Pittsburghers Against Single Use Plastic

Last autumn I was invited to host a clothing swap and give a speech for Pittsburghers Against Single Use Plastic. Here is that speech, check out our zine post for links to much of the information below. - Kristen

At Conscious Costume, our primary focus is on reuse. We take costumes and clothing from folks and circulate it back through costume artists and everyday people to make things last as long as possible.

One reason I love doing clothing swaps is it puts the power back in communities and reduces our dependence on corporations who are accelerating climate change. Most of what I'm about to share is in our zine or available on our website.

The average consumer buys almost twice as many clothes per year as we did in 2000, more of those clothes than ever are made out of plastic (and increasingly poor quality). 

Polyester production for textiles released about 1.5 trillion pounds of greenhouse gases in 2015, this is the equivalent of 185 coal-fired power plants' annual emissions. 

I'm sure you already know the problem since you're here.

What can you do?

Probably what you're already doing, raise your hand if you're wearing second hand clothes today 

• Don't buy new polyester clothing, be cautious of bamboo or other rayons which are chemical and energy intensive, be cautious of recycled polyester as it's also a greenwashing strategy.

• Get a microplastic filter for your washing machine, I use a guppy bag for my polyester items.

• Keep your clothes as long as possible, mend them, alter them, downcycle them into rags, use that plastic for as long as you can before sending it to landfill.

• Lastly, the problem with thrift stores: With the decrease in quality, increase in items, and accelerating globalization, thrift stores only put an average of 10-20% of what they receive onto the sales floor. The rest goes rag companies or baled and shipped to countries in the global south where it rots on beaches or mountains, out of our sight but polluting the local ecosystems.

• Make thrift stores you last choice when rehoming garments. Bring them to a clothing swap, share in your buy nothing group, work with local charities, or downcycle them into rags yourself. 

Immortal words of Fashion Designer and punk rock icon Vivienne Westwood:
Buy Less, Choose well, make it LAST.