CHOOSE WELL, MAKE IT LAST
Approximately 300 million shoes reach landfill annually, and that number is growing every year.
With the rise of fast and disposable fashion, more and products end up in landfill… Either through rejected stock, unsold products, or from the growing mentality that an item can be worn for a season (or even once!) before being chucked on the scrap heap. Fashion and trends are moving so quickly that sometimes it’s not even wanted by the time a retailer takes delivery of it. We are consuming on a monstrous level.The UN says that by 2050, the equivalent of almost 3 planets could be required to provide the natural resources to sustain current lifestyle patterns given the population growth.
“Extending the life of your clothing and footwear has a significant impact on reducing your carbon footprint”- Fashion Revolution
We need to reject the idea that we need to be purchasing new clothes/shoes/homeware every day/week/month. Investing in fewer, well made, long lasting products is the obvious way forward. Extending the life of the carefully chosen things you buy not only reduces waste but also the carbon emissions from reduced fossil fuels usage.
“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the type of world you want"-Anna Lappe
We as consumers have more control than we realise... we can vote with our wallets. Market forces determine that only the fittest survive... and the businesses that don’t value sustainability, ethics and social responsibility... well they won’t. If we are careful about the things we buy, we can make a difference.
Remember the 5 R’s for reducing personal consumption:
