Time to Change The Way We Care for our Fashion

How to care, wash and maintain our fashion finds effectively is not only crucial to a garments lifespan but can also reduce energy consumption and the amount of chemical pollutants introduced to the environment.

Launching this month, The Care Label Project – a collaboration between the fashion industry and washing machine manufacturers has been set up to promote smarter care habits in a move away from outdated care instructions. 25% of the carbon footprint of a garment comes from the way we care for it. On top of that, 90% of our clothing is thrown away long before it needs to be.

The Care Label Project is creating a new care symbol – Don’t Overwash – to inspire consumers to wash their clothes less, to avoid the harsh and damaging dry cleaning process and to use lower washing temperatures. So far, 18,200 garments are bearing the new label. The new care symbol is launched alongside an exclusive collection of designer garments and a ‘Modern Care Guide’ – to update our inherited washing habits with lab-tested advice for how to care for today’s fabrics. The initiative is a long-term collaboration aiming to result in smarter fabrics and washing technologies.

The project has been created in partnership with AEG, Electrolux, The Woolmark Company, Fashion Revolution and Not Just a Label and has been supported from the likes of conscious outerwear Houdini to sustainable pioneers Blackhorse Lane Ateliers and Tom Cridland amongst others.

For some care guide tips click here.

If you run a fashion brand and you want to join the Care Label Project then the initiative is giving away 20,000 “Don’t overwash”- care labels for free. Visit theCare Label Project website for more details.

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