Ten Mind-blowing Reasons to ‘Make do and Mend’

By Kevin Reilly
It is well documented why we should be concerned about climate change--and you probably agree we have a responsibility to future generations to limit our impact on the planet.  But have you ever considered the effect our clothing waste has on the environment?  If you are caught in the cycle of 'fast fashion,' and frequently peruse the Internet for new clothes, this may be doing far more harm than to that of your pocketbook. Perhaps we should be paying as much attention to our old jeans and shoelaces as we now do to plastic straws!  Don't believe us?   Consider these facts:

• Shoes can take up to 1,000 years to break down.
• The average American throws away approximately 80 pounds of used clothing per year.
• 43% of adults under the age of 25 say they would throw away a pair of shoes for something as minor as a missing shoelace.
• The average pair of jeans is responsible for 915 pounds of carbon dioxide during its life cycle.
• The annual environmental impact of a household’s clothing is equivalent to the water needed to fill 1,000 bathtubs and the carbon emissions from driving a modern car for 6,000 miles.
• 95% of all textiles have the potential to be reused or recycled, but currently they are recycled at a rate of only 15%.
• If the average life of clothing was extended by just three months, it would reduce their carbon and water footprints and waste generation by five to 10 percent.
• Compared to roughly 5 billion pounds of textile waste in 1980, more than 32 billion pounds were generated in the US in 2014.
• The textile industry has the second highest potential for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to other recyclables.
• It takes 700 gallons of water to make a cotton shirt!

Would you like to make a difference?  We all can begin to improve these numbers by simply repairing one piece of clothing instead of replacing it.  One 2 oz. bottle of Tear Mender can repair 50 cotton shirts, for example--which, if you were to replace those shirts, would consume 35,000 gallons of water!  The mends made by that same bottle also limit carbon emissions and could be used to save shoes from the landfill, etc.  Even further, Tear Mender is non-toxic and eco-friendly, as it is made from all-natural ingredients.  Thus, mending our clothes is a great place to start--and c'mon, aren't we all better than throwing away a pair of shoes because a lace is missing?