Love Island: Second hand clothes and the trouble with fast fashion

Image source, ITV

The Love Island contestants are wearing second-hand clothes in order to be more eco-friendly.

How much difference do pre-worn clothes make when it comes to the environment?

Love Island producers said that UK shoppers were worried about fast fashion.

The rapid turnover of fashion trends and the move towards cheap, mass-produced clothing is described in the term.

The wardrobes are overflowing with clothes because of this. The average person in Britain has 57 new items.

UK shoppers buy more clothes per person than people in other European countries.

A recent survey by Hubbub found that more than two-fifths of 16 to 24 year olds buy clothes online at least once a week.

The research done by the bank found that men spend 25% more a month on clothes than women, but it did not look at fast fashion or anything like that.

Climate change is caused by the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created by the clothing industry.

The UN says that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global emissions.

The World Bank believes that global clothes sales could increase by up to 65% by the year 2030.

The majority of fashion's environmental impact comes from raw materials.

There is a lot of water used.

The UN launched the #ActNow Fashion Challenge to highlight how industry and individuals can improve fashion's environmental impact

Reducing the fashion industry's carbon footprint is one way to limit global warming.

Clothes should be made more sustainable.

Several firms have launched "eco" collections which use organic and recycled materials

Image source, Reuters

Critics say that the main problem of fast fashion is the promotion of overconsumption.

"If brands don't tackle this issue first and foremost, 'conscious collections' by fast fashion brands can only ever be considered greenwashing," says co- founder of sustainable brand Leo's Box.

The company said that it does not use advertising to push demand or promote overconsumption. Nine out of ten Adidas articles will be sustainable by the year 2025, according to the company. H&M didn't say anything.

Slow fashion companies offer fewer new pieces a year and have a lower environmental impact.

Not everyone is willing to pay for them.

According to a survey by the London Fashion Retail Academy, a third of young people wouldn't pay more for sustainable clothes.

Image source, Getty Images

Jumb sales and charity shops have been able to extend the life of clothes. It's easy to buy and sell pre-loved items on online sites.

Shoppers may buy fewer items overall.

Second-hand purchases are not likely to replace more than 10% of new sales according to the Wrap. Encouraging people to repair and remake existing pieces is one approach it recommends.

Image source, Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images

It is possible to get new pieces by hiring clothes.

Wrap claims that ifRenting replaced 10% of new purchases every year it would save 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the UK alone.

The most effective solution is the simplest one.

In the world's major cities, buying a maximum of eight new items a year could reduce fashion's emissions by a third.

The tension between manufacturers and retailers is not unique to the fashion industry.