Clothing & Textiles
Fast Fashion has a negative impact on the environment
Overproduction of clothing, footwear and household textiles has many detrimental environmental impacts including water pollution, greenhouse gas emission and the amount of waste which is generated.
EVERY SINGLE WEEK we throw away 533 tonnes of textiles
Approximately 533 tonnes of clothing is thrown out every single week in Northern Ireland and around 30% of this unwanted clothing and textiles is binned.
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) raised awareness of the growing issue and challenge around clothing and textile waste with their Forever Fashion Campaign. The campaign promoted alternatives to buying new such as shopping in second hand clothing outlets or if your clothing has a tear, undertaking simple repairs.
What can I do… to reduce the impact of fast fashion?
- Find preloved clothes near you and visit your local charity shop. This is a great way to avoid binning textiles while also supporting good causes
- You can repair or upcycle your clothes by getting involved with the growing Repair Café movement across Northern Ireland. Repair Cafés host regular events where you can bring along your clothing, have them repaired or learn practical repair skills, helping to extend the life of your garments and reduce waste.
I reuse, what about you?
Discover more about the environmental benefits of reusing clothing by using the “I reuse, what about you?” online calculator.