We all know the saying: the most sustainable blah blah blah is the one you already own.

A valid point, yes, but not always practical. Style evolves, we finally land jobs that offer above the tuna and rice diet pay range and an old lover took our favourite shirt. But as the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion notes, the fashion industry accounts for 2-8% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second most polluting industry on the planet after oil. Yves Saint Laurent was lying when he said ‘fashion fades, but style is eternal’ because fashion does not fade: 87% of clothes are incinerated or end up in landfill. So, while not buying anything at all is best, here are five questions to ask yourself before buying something new. 

Who made this? 

Thankfully in Australia, it is required by law to state which country items are made. Ideally homegrown is best. We have strict minimum wage laws here for all workers along the supply chain, already grow a lot of the raw materials and the emissions for transporting said clothes are automatically reduced when made on home soil. But that’s not to say overseas factories aren’t as good. In fact, most overseas factories have technology much more advanced than Australia simply because of the volumes of clothes they produce, and are just as ethical. Understandably a lot of overseas manufacters have a bad wrap due to their history of sweatshops. The biggest indicator of whether a clothing brand is truly ethical or not can be seen in how transparent the brand is. Have a quick look at the brands website. Do they have a supplier code of conduct? Do they talk about wages, working conditions, working hours and child labour? Are factory names disclosed? If you’re not doing anything shady than this information should be readily available. 

What is this made from? 

Globally, less than 1% of clothing is recycled due to inadequate technology and because most items of clothing are made from a hybrid of materials that are impossible to break down. I’m talking polyester, nylon and acrylic, which are all forms of plastic. The better options are natural fibres such as cotton, hemp, linen and wool, because they can break down and are more durable than their chemically made counterparts. Even better is when it’s organic and 100% of one singular fibre, because they can actually be recycled completely into something else. Unlike food, there aren’t that many alternative names for bad materials to hide behind, so just a quick read of the label should steer you in the right direction. Plus clothes made from plastic look like trash. Because it is. 

Is this well made or just trending? 

Longevity and fit are the two key factors that underpin quality clothing design. Fast fashion, on the other hand, is fast to fall apart, fade, stretch and become irrelevant. While higher quality does often translate to a higher price tag (which is a reflection of fairer wages along the supply chain and better but more costly materials being used), there are a few hot tips on how to tell if something is well made. Look for the fabric matching up at the seams, panels that divide shirts up (called yolks), hems that are properly finished and a label that tells you how to properly care for your garment. If it’s not something you can see yourself wearing upwards of fifty times then have a second think about if it’s something you want to invest in to just throw away a couple months later. 

Can I wait another week until I buy this? 

This was a lesson my mum taught me when I started my first job at Domino’s, after finally upgrading from washing the entire neighbourhood’s cars, and it’s stuck with me since. If you want something, like really, really want it—think about it for a week before you buy it. If, at the end of the week you still want it, then allow yourself to get it. This can be applied to most purchases in life, but often fashion is an impulse buy because it is on sale or we’ve got a party to go to over the weekend. This rule has saved me so much money and once-wear clothes. Cheers mum.

Can I fix or alter something I already own? 

Realistically, not all of us own sewing machines to repair our clothes (although learning to sew is the number one sustainability tip from me I might add) but getting to know a good tailor is one of the most underrated hacks of all time. Whether you’ve snagged your jeans doing god knows what or you’ve scored a pair of pants at the oppy that a just a little bit too long, you bet these little wizards will be able to repair and fit it for you at a cost much smaller than what it’s costing our planet when you throw it in the bin (the earth). Your local tailors aren’t actually tailors, they are wizards and I’ve never met a tailor that wasn’t a little darling yet. They can get your clothes fitting just right, or repair your favourite items so that they are pieces you reach for time and time again.