Keeping our clothes in use for longer is one super-easy way of staying low-impact, and we can do that with the way we wash, dry and care for and repair our clothes. According to the charity WRAP (https://wrap.org.uk/), extending the use of an item by nine months would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints of that piece by 40%. 

What you can do: 

P.L.C x Blanc

At P.L.C we’ve teamed up with BLANC a sustainable cleaning and repair service to help you care for your clothes and give them the long lifespan they deserve.

Blanc offers a non-toxic alternative to traditional dry cleaning which delivers a better quality clean and is kinder to your skin, your clothes and our planet. Check them out!

P.L.C x Love Your Clothes

Learn more about making your clothes last longer with Love Your Clothes (https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/care-repair) which simply explains how we can reduce our impact by washing our clothes on lower temperatures, making them last longer, so we can wear them more. It’s so simple.

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1. Wash at lower temperatures 

Washing at 30°C or 40°C (often lower than stated on the care label) can help you save a lot of energy. Not to mention that it will make your clothes last longer as high temperatures are not good friends with textile fibres and wear them out. As for drying, skip the tumble dryer and favour line drying: it will save some energy and eliminate the heat and friction happening in the dryer which significantly reduces the clothes lifespan. 

2. Buy clothes made from natural materials 

Another solution to the ever-evolving issue of microfibres is to, whenever possible, choose natural fabrics over synthetic ones when shopping for new clothes. Linen, cotton, wool and silk all derive from plants and will (if produced without harmful chemicals) biodegrade more easily than petroleum-based synthetics such as polyester and nylon which are actually made of plastic!

FACT: Clothes release half a million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year, equivalent to more than 50 billion plastic bottles. They do not dissolve or biodegrade and end up reaching beaches and oceans where they can remain for hundreds of years.

3. Use eco-friendly cleaning products 

Just like for the food we eat, checking labels for cosmetics and cleaning products that are in contact with our skin is essential. Luckily, many brands - BLANC included - believe that washing your clothes shouldn’t cost the earth and there are many eco-friendly, non-toxic detergents on the market that work as good, if not better, as the conventional ones.

4. Make the switch to wet cleaning 

For the clothes you have that require a professional clean, one more thing you can do is to quit the dry cleaner and look for a professional eco cleaner like BLANC. BLANC, uses wet cleaning and liquid CO2 cleaning, which are the most eco and health-friendly methods of cleaning currently available - gentle on textile fibres, yet efficient on stains.