Teens Repurpose Your Clothes
Summary: Repurpose or redesign your wardrobe
Description
Participate in the circular economy! Instead of spending lots of money and increasing your carbon footprint, think about repurposing and redesigning your wardrobe.
Deep Dive
According to Earth.org, (https://earth.org/)
1. The average US consumer throws away 81.5 lbs of clothes every year.
In America alone, an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste – equivalent to 85% of all textiles – end up in landfills on a yearly basis. That’s equivalent to approximately 81.5 pounds per person per year.
2. The number of times a garment is worn has declined by around 36% in 15 years
3. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global waste water
Dyeing and finishing – the processes by which color and other chemicals are applied to fabrics – are responsible for 3% of global CO2 emissions as well as over 20% of global water pollution.
4. It takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of cotton.
Besides being a huge source of water pollution, fast fashion also contributes to massive quantities of water being wasted every day. If this is difficult to picture, just think that about 713 gallons of water are needed to make just one t-shirt, which would be enough for one person to drink for 900 days.
Steps to Take
- Instead of going to the mall, swing by your local thrift store for a fun new look.
- Use your current clothes and change/cut/tie dye them for a new look.
- Trade clothes with a friend for a new look.
- Write a testimonial about your experience.