Devon County Council
Devon County Council
04/29/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2026 08:08
Bin ultrafast fashion to help reduce clothing waste
Bin ultrafast fashion to help reduce clothing waste
Ultra-fast fashion is in the spotlight, as Recycle Devon encourages households to reduce clothing waste.
Fashion is big business, with around 45 per cent of people in the UK buy clothing at least once a month and around 13 per cent shop for clothing every week.*
Low prices have made fast fashion affordable for many, as one in four people regularly buy clothing with the intention of using it for only a short amount of time.
However, there are some simple changes you can make to help reduce clothing waste.
Recycle Devon is sharing tips and advice on how to style your wardrobe, to not only look good, but also feel good in terms of helping the planet:
Tips include:
- Extend the life of clothes by taking care when washing/drying/ironing and removing stains.
- Repair at home, with simple hacks or take clothes to a Repair Café.
- Upcycle - get creative and have fun or even have a go at making your own clothes.
- Avoid impulse buys.
- Choose to rent instead from local rental shops or online rental platforms.
- Arrange a clothes swap with friends, family or in your local community.
- Buy preloved from Charity Shops, Facebook Market groups or Online platforms (and sell)
- If buying new, choose quality over quantity.
- Donate unwanted, good quality clothing to local Charity Shops, clothing banks, via home collections or postal systems.
The fashion industry is one of the world's most polluting sectors, consuming the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools each year, and using thousands of chemicals that are harmful to human health and ecosystems.
It is also responsible for up to eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second largest polluter after the oil industry.
Reducing clothing waste helps minimise carbon emissions, as well as conserving water and taking the pressure off land and biodiversity.
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: "The growing trend for low quality/low value garments is a huge problem on many levels. Textile manufacturing causes a great deal of damage to the environment due to pollution and demand on energy and resources, in particular water. The release of microplastics into the environment from polyesters and similar materials from machine dryers is causing harm that natural materials, i.e. cottons, silks and wool do not do. Charities are struggling to sell poor quality garments into global second-hand markets. Also, we must consider the working conditions of the people involved in the production of cheap clothing. It may be cheap to buy, but someone somewhere is paying the price."
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said: "The growing trend for low quality/low value garments is a huge problem on many levels. Textile manufacturing causes a great deal of damage to the environment due to pollution and demand on energy and resources, in particular water. The release of microplastics into the environment from polyesters and similar materials from machine dryers is causing harm that natural materials, i.e. cottons, silks and wool do not do. Charities are struggling to sell poor quality garments into global second-hand markets. Also, we must consider the working conditions of the people involved in the production of cheap clothing. It may be cheap to buy, but someone somewhere is paying the price."
For more information and advice about reducing, reusing and recycling, visit recycledevon.org.
Follow Recycle Devon on Facebook, X and Instagram for more tips and inspiration.
Devon County Council published this content on April 29, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 29, 2026 at 14:08 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]