The Charity Retail Association sponsors Sustainable Fashion Week 2022 in a win-win partnership that brings together the UK’s primary sustainable shopping experience and community-based action to support a change in our relationship with fashion.
Sustainable Fashion Week, running 16-25 September, is a week of grassroots activity, gathering people together to inspire, upskill and empower them to make sustainable fashion choices. The four themes of the week’s activities are rewear, repurpose, regenerate and reconnect – each theme has calls to action that support a turn towards the sustainable and away from the fast.
UK charity shops divert 339,000 tonnes of textiles from landfill or incineration and encourage reuse at the heart of communities on our high streets. A rise in sustainable fashion influencers, ethical consumers and savvy charity shop chains has raised the profile of the sector and helped it to be stronger than ever – despite Covid and lockdowns.
This makes for the perfect pairing for raising fashion sustainability awareness further, encouraging the public to think about who makes their clothes, how they are made, and how they can be mended or repurposed instead of discarded and that reuse is key.
Susan Meredith, Deputy Chief Executive at the Charity Retail Association said:
“We are so excited to be associated with Sustainable Fashion Week as we represent such a widespread and visible high street fashion presence with outstanding reuse and social value credentials; it’s time to shout even louder and do more for the planet with that profile. We want the public to think about where they buy their clothes from and the impact their purchases have on the environment.”
Amber Rochette, Director at Sustainable Fashion Week said:
“Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet, but most people aren’t aware of this. The fast-fashion industry as we have come to know it, is fuelling climate change and poor working conditions. We are trying to give people the skills and knowledge needed to make small, positive changes to fashion consumption habits. We are thrilled to have the CRA on board with our work, their support is going to be invaluable in igniting change within communities and bringing sustainability to the forefront of the high-street”.