Ditching smart work clothes could help climate change

While ironing my husband’s work shirts I was struck by the thought that the humble shirt, the basis of many corporate dress codes, might be contributing to climate change. This might seem the desperate plea of a woman on maternity leave (ironing is not usually my chore) but consider this. My husband wears five shirts and two pairs of smart trousers a week, on top of his normal clothes. When I go back to work, you can add in my work blouses, skirts and dresses for the week. On top of that, there’s my son’s school uniform: five polo shirts and two pairs of trousers. We then come home and change into our “scruffs”. I don’t know about you but I find it difficult to play games with my son in my work clothes for purely practical reasons.