News / Swish Clothes, Reduce Carbon Emissions
Today Global Cool launched a nation-wide initiative to rescue unloved and unwanted clothes from closets across the country. A new study by Global Cool reveals that over half of all the clothing, shoes and accessories purchased in 2008 have not been worn. This pile of unused purchases cost UK women an estimated total of £11.1 billion, plus contributed an estimated 8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, a carbon footprint greater than the yearly residential emissions of all of Wales.
Global Cool's initiative aims to reduce the amount of clothing that is bought and binned yearly by encouraging people to recycle their unworn clothes through "swishing" clothing parties. In the UK, approximately 900,000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfill every year, clothes that are produced using precious resources, and more than half of that amount is reusable. At swishing events, participants bring stylish clothes in good condition to swap with friends. Only one in ten UK women have attended a swishing party, but for those who have participated, the pluses are obvious.
approximately 900,000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfill every year, and more than half of that amount is reusable
"My wardrobe is bursting at the seams with stuff I've never worn and I hate the idea of throwing it away. Swapping is a great way to offload some of the clothes I want to get rid of," says Christina Lipede, 30, from Newcastle. "The problem is I usually end up going home with even more." Jessica Bailey, 23, of London says, "I hadn't heard about swishing parties until last year, and the first one I went to, I picked up this great nave blue Betsey Johnson dress. I'd never have been able to afford it in the shops!"
From Glasgow to Norwich, women across Britain are also less likely to return clothing bought online than clothes bought on the high street. The survey of 3,500 UK woman revealed that online shoppers are twice as likely to not make returns, including 69% in Leicester, 60% in Norwich and in Leeds, a whopping 71% said they were less likely to return clothes bought online. An average of £470 was spent on items in 2008 that were never worn. A quarter of people surveyed in Bristol had attended a swishing event, while in Liverpool almost one in ten said they threw away unwanted purchases.
Caroline Fiennes, Global Cool Executive Director, is promoting swishing as a way to help the planet and people's bank balance. "Our aim at Global Cool is to show people fun, interesting and money-saving ways to reduce their impact on the environment," she says. "And our research highlights just how many clothes are thrown away each year that could be put to much better use."
Global Cool will be hosting a high-profile
swishing party during London Fashion Week in February, and will be encouraging women to hold their own swishing events throughout the year.
