Did you know that the UK produces 206,456 tonnes of textile waste every year?
Yet less than 25% of textiles are being re-used or recycled. One of the easiest ways to cut your carbon footprint is to recycle clothes. This reduces the amount of new clothes being put into circulation, and saves resources. You can do this by selling and buying second-hand, which extends a garments life by approx. 2 years and cuts its combined carbon, waste and water footprint by 82% (ThredUp).
There are lots of ways of to recycle your clothes. Charity shops like Oxfam are one of the best, however, this isn't an option for many right now, so here are some other ways for you to recycle clothes, cut textile waste and reduce your carbon footprint:
Buy Vintage: Beyond Retro
'Beyond retro' is the leading vintage retailer across the UK and Sweden, and a key stakeholder in the circular economy. They launched in 2002 and sell second-hand, re-worked vintage items. Through recycling clothes, they rehomed 90 million clothing items (10% of the UK’s total textile waste in 2020) last year. BeyondRetro also has a minus carbon footprint, saving 608 tonnes of CO2e and 300,000m3 of water every year!
Buy and Sell second-hand: Vinted
Vinted is an online community for pre-loved fashion. They provide a platform for users to sell items and buy second-hand. Buying second-hand means you can sell your unwanted clothes to someone who will use them, reducing clothes waste and making some extra money.
Rent: By Rotation
Buying clothes to be worn for one occasion only is a thing of the past. Instead, clothing rentals companies are transforming the way we consume fashion. 'By Rotation' is the UK’s first peer-to-peer fashion rental app; they aim to empower you, the planet and your wallet. Their website allows you to lend your own clothes and rent out other people’s. They are encouraging a circular economy by only lending items already in circulation by users. They have the Eco-Age Brandmark and are members of the Sharing Economy UK. They also use the clothes doctor, which offers Eco-friendly cleaning solutions to clean clothes between uses.
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