Do we really NEED all the clothes we buy or do we only buy them because we want to? Could we change the way we think and start buying only the things we need?

I think you have a really good point, we probably don't need as many as the clothes we own. But, I think the problem is not having too much, but how it is made and the waste afterward. For example, making one pair of jeans uses about 1,800 gallons of water, if we can cut that down those types of waste factors then I don't see that huge of a problem in having all the clothes you own. In general, though, it is always best to know if your clothes are getting made in a sufficient way that is healthy for the environment.

In my opinion clothes are essential to life, they keep you warm and are apart of your own unique style. I think that we need clothes, but people don't need as many clothes as they have. Shoes are a huge part of something that one may own to many of. Many people collect and have five or more pairs of shoes, it takes 2,257 gallons of water to make one pair or shoes. This is something as a nation and globe we need to cut down on. Shoes are essential, but having even three pairs of shoes is very harmful to our environment. Jeans use 1,800 gallons of water for one pair and for one t-shirt 400 gallons. There has to be some way that globally we can cut down to make still comfortable, stylish, and warm clothing, but use less water and other resources. The amount of resources used to make the clothes you buy probably isn't advertised, maybe if there was a way to know if you are buying resource friendly clothes you could start to make a difference. Also buying a lot of new and expensive clothing isn't very smart if you are not fully grown because you will just grow out of it and the clothes will go to waste. One way this is avoidable is to hand down used clothes that don't fit to siblings, friends, or donate them so that they can be reused and not wasted. Check out this link for more details about the amount of resources used to manufacture the clothes you wear everyday. https://www.the71percent.org/industrial-water-usage/

Clothes though they are basic essential, for many a big part of expressing themselves and their Identity., Wich is why it can be so hard to cut down. Most people are stuck on fast fashion. Even if you are one of these people who feel like they need lots of clothes, there are ways to cut down. Instead of buying lots of low-quality clothing that does not last long, you can take the time to buy high-quality basic items and build off of that. You can also switch to eco-friendly brands. Also, another thing to do is to donate your old clothing. Lastly, take the time to ask yourself, Do I really need all this?

I think that clothes are a necessity, but in many cases, people buy them not because they don't have enough clothes, but because they want something new. There are ways we can change the way we think and start to limit how much we buy, but that would be very difficult to achieve. Alternatively, we can start to buy items that are made from organic fibers. According to an article about Fashion's Environmental Impacts, these organic fibers do not require chemicals to be produced and are healthier for the environment. These alternatives will help the environment, and allow you to keep your own style. Lastly, I would like to ask why you think people have the need to buy new things so often.

This is a link for a website about organic and natural fibers.
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-en … al-impacts

I think that many people DO need to buy clothes but many people continue to buy clothes after they have enough.  Many people think that it is fun to buy clothes and to style themselves but it crosses the line because they do not need to they are making unnecessary waste.  I think it would be a good idea to stop buying a lot of clothes that we do not need because it will cut down on waste, and at the very least, it would not be contributing to the ongoing production of these clothes.  We could also start buying from companies that recycle their textiles in order to cut back on waste that happens when making clothes.  Another small thing that we can do to cut back on waste is to start bringing reusable bags when shopping instead of using paper or plastics.

this is a link for zero-waste fashion tactics
http://zerowastedaniel.com/zero-waste

I agree with what everyone is saying. Clothes are essential in our day and age. However, the amount of clothes most of us have (or at least people under similar circumstances as me) is extensive. Many of us have clothes sitting in our closets that never get worn. Now, I am not religious but in the story of Adam and Eve, they only discover clothing once they've eaten the forbidden apple. They started wearing clothes because they felt ashamed of themselves and felt the need to cover up. People today to similar things. They buy the clothing that covers their anxieties or makes them feel more confident. As people's identities and fashion choices change, people buy more and more clothing. I think expressing oneself is really important, but I also think we should recycle our clothing, donate, or only buy what we absolutely need. Similarly, people feel obligated to keep up with the latest fashion trends which are constantly changing. This causes people to feel the need to buy new clothes. Each of these reasons as to why clothing adds to a person’s carbon footprint can be diminished and changed through a person’s perspective. I believe people should do their best to reduce the amount of things they buy and recycle clothing when possible whether it’s buying it or donating it. I also think that people need to be more aware of the brands they support. For example, Nike is a very common brand but they do not use sustainable methods in the creation of their products. The factories themselves emit 193,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year and the employees are not treated well. Overall, I do not think that we need all the clothes that we have. We should reduce the amount we buy and only support sustainable clothing companies/brands.

I definitely agree with all of you. I do think that clothes are abasic essential and obviously something we use in our daily life. Clothes help people express themselves let alone keep people warm and comfortable. I would have to say that it should not be that hard to limit the number of clothes someone buys. I think some people buy clothes just to buy clothes and not really what the aftermath is. Many people buy clothes because of many different reasons, one being anxiety or insecurities. I agree that it is especially important to be able to express yourself but it wouldn't hurt to reuse or recycle or even reduce the number of clothes you buy.

I feel like you need the clothes that you buy but some people get too many clothes. If you have enough money and you have the flexibility to buy want you want than you can.

This is an excellent point. Many people buy multiple pairs of shoes when only one, maybe two pairs are absolutely necessary. Clothes is something that people need, but people often purchase excessive amounts of clothes. And when clothes are too small to fit, people throw them out instead of selling them to their clothes, or giving them to places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. On the topic of said places, people could get old, reused clothes from places like these instead of going out to buy new clothes every few weeks/months.

Coming from an American point of view, we live in a capitalistic society. Everything is based off of consumerism and business. While I don't believe this is totally a bad thing, I am a business major myself, it just pushes unhealthy ideologies. We are living in the era of a technological explosion. Even in my short 20 years I have seen how technology such as cellphones, laptops, and vehicles have changed and evolved so quickly. Everyone is focused on how far they can push technology and science, without thinking of the negative impacts that can happen as a result. This is especially dangerous to our ecosystem. The United States is already one of the most wasteful counties in the world and that is because of our consumerism and materialism. We can never be satisfied, new is never new enough.

I think people could change the way they think. Clothes are an essential, but people buy and buy so many clothes without thinking about how excessive it is. I believe people should start changing the way they think and buy only the things they need- not only would it help worldwide carbon footprint-but with saving a lot of money.

Personally, I do not think everything we buy is necessary. We do not need large quantities of clothing. It is partly society that forces us to consume because we must obey fashion standards. In the end, we do not buy clothes out of pure necessity but because we want to please ourselves. The purchase of clothes or shoes can even become an impulse. The problem is that all these clothes must be manufactured in very large quantities by factories, the latter having a fairly high carbon footprint.

I agree with you. I'm pretty sure we need enough clothing that lasts, besides from that we don't need to purchase any more clothes. Anything else is a want, if you have enough clothes to survive then any other additional clothing is a want.

I do not think that we need all the clothes we buy. I have noticed that sometimes I buy clothes just because I like the style of it or it is on sale, I do not buy it because I do not have anything to wear. I think that all of us should start thinking about this and try to cut back on our purchases that are not necessary.

We don’t really need to buy that many clothes or shoes, but here’s the thing, it’s not necessarily the action of buying these clothes that is damaging our environment, it’s the creation phase and the discarding phase. One of the key players in this discussion is the topic of fast fashion. Fast fashion is the act of making trendy, cheap clothes that are”disposable”. According to cbsnews.com the total greenhouse gas emissions related to fast fashion emitted 1.2 billion tons per year which was more than all international flights and shipping overseas combined. If people only wear clothes for nine months longer, you can reduce your carbon footprint for that article of clothing up to 30%. Creating our clothes can also be very wasteful and uses an excessive amount of resources. Growing the cotton to create a jacket uses roughly 2,700 gallons of water which is about 24 years of drinking water for a single individual.

Clothes can become essential to living especially in places with climates that are colder. There is an argument to be made about how humanity is wasting too much resources and materials to make something that doesn't serve a purpose large enough to it's costs. There are ways that humans can start to make clothing a more efficient process and make it more worthwhile.

I see your point Gisella. We really do not need as many clothes as we make it out to be. Personally when I am done or have grown out of my clothes I donate them to local shelters and thrift stores. Though I can see people in my country not doing the same. One thing we can try to do is putting more clothes donation centers places so we wouldn't have to make a many clothes. We could also try cutting down on the waste each piece of clothing makes such as such as recycling fabric or not overstocking shelfs.

Realistically, we don't need more than two or three sets of cheap clothes each. The majority of clothes buying is out of want.