Our clothes waste mountain is colossal. Given that a large proportion of the textile used nowadays is derived from fossil fuels (65% of global fibre production in 2022 was synthetic fibre), then that is a large quantity of fossil-derived plastic that is eventually dumped or burned, giving rise to more greenhouse gas emissions when our Earth is struggling to cope.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is “can we reduce the rate of clothes consumption, even by just a little?“

If each garment we wear we keep for a little longer then that would help a little. The savings from extending the life of clothing could add up to a useful amount for cash-strapped families, or could allow others to buy longer-lasting or ethically-made clothes in future.

Here’s an idea: if enough people switched from throw-away fast fashion to better quality made garments then it could send a strong signal to the industry that there is a renewed demand for well-made longer-lasting clothing and textiles. This would allow investment in people rather than cheaper fibres and more waste. Ultimately this shift to more sustainable clothing would give charity shops higher quality clothes for sale, allowing the whole community to benefit from higher quality textiles and better worker conditions.

It is easy to think that Fair Trade applies only to tea, coffee or bananas, but we can see that it should apply to all commodities from food through to consumer products through to clothing and textiles.