Small changes in how you care for your clothes can significantly reduce their environmental impact – while saving you money.
Why Does it Matter?
Every time we wash, dry, or store our clothes, we make choices that affect longevity, waste, and the planet. With 500,000 tonnes of textiles ending up in Canadian landfills each year, keeping clothes in use longer is one of the simplest ways to reduce fashion’s footprint.
By adopting better care habits, you can: extend the life of your clothes, reduce microplastic pollution from synthetic fabrics, lower energy and water use, save money by replacing items less often.
How to Read Care Labels
Indicates that your item can not be dry cleaned.
Indicates that your item can be washed in a domestic or commercial washing machine.
Indicates that your item should not be machine washed.
Indicates the maximum temperature that the garment can be washed in:1 dot =30°C, 2 dots=40°C, etc.
Another way of indicating the maximum temperature that the garment can be washed in.
Indicates which washing setting to use:No bar = normal, 1 bar = permanent press, 2 bars = delicate/gentle
Indicates your item can be washed by hand or in a delicate/gentle cycle.
Indicates your item can be wrung.
Indicates that you should not wring your item.
Indicates that your item can be tumble dried at any temperature.
Indicates the temperature of heat that can be used. 1 dot=low heat.
Indicates the temperature of heat that can be used. 2 dot=medium heat.
Indicates that the item should not be tumble dried. Hang your item instead.
Indicates that your item can be ironed.
Indicates the temperature of heat that can be applied:1 dot=low, 2 dots=medium, etc.
Indicates that you can steam your item.
Indicates that you should not iron your item.
Indicates that you should not steam your item.
Indicates that your item can be dry cleaned.
A few more helpful tips:
A common chemical used in dry cleaning is tetrachloroethylene (known as PERC) has been identified as a possible human carcinogen. The dry cleaning process also creates hazardous waste that pollutes soil and water.
Washing clothes in cold water saves 90% of energy compared to using hot water.
Hand washing is better suited for delicate fabrics, but it’s also a great way to reduce your water usage, especially if you’re only washing one or two items.
Hanging your clothes to dry can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year.