Are you a consumer committed to the environment? Are you a sensitive consumer with the development of your community? If the answer is yes, this post will interest you. If the answer is no, you still have time to do your bit.
According to data from the United Nations Organization, the fashion industry has the unproud merit (or rather demerit) of being the second most polluting industry on the planet. The textile industry is responsible for 10% of global pollution, a horrible figure considering that in a country as important for fashion as Spain, it only contributes 2.8% of the national GDP and generates 4.1% of employment. , according to data provided by Ernst & Young (2020). According to what was exposed at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the fashion industry generates more carbon emissions than all maritime and air transport combined. In addition, every year 500,000 tons of microfiber are dumped into the sea, equivalent to 3 million barrels of crude oil. This all seems to indicate that it has fatal consequences for the acceleration of climate change. From our point of view, all the advances in this industry that make our lives easier and more pleasant have a place only when the damage they entailed does not put the sustainability of the ecosystem that surrounds us or the well-being of people at risk. According to WWF, people on average ingest more than 100,000 plastic microparticles at the end of the year, which would be equivalent to a credit card a week. In addition, the fashion industry consumes huge amounts of water.
Another of the terrible problems of this industry is the relocation of production (although we are not going to blame globalization, since it undoubtedly contributes to the economic, cultural and social progress of our societies) it generates obvious ethical problems. The precarious working conditions of especially the women and children who make the clothing chains of the fast fashion industry are vox populi, and we cannot become aware only momentarily when a disaster like that of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013 (when they died 1,134 people due to a collapse caused by a fire in one of the factories that supply large multinationals due to precarious working conditions).
But all is not lost, recently in an ocean of brands and competition based on price cannibalism, more and more brands are choosing to deviate from the norm and differentiate themselves by being ethical companies creating products that contribute to the local and regional development of economies and producing products that are increasingly respectful of the environment. Today, we have brands in our country that are proud to produce in Spain, contributing to the development of the local economy, the creation of value and employment. Also, more and more brands are committed to reducing the use of plastics or recycling waste and waste in fabrics and materials that are perfect for fashion. There are certain steps that help us to be more responsible consumers, and that do not have to harm us as consumers or force us to consume fashion that we do not like.
The first step is to prioritize quality above all else. Choosing clothes that we know will last more than one season is essential. We've all experienced buying those bargain pants at the regular store in the mall that don't last half a season, wear out after a second wash, or lose shape and color with daily use. In addition, it is very important not to throw the clothes into the green container, but to donate the ones that can still be reused or deposit them in the clean point for recycling.
The second step is to buy making sure that the product is not going to travel tens of thousands of kilometers to reach our homes. These long journeys generate a lot of pollution due to the use of fossil fuels from air, sea or land transport. There are always local options both in physical model or for sale online in our environment or in our country. In addition, buying in the country of residence ensures that there is a regulation that will protect you as a consumer.
The third step is to choose those products that offer alternatives to the use of plastic or that have been made from recycled materials. In this article we will show you a few. Think, that many of those recycled plastics come from the oceans and it is plastic that we will not eat when we eat fish or seafood. In addition, we all enjoy when we go to the beach and we don't find trash on the beach that spoils the landscape.
The fourth step is to make sure that we know that the brand we buy generates quality employment and that the company that produces and sells it has good corporate social responsibility criteria.
The fifth, very simple but one of the most important is to buy things that we like. If we do not like a fashion, it is better not to buy it to let it accumulate dust in the closet or throw it away two days after using it.
These are some of the steps that we believe can help you to be a more responsible consumer both with the environment and with your community, but they are the only ones. At DA PONTE and DA PONTE ONLINE we always ask ourselves how we can improve both our sales experience and the product we offer. Next, we are going to show you some products that we sell with the DA PONTE ECO seal that will help you contribute your bit to the environment.
First we leave you with this magnificent unisex backpack from the Levi's brand made from 100% recycled materials from discarded plastics. Click here to see the purchase page.
We also present these women's sneakers from the Pepe Jeans brand with plastics (soles) made from recycled materials. Click here to see the purchase page.
Here are some blue sneakers for men from the Levi's brand, also made from recycled materials. Click here to see the purchase page.
Finally we leave you with another model for girls from the Pepe Jeans brand that also has the ECO seal. Click here to see the purchase page.
Thank you very much for your attention, remember that you can follow us on facebook and instagram as daponte.tienda, and on instagram (secondary account), Pinterest and TikTok as daponte.online. We also invite you to take a look at our page, if you have any questions about DA PONTE or want to contact us we will assist you by Facebook messenger, private Instagram messages or by email info@daponteonline.com.