Sustainable Fashion Awareness
The biggest consumer storm is approaching: Black Friday (and Cyber Monday).
While not all discounts lead to mindless consumption, it's important to distinguish between purchasing essential items during sales and indulging in unnecessary shopping sprees. It is okay to await Black Friday for affordability - sale seasons help access to products that might otherwise be out of reach.
But. When it comes to buying new clothes, shoes, and accessories...
Photo by Vestiaire Collective
Did you ever stop to think about the environmental toll of our fashion choices?
When it comes to buying new clothes, shoes, and accessories, consider this: a staggering 92 million tons of textiles are discarded every year.
That's enough to fill the entire Buckingham Palace or create a fashion waste pile the size of the Eiffel Tower, every single day.
Have you heard of Waste Colonialism?
It refers to the practice where high-GDP countries dump hazardous waste into low-GDP countries.
In simpler terms, it's a form of environmental exploitation, where wealthier nations contribute to pollution in less affluent regions.
Check out an example at Accra’s Kantamanto Market, known as the largest second-hand market in the world HERE
Photo by Nana Kwadwo Agyei Addo, courtesy of The Or Foundation
So, before you dive into the frenzy of shopping, stop and consider the impact of your choices.
🟥 Ask yourself three crucial questions before reaching for your wallet:
1. How much do I already own?
2. How much will I wear it?
3. How long will it last?
You might discover you do not need that new item after all.
🟥 Apply the 5 Rs of sustainable fashion:
Reduce (what you own and consume)
Rewear
Recycle
Repair
Resell
🟥 Shop from local fashion brands to support your community.
🟥 Choose responsible brands that positively impact the planet, scrutinizing their transparency regarding labour, environment, and animal welfare.
These changes are steps we can all take to push the fashion industry towards sustainability. But for real change, we need to pressure governments and brands that contribute most to harm our planet, people, and animals. In addition to buying less and buying better, participate in social movements, demand systemic change and justice, and challenge cultural habits.
Say no to the culture of overconsumption perpetuated by Black Friday sales, and remember we have the power as consumers to push for positive change with more than just our spending
Real change begins with us - pressuring governments and brands, buying less and better, participating in social movements, and challenging harmful cultural habits.
Join the movement:
