Reduce and reuse
Clothes and textiles
In the UK around a third of the clothing we own, valued at around £30 billion, is never worn. That means you could have more than £1,000 worth of clothes that you don’t even wear. More than 350,000 tonnes of clothing in the UK is thrown away each year.
Rental clothes
Why not consider renting a bold party look you’d only wear once? Whether its sequins, bright colours, glitter or feathers, renting can offer the perfect way to embrace party dressing in a way that’s guilt-free and kind to your bank balance. It’s a great way to wear popular luxury brands like Gucci, Calvin Klein and Armani for a tiny fraction of their shop price.
Take a look at some websites that offer clothes for rent:
Donate your clothes
Many high street retailers such as Primark and M&S now offer clothing donation banks in-store. These are sometimes called 'bring back schemes'. Next time you pop out to the shops, you can drop off a bag of your old clothes.
Don’t forget charity shops either. Clothes and textiles that are in good condition can be donated and sold for re-use. It’s another way to reduce the impact that clothing has on our environment.
Items that aren’t suitable to be passed onto someone else can be recycled and made into new items, such as padding for chairs and car seats, cleaning cloths and industrial wipes.
Are you a member of your local school PTA? Clothes banks are a great way to raise money for your school.
Buy Secondhand
Discover thousands of pre-loved items, and find everything you need to create your perfect sustainable fashion wardrobe without the high street price tag. Shop secondhand with our friends at Emmaus North Staffs using their online ebay page or visiting their dedicated charity shop in the Potteries Centre, City Centre, Stoke-on-Trent.
More information
The Recycle Now website offers more information on how you can recycle your clothes and textiles.