For Creatives Seeking Emergent and Regenerative Future Foresight
Thought this week
"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make."
Dr. Jane Goodall
International Zero Waste Day: Why Our Wardrobe Choices Matter More Than Ever
Today marks the International Day of Zero Waste, and this year's focus hits close to home for all of us who wear clothes (so, just about everyone) as well as work in fashion (that's between 2 and 9% of the world's workforce according to Fashion United).
The 2025 theme Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles and today's Futuring Dispatch is filled with resources provided by UNEP to fuel your own reporting, advocacy work and lifestyle choices. I don't typically jump on every awareness day bandwagon—after all, shouldn't we be mindful of waste every day? But when Rachel Arthur reached out asking for support for UNEP's campaign I had to answer the call, plus you know this is my wheelhouse and everything I am going to bang on about in futures has to serve our one and only gorgeous planet on this beautiful spring day.
Tell me something I don't know
We've reached a critical tipping point we're all aware of. Can we even continue to hear more overwhelming news ... I know. How do we even enact living closer to a zero waste life?
The answer is we can't right now given the infrastructures we live in, but we can and must work towards this goal. While systemic changes take time, they are essential. Our individual choices create ripple effects that drive industry transformation. By extending the life of our clothes and supporting better practices, we contribute to a vision where fashion enhances rather than depletes our world.
A garbage truck full of clothing is burned or dumped in landfills every single second and the fashion industry responsible for 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year. Our planet is drowning in discarded fashion. It's only fitting that one of the key messages this year of the Zero Waste Day campaign is: Fashion Trend = Waste Trend. Is that what we want to be associated with? The fashion industry doesn't need to be synonymous with waste.
UNEP's simple but powerful action points we can take to help reduce fashion waste
Consumers can:
- Just wearing our clothes twice as long can cut related emissions by 44% - a simple action with profound impact
- Buy less, choose well - Prioritise quality pieces that will last, and only purchase what you truly need. Stay away from fast fashion.
- Repair and maintain - Learn basic mending skills or find local repair services to extend garment life
- Embrace secondhand - Shop vintage, thrift, or participate in clothing swaps
- Support circular brands - Look for companies using recycled materials and taking back worn items
- Wash with care - Proper garment care significantly extends clothing lifespan and reduces microfibre and micro plastics shedding
Industry can:
- Become more sustainable and circular; scale up revenue from circular business models and reduce production volumes in key markets to avoid overconsumption;
- Design for durability, longevity, and recyclability, while also addressing fibre fragmentation throughout the life cycle of products;
- Join extended producer responsibility schemes to ensure the durability and reusability of garments, promote material recovery and address the environmental impact of items; and
- Redesign textile products and systems to eliminate hazardous chemicals, minimise pollution, and prioritise sustainable, recyclable and regenerative materials.
More guidelines are available in the downloadable report below by UNEP.
Resources by UNEP
Downloadable reports
Facts and figures you can use in your own reporting
- Waste management is the 3rd largest emitter of methane, contributing significantly to short-term global warming.
- 11% of plastic waste comes from clothing and textiles, making it third in line after packaging (40%) and consumer goods (12%).
- The textile sector contributes 9% of the microplastic pollution that flows into the ocean.
- Only 8% of textiles fibres in 2023 were made from recycled sources, with less than 1% of the total fibre market coming from textile-to-textile recycling. A lack of fibre recycling practices is estimated to equate to an annual material value loss of more than 100 billion US dollars.
- Every year the textile sector produces 2 to 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The textile sector is not on target to reach any of its sustainability goals. It is, for instance, expected to miss the 2030 emissions reduction targets outlined by the Paris Agreement by 50%.
- It uses 215 trillion litres of water, the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- By 2030, it is projected the fashion industry will use 35% more land for fibre production, the equivalent of 115 million hectares, contributing to severe biodiversity loss.
A final message from the UN Secretary General António Guterres
Resources from my archives
The British Footwear Association Sustainability Summit 2025 - April 3rd
I’m pleased to share that I’ll be speaking at the British Footwear Association’s Sustainability Summit on 3rd April 2025 in Birmingham. This event will bring together professionals from across the footwear industry to discuss key topics including sustainability, circularity, materials innovation, technology, and AI.
It’s a valuable opportunity to connect with others in the sector and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the future of sustainable footwear. I'll share valuable takeaways from the summit with you soon.
As always, thank you for being here and have a fantastic week,
