Uniforms

The textile industry’s impacts start with large amount of resources, including water, land, oil, and pesticides, which go into producing the raw materials for the clothing we wear. Certain fabrics, such as organic cotton, bamboo, or hemp, require less resource inputs and can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. The dyes that color our clothes can contain harmful chemicals that damage our water sources and are often made from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Most clothing travels across the globe to its destination, resulting in a large carbon footprint for each garment, and the removed nature of this supply chain also enables the existence of sweatshops with unsafe and unethical working environments. Furthermore, a very high percent of discarded clothing ends up in landfills, which have become overwhelmed with non-biodegradable synthetic textiles.

Laundry

Washing uniforms creates another burden on the environment through the use of water and potentially toxic chemicals in laundry detergents and dry cleaning solvents.