How you can take action for zero waste fashion and textiles this month
This is your invitation from UNEP and UN-Habitat to shout from the rooftops on March 30 about waste pollution, and the solutions needed to tackle it.
It’s been a little longer than usual since my last post — partly for health reasons, and partly because I’ve been kept otherwise busy by a major upcoming event at UNEP (the day job) — which is what I wanted to share more about today.
On March 30, the International Day of Zero Waste, from UNEP and UN-Habitat, will focus on fashion and textiles for the first time.
I am sure I don’t need to tell many readers here why that is important. A huge 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated worldwide each year, which is the equivalent of a truckload of clothing being incinerated or sent to landfill every second. This has been driven by a rapid rise in production and consumption, causing severe environmental, economic and social issues, especially in the Global South.
The International Day of Zero Waste, then, is aiming to highlight the urgent need to take action to reduce this textile waste and instead promote sustainability and circularity in the sector.
To do so, we’re inviting as many people as possible to get involved. Here are some of the ways you can do so anytime during the month of March and up until April 7:
HOW TO ENGAGE:
Spotlight zero waste solutions: Use your social media platforms to give visibility to zero waste fashion and textile solutions starting 24 March and on the Day itself. For instance, you could hand over your Instagram or TikTok account for a day, work on a collaboration post or conduct a live interview to spotlight makers, entrepreneurs and innovators with market-ready circular solutions in place, such as in reuse, repair and upcycling. The aim is to offer a platform and to drive awareness about those doing incredible work around the world. Use the #BeatWastePollution and #ZeroWasteDay hashtags to join the global conversation.
Invite others to join UNEP’s social media campaign: Ask brand ambassadors, influencers you work with and your own consumers to post a short video of themselves wearing or showing a piece of clothing that holds particular meaning for them and embodies a “zero waste choice”. This might be because it is second-hand or vintage, it was passed down from a loved one, it has been repaired, patched or upcycled, or been worn at least 30 times. The video should present a personal story behind the item and be tagged #BeatWastePollution #ZeroWasteDay.
Host your own event: Organise physical and virtual events in the days leading up to the International Day of Zero Waste. This could include everything from seminars and webinars discussing global waste issues to repair workshops and cafés, clothing swaps, sustainable fashion showcases and more. Register your events, whether invite-only or open to the public, on the dedicated UN platform and have it featured on the International Day of Zero Waste’s global map. There, you will also find information and be inspired by other events happening across the world, including UNEP’s Youth Hackathon in Paris.
Highlight your own achievements: Use the International Day of Zero Waste as an opportunity to share your work in the effort to curb textile waste. Do you have a new report or an assessment of your sustainable and circular solutions you could launch around March 30, or a current project you could promote? Perhaps you want to reveal future ambitions or a new partnership? Anything goes related to the theme.
Engage your audience: Share key messages and repost UNEP and UN-Habitat’s materials about International Day of Zero Waste to your customers, employees and wider stakeholders, available on this Trello Board. You could also create your own content for social media or newsletters to suggest concrete actions people can take, from repairing their own clothes to better caring for items so as to extend their lifespan.
Share this opportunity: Spread the word about the ways to get involved in observing this International Day of Zero Waste. You can share in advance the tips listed here with your own networks through newsletters, LinkedIn posts and other dedicated communication channels.
A huge thank you in advance and I so look forward to having as many people as possible engage with us this month on addressing the global waste pollution crisis.
#BeatWastePollution #ZeroWasteDay