Sewing and making your own clothes can be a rewarding experience. It gives you the opportunity to be creative, innovative, and resourceful. When a person makes their own clothes, they are also helping the environment and taking a proactive step in supporting sustainability and a greener lifestyle. Below, discover some of the environmental benefits of making your own clothes.

3 Green Benefits of Handmade Clothing

1. You're Offsetting the Burden Imposed by Commercial Manufacturing

Clothing is mainly made in large factories, which employ equipment and processes that take a toll on the environment. Mass-production machinery uses unclean energy sources and emits greenhouse gas emissions into the air, which contributes to a warming climate. The chemicals utilized in clothing manufacturing pollute the air, soil, and water. In fact, the fashion industry is the world's second-largest polluter of freshwater. By sewing your own clothes, you are offsetting some of this burden on the environment.

2. You're Lessening Transportation Pollution

Once clothing is mass-produced, it then must be transported to warehouses and stores. The pollution produced by transportation is massive. One container ship creates the same amount of pollution as 50 million cars. Your handmade clothing from your sewing machine requires far fewer transportation needs.

3. You're Reducing Landfill Waste

Much of the clothing produced in factories are made of synthetic fabrics. These fabrics are not biodegradable, which means they never break down into a safe and natural state, even centuries after they've outlived their usefulness. These items will take up space in a landfill, and the mass will only worsen with time. By making your own clothes, you can choose more environmentally friendly fabrics. Go for natural textiles like cotton, wool, or hemp. You should avoid nylon, polyester, rayon, and spandex. 

A reliable sewing machine is essential to making your own clothing and enjoying the environmental benefits of handmade apparel. Riehl Sew N Vac has been supplying the Anchorage, AK, area with a variety of sewing machines and repair services for over 30 years. Call (907) 563-2909 or visit them online to learn more about their current inventory.