DUBLIN- Ireland’s first official sustainable fashion campaign was launched this week by Ossian Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with special responsibility for the Circular Economy. The launch coincides with World Circular Textiles Day, observed globally on 8 October.
To mark World Circular Textiles Day, Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications launched the “Reverse the Trend” campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the environmental impact of over-consumption in the fashion industry and promotes simple actions like buying less, re-wearing, and sharing clothing.
More information on the campaign can be found at www.reversethetrend.ie.
Minister Smyth said the government is committed to promoting circular fashion, highlighting the need to move away from the current take-make-waste approach in favor of a more sustainable model. He noted that Ireland has one of the highest rates of new textile consumption in the European Union, with each person using approximately 53 kg of textiles annually.
Ina speech, he encouraged people to carefully consider their purchasing habits and think about actions such as re-wearing, sharing, or repairing clothing as part of their contribution to climate action.
World Circular Textiles Day is dedicated to promoting circularity within the textile industry and aims to inspire practices such as sharing, re-wearing, reusing, and remanufacturing throughout the textiles supply chain.
The fashion industry is estimated to contribute to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. Despite this, only 31 per cent of Irish people recognise the link between purchasing textiles and climate change according to research shared by the Irish Government.
Research conducted by Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showed that textiles, such as clothing and household items, account for 9 per cent of waste found in general household bins.
World Circular Textiles Day is celebrated globally to raise awareness of the importance of circularity in textiles. The event is driven by a vision of achieving full circularity in the textile industry by 2050 and seeks to recognize the efforts of companies, organizations, and individuals actively working towards a more sustainable future for textiles.
