Eco-Schools is part of Keep Britain Tidy

(Re)Love Our Stuff

(Re)Love Our Stuff

The fashion industry contributes to the climate crisis, it is responsible for nearly 20% of the World’s wastewater and about 10% of global carbon emissions. (Re)Love Our Stuff was developed by Eco-Schools and Keep Britain Tidy’s Centre for Social Innovation to alter the way young people think about fashion. Inspired by the Eco-Schools Seven Step Framework, (Re)Love Our Stuff prevents clothing going to landfill, puts you at the heart of your community and creates financial savings for parents by providing instructions for your Eco-Committee to organise and deliver a second-hand, pop-up clothes shop event.  Good luck and have fun!

(Re)Love Our Stuff Seven Step Early Years Guide

“We really enjoyed it, it was easier than we thought it would be, we saved from landfill and helped out some of our families as well!”

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(Re)Love Our Stuff Seven Step Primary Guide

“Parents have asked if we would do it again.”

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(Re)Love Our Stuff Seven Step Secondary Guide

“It felt rewarding to be able to pass on our unwanted clothes to be of use to someone else.”

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This Eco-Project can be linked to the Eco-Schools Topics:

Biodiversity

People don't always think about fashion and the environment, but fashion choices can harm wildlife and lead to habitat loss. Cotton production is responsible for over 20% of insecticide use globally; materials such as viscose are made from dissolving pulp fibres often sourced from ancient or endangered forests and materials in demand like cashmere can lead to overgrazing of animals resulting in habitat loss for other animals.

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Energy

Fashion accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, making it the World's second most polluting industry. Every stage of the textile industry's supply chain requires huge amount of energy from processing yarn to producing textiles then transporting and selling clothes. It is estimated 80% of energy used in the fashion industry is during textile manufacturing to wash, dry, dye and then sew clothes, many of these factories operate in countries largely dependant on coal for producing energy.

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Global Citizenship

Recently the fashion and textile industry has been the focus of several negative news stories, with even factories in Britain reported to be paying workers below the minimum wage. Abroad the picture is no better with accounts of dangerous working conditions, employee abuse and even reports of forced labour.

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Waste

The UK's fashion habit is growing and with it so is clothing waste. An estimated £30 billion worth of clothes that have never been worn are hanging in wardrobes across the UK and a staggering 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every five minutes or that's £140 million worth of clothing each year!

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Water

The fashion industry relies on water throughout every stage of the production process - it takes around 1,800 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans! Even natural fibres rely heavily on water, cotton is one of the most unsustainable crops on the planet.

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