Add nine months to a product’s life to lower its footprint by 20%-30%
27/03/2019
The programme’s presenter, influential journalist Lucy Siegle, told listeners: “Getting more wear out of any item of clothing is the way to reduce its impact.”
She quoted research from UK-based campaign group Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) that says extending the life of any item of clothing by nine months will reduce its carbon footprint by between 20% and 30%.
This data comes from research that WRAP carried out in 2015 and published in sustainable clothing guide. It said that increasing the length of time consumers are able and willing to wear the things they buy is an area in which designers and finished product manufacturers can have the most impact on the carbon, waste and water footprint of the things they sell.
Willingness to keep wearing a product is about “emotional durability” as well as physical durability, WRAP said at the time. This means product manufacturers should seek to make things that will not just remain intact, but continue to look good too.
In the course of the radio programme, Lucy Siegle said: “All the signs from industry disruptors, government regulators and public opinion seem clear. Change is necessary and, this time, we’re not going to be fobbed off. My mantra is simple. If you can’t commit to at least 30 wears, you need to stop yourself from buying that item.”
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