Fast Fashion

As we step into spring, many of us will be thinking of having a clear out and getting out to the shops to buy new clothes for the summer ahead. According to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, the average consumer purchases 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago.

This all adds up to two tonnes of clothing being purchased every minute in the UK, generating 50 tonnes of carbon emissions which is the equivalent to driving a car 162,000 miles. It’s no wonder that the fashion industry contributes 10% of global emissions and 20% of global wastewater. As the global population continues to rise, there is no sign of this trend slowing down. By 2030, global fashion consumption is projected to rise by 63% to 102 million tons which is equivalent to 500 billion additional t-shirts.

Like most consumer goods, the damage doesn’t end with the production of clothes. Only 1% of the materials used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing at the end of its life. In addition, half a million tons of plastic microfibers are dumped into the ocean every year which equates to around 50 billion plastic bottles.

Reducing the impact of fast fashion is a growing trend with many people buying vintage and second-hand clothing from charity shops or online. So if you are clearing out this spring, why not take any unwanted items to a charity shop for someone else to enjoy?

In the UK, we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe. Two further ways that everyone can reduce carbon emissions from fast fashion include extending the average life of clothes by just nine months, saving £ 5 billion in resources and doubling the number of times each garment is worn would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44%.