With the fashion industry currently contributing up to 10% of global carbon emissions, and 13 million tonnes being sent to landfill each year, Second Hand September is a moment to consider the impact of each item we buy.

The rise of online shopping and the nature of trend culture means that UK consumers spend a whopping 57.8 billion pounds annually on the latest designs. Lots of the clothes we buy in the UK are mass-produced abroad and imported over. This means the fashion industry creates a massive carbon footprint from transportation alone.

The imported clothing is known as ‘fast fashion’ and is often very cheap. This promotes a lifestyle of overconsumption.

'Fast fashion' is the name given to how quickly consumers are buying and throwing away perfectly usable items.

Currently, less than 15% of the UK’s garments are recycled, highlighting the importance of slow fashion, sustainable fashion and ethical fashion.

Back in 2019, Oxfam estimated that the impact of thousands of people taking part in Second Hand September saved 1500 tonnes of carbon – the same emissions equivalent to driving a car around the world 200 times.

Transforming how we use resources

At Triodos Bank, we believe that changing how we use resources – including in the fashion industry – is a key part of transitioning to a more sustainable society. We recently published a vision paper on this resource transition, which focuses on identifying global challenges and highlighting the actions which financial institutions can take to have a positive impact in the area.

Download the vision paper