Clothing is a part of our everyday lives, and as the winter months continue on, it is perhaps time to consider how our clothes impact our carbon emissions. Dr Janine Morley, a researcher in the sociology department at Lancaster University, delivered a webinar as part of the Lancaster University Festival of Social Science in November 2021, on why how we dress matters for climate change, and linking fashion and clothing with how we live sustainably and reduce climate impacts from energy use.

Firstly, the fashion industry has an extremely large ecological and social impact, through pollution from dyes, water and land use, waste through over production and the use of finite materials. Tackling fast fashion is often focused on the production and retail side of industry, through petitioning large scale business to change production for the better or encouraging consumers to shop less. Personal actions regarding fast fashion and sustainability tend to focus on reducing consumption, buying second hand and getting the most wear out of an item of clothing. Not much of the discussion considers the “in-use” impact of clothes, particularly regarding how you choose from what you already own can impact your energy use. Dressing seasonally, in this case meaning appropriately for weather, matters for sustainability. Perhaps one of the most infamous campaigns regarding sustainability and clothing in the home, is encouraging washing clothes at lower temperatures - but how do we go beyond this?

One main consideration around the clothing you already own, and what Dr Morley focussed on, is how what you choose to wear impacts domestic energy consumption, and how to get the most of the clothes you already own. Domestic energy consumption for heating is a high use of UK Carbon emissions, and the decarbonisation of heat is arguably the biggest challenge facing UK energy policy over the next decades. Whilst switching homes to alternative sources of heat is very much needed, there is also a need for consumer understanding of how what they wear whilst at home can lower heating use. When attendees were asked what actions they would take at home to reduce energy use – most opted for turning off unused lights, only boiling exact water in the kettle, or using extra clothing to keep warm. Keeping the thermostat low was one of the less used options for using energy in the home. However, lowering the thermostat by just 1⁰C can have a huge impact on energy use, reducing climate impacts as well as costs, with an estimated 10% reduction in heating bills with just a 1⁰ C reduction in thermostat temperature. This conversation has been even more important over the last two years due to the increases in working from home as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We often think of clothing as a condition of the cold, when we experience cooler weather we tend to add more layers. The “put a jumper on” expression will be a phrase many of us are used to hearing when complaining of being cold in the house (or at least it was in my house growing up!). The phrase has also often been seen as the poster child for environmental action at home across the world – with National Sweater Day in Canada and the Netherlands. However, warm and seasonal dressing is more than just a jumper. Some materials are more effective than others at keeping us warm, as well as the type of garment. It’s also about knowing your own comfort – if you feel the cold on your legs adding thermal trousers would be more useful than another jumper. Knowing what you prefer, and the difference between fabrics, can be beneficial from a comfort, and access, perspective, and can also prevent physical constraints to simply adding more layers.

There are also cultural concerns and social limits to dress to consider, with nuanced conventions to what people can wear, and feel comfortable wearing. For example, for me personally whilst I know an additional pair of warm socks, or a blanket, will considerably warm me up without the need to turn the heating on - would this be appropriate for an office space? Or out for tea with friends? Some garments may be more effective as well, but cultural convention tells us it’s not appropriate for the situation – for example a woolly hat is conventional for warmth, but is it appropriate for a meeting with your manager?

It’s not just about keeping warmer either – in the summer months, and as ‘heatwaves’ become more frequent in the UK, knowing what fabrics can keep you cool is also important, and challenging convention of social norms for dress is also perhaps required. An example of this can be seen in Japan – where during the summer months the wearing of formal office wear (suits) lead to an increased use of air conditioning to remain cool, increasing energy consumption in offices. This led to the annual government ran Cool Biz campaign, promoting energy conservation through encouraging a change in the acceptable dress code in offices for a lighter choice, to reduce the need for air conditioning.

As well as combatting societal norms when it comes to dress, there are opportunities for innovation, re-design and experimenting when it comes to clothing manufacturing and reducing carbon. This could be during production, minimising waste along the supply chain, using sustainable materials, repurposing used items. When central heating became wide spread in the UK, fashions were changing. For example, wool reduction use in clothes, and increase in other textiles has been suggested to coincide with the introduction of central heating in the 1960s. Garments have become lighter and heating has become more energy intensive. Therefore, there is scope for more targeted intervention and interest in the quality of textiles and the “warmth to weight ratio” – something which is already prominent in the outdoor clothing market, but could be transferred to others. Much of this fall to the fashion industry to improving sustainability of fashion through production and manufacturing, as well as making things more recyclable. Clothing labels will include care instructions, on how to wash, dry, and maintain its qualities - should clothing also include a “wear at:” temperature, to advise consumers on when a piece of clothing is more appropriate?

Upon reflection, when I signed up for the webinar, I think I misunderstood Dr Morley when the idea of “dressing seasonally” was introduced at the beginning. I immediately equated this with fashion seasons or trends, where new outfits are needed for every season (spring, summer, autumn, Halloween, 4th July, Easter, - whatever the event there’s a new fashion trend for it!). I was sceptical at first, as I feel overconsumption is a massive problem in the fashion industry. But in reality, Dr Morley equated “seasonally” with dressing for the weather and dressing appropriately for the comfort we need in that setting. It is also about understanding how to best use what we already own. We can all experiment with what works for us personally, what is the warmest outfit, how does it feel, are we comfortable. It is perhaps something we have done rather subconsciously before - for example when I play netball outside or go to football matches, I will choose clothes that will keep me warm and/or dry, and these same principles can apply to in the house. The benefits of doing this will be particularly prominent for our domestic energy consumption, and in light of recent news regarding the cost of energy process this will be beneficial for both the climate and keeping expenses down.

Related Blogs

• 

  Reporting on nature: a status report

• 

  10 Days Later: what did I learn from my low-carbon commute to the Netherlands?

• 

  Nature & Biodiversity: a new challenge for ESG

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.