How you look after your clothes is important. A massive amount of energy is consumed through washing and drying our clothes. In fact, a Cambridge University study estimated that about 60% of the energy associated with a cotton t-shirt is consumed through its use. Other estimates suggest that 70-80% of a normal garment’s energy use is tied up in laundry time. The rest is used up by the material, production and transportation. You can reduce the energy you consume looking after your clothes by doing 2 simple things:
- 1. Reduce the temperature of your wash cycle
- 2. Don’t tumble dry
Our performance tops are made from polyester. This means that they are oil based products, but as they are made with recycled material, they take less energy to produce, and deal with an important waste problem. One of the benefits that our recycled polyester tops have is that they dry really quickly. That means that you should never be putting them in the tumble dryer – you just don’t need to (and you could damage the reflective print on our active tops). Polyester can be washed at lower temperatures as well. We recommend washing our garments at 30°C under normal conditions. An occasional 40°C wash might be needed if the clothes are really dirty or smelly, but you should be able to get on at lower temperatures most of the time.
A lot of time has been spent on the wash temperature issue, and really, that’s a good thing – but bear in mind that your tumble dryer will consume far more energy than putting a 60°C wash. If you want to save energy, put your clothes on a rack to dry.
