Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Carbon Footprint

Over the last few years, I’ve felt really conflicted about my shopping habit. While half of my Instagram feed is filled with memes prodding me to ‘treat yo’self’ the other half is telling me how the fashion industry is ruining the planet. (Okay, there’s some Pedro Pascal in there too.)

One of the ways I’ve tried to deal with this is to buy from brands that are sustainable. Or claim to be. I’ll admit, I’ve been fooled by gorgeous photos and beguiling lines and ended up with clothes that are anything but planet friendly.

Even though I’ve been a physicoolsports customer for a while now, it’s only recently that I started paying attention to all the nerdy numbers each piece of clothing comes along with. So I thought I’d share what I learned with you. I’m nice like that.

Now being asked to think about what you’re wearing as we live through a climate emergency, probably seems like the most privileged, frivolous, Marie Antoinette thing I could do. But the fact is, what we wear and where we buy our clothes from, matters.

 

 

Pause the cat reel and read this

Now, there’s no way around it, but buying new clothes increases your carbon footprint - as does each and every action we take as humans. Simply put, carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) that humans and industry generate every time we do something. That includes buying food, going to work, even sharing cat reels with your best friend!  And greenhouse gases are what’s causing global warming (It’s 52 degrees in Delhi as I type this.) 

Before you go down a rabbit hole of guilt and self-recrimination, here’s where I tell you that when you shop from physicoolsports every product you buy removes more CO2 from the air than it creates to make it.

Nope, I’m not high on Frooti. Let me break it down for you.

Grab a hold of something cold and fruity

All physicoolsports clothing is made from 100% organic cotton using a 100% local supply chain. Organic cotton seeds don’t need harsh pesticides and chemicals which saves water and uses less energy. By going the organic cotton route physicoolsports saves 91% water and 64% energy compared to conventional cotton. Plus, it just feels so much better.

100% Local: All our products are made in India from start to finish. It's all 100% local and this means no air miles. We wish that was enough, but it’s not. Each item of clothing we make still results in CO2 being released into the atmosphere. This is where carbon offsets come in. 

Okay okay, stay with me here. Don’t go watch another cat video. 

Think of carbon offsets as a kind of accounting mechanism that allows people and organisations to mitigate the effects of their carbon footprint. It’s not a get-out-of-jail-free-card. Of course, it’s better to walk or take public transport, rather than a Uber Prime (try Uber Green instead!), but if you’re taking that Uber Prime, how can you make up for the carbon emissions that result from it? Through carbon offsets.  

Carbon offsets allow people and companies to invest in environmental projects that reduce or remove CO2 from the air - think reforestation, solar power, wind and hydro energy or bio-gas - projects that actively seek to avoid, reduce or remove CO2 from the air. Plus, for every item purchased, we plant 3 trees, for some extra good karmic juju. And this is done at no extra charge to you, our lovely customer. All this comes out of physicoolsports’ profit margins.

Look, obviously the best thing to do would be to not buy new clothes, take good care of the clothes you have, upcycle and swap with friends. But if you’re going to buy something new, it’s just better to buy from a brand that really is #planetpositive.

So the next time you’re shopping on the physicoolsports website or in the store, take a moment to look at those nerdy, definitely itsy bitsy, teeny, weeny numbers.