Fast Fashion

Can we really afford cheap clothing?

a photo of a garment factory

Many of us know that fast fashion is harming the planet – we have previously written about the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing and the amount of plastics in clothing. But fast fashion also has a huge social cost, impacting the garment workers who manufacture our clothing and the communities that get left to clean up our discarded items. However, dealing with…

What would happen if the world stopped shopping?

A shopping mall

Let’s take a curious dive into J.B. MacKinnon’s thought-provoking thought experiment to find out!  Before we start, you might have some questions… Firstly, what is a thought experiment? A thought experiment is an exploration of a hypothetical situation, in this case: a world without shopping. What do we mean by shopping in this context? MacKinnon clarifies that by ‘shopping’ he is referring…

#WhatsInMyClothes

Whats In My Clothes campaign photos

A couple of weeks ago saw the return of the annual Fashion Revolution campaign, designed to raise awareness of the environmental and social impacts of the fashion industry. One of the questions they are encouraging consumers to think about is ‘What’s in my clothes?’ and we’re here to take a curious look into that very topic… 

Fashion sustainability schemes – A licence to greenwash

What’s Going On Here? Changing Markets Foundation, a sustainability campaign group, just released their latest report into the fashion industry. The report, titled ‘Licence to Greenwash’, found that the industry’s biggest and most well known sustainability schemes “facilitate greenwashing”. What Does This Mean? Ten schemes were analysed including well known ones such as WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), bluesign, EU Ecolabel…

Record-breaking number of Black Friday boycotts by independent retailers

Blurred crowds in front of a Black Friday sign

What’s Going On Here? The hyper-consumerist behaviour encouraged by events such as Black Friday is detrimental for the environment. However, increasing awareness around climate change is one of the reasons 2021 saw the biggest independent Black Friday boycott in history. What Does This Mean? According to the British Independent Retailers Association, 85% of independent businesses boycotted Black Friday: the highest number that…

Five eco-friendly habits Gen Z think they invented…

I’m starting to feel my age. Hipster businesses are emerging with ‘innovative’ solutions to steer us towards more environmentally friendly everyday products. But, like a 90s boy-band revival, it would seem that there’s nothing new here! Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t doubt that it’s the vigour of today’s vicennials that can lynchpin our ecological hopes with action. Indeed, their…