgin raw materials. This change alone makes upcycling more favorable by reducing water and energy expenditure on denim products.

3. Decrease The Amount Of Pollution

Fast fashion captures the essence of novel trends as well as the mass production of garments, which is one of the primary offenders of air and water pollution. The creation of fabrics is often accompanied by the use of destructive dyes and chemicals, not to mention the untreated water that is drained in staggering quantities into seas and rivers. Moreover, construction sites emit an entire range of greenhouse gases and all manner of other pollutants. The upcycled textile products do not employ such methods, making them the greener option. At Dwij, the production of upcycled products has all chemical processes minimized or eliminated. That greatly improves the environmental footprint of the upcycled products.

4. Lessens Carbon Emissions

The carbon footprint of the entire fashion industry is approximately 10% of the total global carbon emissions. The carbon cost related to a fast fashion item, starting from its raw material extraction and global transportation, is astonishing. Upcycled denim products greatly reduce the carbon emissions associated with production and shipping. When you choose upcycling, you were actively participating in a low carbon and low-impact movement.

5. Promotes Circular Economy

The linear economy of fast fashion is based on make, use, and throw away. Circuit? Supported by upcycling, where waste is viewed as valuable, and every upcycled product champions creativity and resourcefulness. By purchasing upcycled goods, you are helping to enable a system that promotes longevity, reusability, and smart usage of resources.

Concluding Remarks

Instead of buying fast fashion, choosing upcycled textile products is a pledge to work towards an environmentally friendly future. At Dwij Products, we are happy consumers, as they help to change the sustainable revolution by providing high quality and stylish products, upcycled denim, which are eco-friendly. Each purchase from us is another step towards minimizing fashion's environmental impacts and supporting a responsible fashion industry.

Make a choice today that will enable one to assist in improving the world tomorrow—choose upcycled products and choose sustainability.

Riya Mehta is a sustainable fashion and Seo content writer working for Dwij Products in India.