A guide for a more conscious and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

1. Consider if you really need to buy a new piece of clothing. 

Textile manufacturing takes a lot of nature resources, so the best thing for the environment is to use clothes already hanging in your wardrobe, or swap or borrow from a friend.

2. Buy good quality items that can be used for a long time. 
A high-quality product lasts much longer and will survive many more washes than a low-quality version. It might hurt your wallet a bit when you buy it, but it pays off in the long run and the environment will thank you for it. Please read more about how production is done here. It’s always better to make one garment instead of two or three, for the same usage time.

3. Look after your stuff properly. 
It can mean several different things. At Operose, we believe that garments should be used extensively, even in challenging conditions where they may be exposed to dirt and wear. However, we want to share some tips to help garments last longer. For instance, it may be sufficient to wash just the knee pads instead of the entire trousers if you've been kneeling in the mud. You can also wipe off stains with a cloth and let the garments air out for a refresh. But when you can't postpone it any longer, wash gently at low temperatures and use eco-friendly laundry detergent! Today's washing machines and detergents are so effective that we rarely need to wash at high temperatures to get clean clothes.

4. Recycle your clothes 
At the moment, there is unfortunately no established large-scale recycling of textiles, but if you’ve stopped using a piece of clothing for some reason, please sell or donate instead of just letting it sit un-used in your wardrobe.

5. Mend instead of throwing away
Even the best quality clothes finally reach a point where it’s thoroughly worn out, but are you sure it needs to be discarded? It can often be repaired and used as your “muddy day” gear, even if you’ve replaced them with a newer pair. We’re more than happy to give you advice on how to repair and alter your old workwear.  If you want tips and advice on how to mend your work wear, we're more than happy to assist you. We've compiled videos on our YouTube channel where we demonstrate common repairs and adjustments. Feel free to watch these and reach out to us via email or through a video call if you need further assistance. We'll see if we can find a suitable solution for your problem.