Tips To A Sustainable Halloween Costume

by Kaylee Baker October 14, 2020

One of my absolute FAVORITE holidays is right around the corner! The leaves are turning (in other places, in Arizona its just now cooling to 100 degrees) the pumpkins are being harvested, and it is now socially acceptable to dress up and have FUN.

But did you know that Halloween takes a serious toll on our environment? I know, I know...why cant we just let loose an ENJOY this holiday without the doom and gloom- I hear ya, and you still can! I just want to bring some spooky facts about Halloween costumes and some tips on how you can still dress up, look (good,sexy,weird,scary,cute,silly-whatever vibe you are going for) without a MONSTROUS (pun intended) negative impact.

Scary Facts About Costumes

One of the biggest carbon footprint from Halloween are the millions cheaply made, poor quality fast fashion costumes mass-produced every. single. year. Unfortunately most if not all are made from unsustainable materials like polyester (plastic) or cotton (which unless it is organically grown as a slew of negative effects). These costumes are manufactured in countries with poor labor standards (aka slave labor) and are so poorly made that they will likely fall apart after only a few uses. This is INTENTIONAL. Halloween costumes are one of the worst forms of fast fashion, and big retailers count on you to buy a different costume every year.

2,500 tons of Halloween costumes get sent to landfill each year.

Americans will spend $2.6 billion on costumes worn for one night

zero waste halloween

Costume Tips:

Ditch The Stores------Shop Your Closet First

For the last few years I have been shopping my own closet for costumes. I have been a flapper girl, Persephone, a cat, and a DIY fairy. I greatly enjoy the creativity of putting together an outfit/ costume with what I already own

Persephone

Hold A Costume Swap

If you have some old costumes you no longer ware get some friends together to exchange them! It will be new to you and prolong the costumes life while creating a fun night with friends

fairy

Rent A Costume

This is a great way to get a stunning costume that you wont have to keep, also helps to support local business.

Make- Up Focused Costume

Even if you aren't super makeup savvy there are a TON of simple makeup territorials that can be done with basic makeup- or if you are skilled in the art of makeup....lucky

mermaid costume

Thrifting/ Secondhand

This is one of my favorite tips because you can find such gems this way! It is also affordable and good for the environment. I got my mermaid costume secondhand and I LOVE it!

Ethically bought

If you STILL just need to buy a new costume or are looking for something specific seek it out ethically- invest in something by a local creator or costume maker. These pieces will be made to last, use higher quality materials, and does not support slave labor. Etsy is a great resource for this!

mask

Those are all my tips for low-waste Halloween costumes! Which ones are your favorites or you want to try out? Have any tips of your own? Let me know in the comments below!