This Christmas is it time we turn the tide on consumption and think about giving to our planet and change the way we give to each other?
Here’s something that’ll leave you more stunned than the Oxford Street Christmas lights: last year Britain spent a whopping £19 billion, on Christmas gifts, according to a study by British Airways. It’s more than any other European country.
Each household splurged an average of £475.51 on gifts, with the biggest proportion of spend on clothing and shoes.
Research by VoucherCodes and The Centre of Retail Research estimates that 22% of that Christmas expenditure is on clothes and shoes, meaning we will be ringing up a whopping £4.18 billion dressing ourselves and our family.
And what will happen to this mountain of clothing?
Frighteningly within a year its estimated that 60% will end up in landfill or incinerated.
It’s not just the waste that is an environmental problem. It’s the environmental impact of producing every item, to make one kilo of cotton – the equivalent of a pair of jeans – manufacturers use 10,000-20,000 litres of water and produce 23.2 kilos of CO2e.
Our ever-growing consumption of clothing, in the last 15 years clothing production has doubled, has transformed the fashion industry into the second most polluting industry on the planet.
But it’s not all doom and gloom as Yuletide comes upon us.
For the fashion industry sustainability is the new buzzword and many of the big brands are signing up to schemes to make fashion more sustainable in the way cotton is grown and innovative ways to recycle fibres into new clothes.
And there is a small but growing sector of start- ups which encourage consumers to shop clothes second hand or even rent clothes, to extend their life and reduce their environmental impact.
Here at Loopster, www.loopster.co.uk , we are on a mission to revolutionise how kids’ nearly new clothes are bought and sold.
Kids clothes with so little wears are the bete noire of sustainability, at Loopster we extend their life reducing their environmental impact.
We hand-check every item we sell to ensure it’s good quality, with brands from Gap to Ralph Lauren at a quarter or less of High Street prices.
For the grownups who are looking for something special that doesn’t cost the earth, there’s www.wearthewalk.co.uk -where you can rent a wardrobe for £60 a month or chic-by-choice.com where you can rent a designer special piece.
So, Happy Christmas shopping! And here’s to gifting our planet and our children a better future this year.
