In the year 2024, we are all aware of the effects that the fast fashion industry has on our planet, and the part it plays in global warming.
According to research by Get Green Now, an environmental education blog: “The fashion industry contributes to about 5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“That’s equivalent to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the entire worldwide aviation industry, or the entire country of Russia!”
The overproduction of products is becoming increasingly concerning. However, there are ways to decrease the impact that this has on global emissions, and that’s by cutting down the amount we buy.
Buy Nothing New month is a campaign introduced to the UK by Keep Britain Tidy in January 2023 to cut down on spending and consumption in order to help the environment.
One of the many ways to cut down consumption is to reuse what’s already out there – a great example being the use of charity shops.
Clara Shaw-McIver, deputy shop manager of Oxfam on Bold Street, said: “In the UK we send about 6,460 tonnes of clothing to landfill every week, which is insane.
“They just end up in landfill or get incinerated which again, isn’t good for the environment, and a lot of it is things that can be reused or recycled.
“One reason why there is so much waste is because of fast fashion, it’s so cheap and it’s made so fast, it’s not really made very well, so you could wear it like once or twice and then it’ll fall apart which is why there is so much waste happening now.”
Using charity shops has become a trend in itself with people online posting vlogs of themselves spending a whole day charity shopping alone or with friends where they ultimately find a new on-trend wardrobe for a fraction of the price you would pay in high street shops or websites.
Clara said: “Every year we’re getting busier and making more money which is great.
“There are quite a few influencers now who, their whole thing is promoting sustainability and showing people the kind of things you can get in charity shops.
“There’s quite an old-fashioned view where people might look down on buying second hand things and think that we only get your nans clothes in, but we don’t, we get loads of amazing stuff in that is really well made and that will last a long time.”
Not only are charity shops sustainable but the money spent in them will go towards helping some really worthwhile causes.
A spokesperson for the charity Ulster Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) said: “Charity stores exist primarily to generate vital income to run crucial services, especially charities like the USPCA which receive no government funding.
“It also reduces waste and lessens the demand for new clothes.
“Customers are investing less money on quality pieces that are going to take them through the years, whilst also contributing to the ‘Slow Fashion’ movement.”
So not only will you be stylish, better off financially and doing your bit for those in need but you will be helping cut down global emissions one garment at a time.
Featured image © Becca McHaffie via Unsplash
