Making new clothes uses up a lot of resources and energy. It is estimated that the number of carbon emissions produced when one household buys new clothes each year is the equivalent of driving an average car 6,000 miles.
The average household owns about £4,000 worth of clothes and spends £1,700 per year on new clothing. What’s more, around 30% of clothing in the UK has not been worn for a year.
Below you will find resources related to the causes and problems associated with clothing waste.
What does sustainability in textiles look like?
How to run your own sustainable fashion event
Take part in the north London School Uniform Exchange
Did you know?
Every year, an estimated 336,000 tonnes of used clothing get thrown in the bin in the UK. [Source: WRAP]
Every year, an estimated 336,000 tonnes of used clothing get thrown in the bin in the UK. [Source: WRAP]
Fast fashion... what is it?
Fast fashion is the mass production and sale of cheaply made clothing, often closely following the changing trends and seasons. We buy more clothes per person in the UK than any other country in Europe. Keeping up with trends is not only expensive for us but also detrimental to the environment. However, it’s easy to prevent textile waste – buying second-hand, donating clothes to charity shops, and wearing the clothes you already have are easy changes we can make to reduce the problem.
What does sustainability in textiles look like?
The sustainability in textiles segment on BBC bitesize is a great feature for your science lessons for the older years. It sets out a path as to what ‘sustainability’ in clothing would look like, including the strengths and challenges the industry faces.
How to run your own sustainable fashion event
We've written a guide on how you can run your own fashion event. This is a great way to get everyone involved in being more sustainably minded. All you need is for pupils and staff to bring in their unwanted clothes and get creative! With the cost-of-living crisis affecting us all, this could be a fantastic initiative to run in your school.
Did you know?
Making a new pair of jeans can use 3,781 litres of water while growing the crops and dyeing the jeans. [Source: WRAP]
Making a new pair of jeans can use 3,781 litres of water while growing the crops and dyeing the jeans. [Source: WRAP]
Take part in the North London School Uniform Exchange
Join our School Uniform Exchange network, where other like-minded schools across north London are setting up a second-hand uniform exchange event or shop to help their parents’ wallets and tackle the negative environmental impacts of clothing waste!
Check out our webpage for further information and get in touch with us on WastePreventionTeam@NLWA.gov.uk if you’d like to run the School Uniform Exchange in your school.
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