#EcoLockdown Challenge - Week 2
Week 2 - 8th to 14th Feb - Fashion & Consumption
Challenge: Find out where your favourite piece of clothing comes from and if it's ethically made.
New trends also known as 'Fast Fashion' that keep coming out is harmful to the planet. If we learn about how our clothes are made and where they come from, this can help us to make better choices.
The challenge this week is for everyone to pick their favourite piece of clothing and find out the journey it travelled to get to them.
Think about:
- How easy or hard was it for you to find where the piece of clothing was from.
- How do you feel about how the clothing was made? Has it changed your opinion on that item or brand?
- Ideas for making more sustainable clothing choices: Could you shop second-hand or setup a clothing swap?
You can get more information on this challenge and free resources at Transform Our World: #EcoLockdown (transform-our-world.org)
What is 'Fast Fashion'? This is where the fashion industry wants everyone to buy new things all the time. So they advertise by saying 'new in fashion' 'out of fashion' as they want you to buy their clothes! This is even down to trainers, also your favourite sports team strip.
Who does not like a bargain? But think many of these clothes have cost the companies very little money and in turn they have paid people in different countries lower wages. As these clothes don't cost a lot most people buy them. They then don't keep them for very long and throw them away. They then buy new clothes again - this is known as 'Fast Fashion'.
The clothing we wear is made up of different fabrics and fibres. Some are synthetic, which means they have been made using chemical processes. These materials go through lots of different changes before they can be worn. It is these steps that have a BIG impact on our environment.
Making clothes that we wear uses up large amounts of water. Did you know it can take 7,500 to 10,000 litres of water to produce just ONE pair of denim jeans. That is around 10 years worth of drinking water for one person!!
After agriculture, the fashion industry is the second largest consumer of clean water. Making these clothes uses a lot of electricity and also produces waste gases and chemicals. As well as transporting the clothes around the world creates more pollution! Most of these 'Fast Fashion' clothes are made in China, India and Bangladesh where the labour is cheap. They still use coal to generate electricity, which in turn means huge amounts of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
As the demand is increasing for these types of clothes, this means they need to be made quicker. Safety measures are not being taken or are being cut. Cheaper toxic dyes are being used, which cause more pollution and they get released into the waterways each year. Cheap synthetic microfibres are being washed away also, causing damage to the ecosystems.
Support the planet by doing this challenge and possibly changing to sustainable clothes going forward. Think twice about 'Fast Fashion'! The challenge is for everyone adults and children!!
Upload pictures of yourself, family and friends taking part in this challenge, with the help of an adult if your under 18 years old to #EcoLockdown on the social media sites. You can also tag me into the pictures @ecoshaan #ecoshaan on Instagram and Twitter to inspire others!
My momager (mom) will be posting pictures on my blog, Twitter and Instagram of me, my brother trying this challenge out this week!!
I have also informed my school, family and friends about the #EcoLockdown Challenge and asked them to join in.
Share my blog link Shaan's Eco World and details about #EcoLockdown with anyone you think may be interested.