Every week, the UK sends 13 million items of clothing to landfill. Every year, this totals to the same weight as the Empire State building. The fashion industry has become exemplar of the Janus face of modern corporatism: fashion is without a doubt an art, a form of self expression and celebrates the diversity of the human experience, yet is also amongst the world's worst polluters and has systematically exploited its workers that allow us to get our hands on the latest trends. Issues of sustainability, inequality and transparency are arguably some of the most pressing we face as a society. By taking action on these issues, we can work towards constructing a better future for those who follow us. That’s why Glasgow University Fashion Revolution (GUFR) is joining an initiative driven by Fashion Revolution and Oxfam to pledge to only shop second hand for thirty days or more.

Buying second hand can help rescue unwanted clothes from landfill, cutting down on the amount sent to landfill. Charity shops are a great place to find second hand clothes, whilst also donating money to charities that help make an impact. Online sites like Depop are also a great place to score second hand clothes, however, care should be taken to ensure second hand clothing isn’t being resold at a high profit, as this can price it out of the reach of poorer households that shop at second hand stores on a regular basis. Buying local, or from smaller sellers can help reduce this. Merely buying second hand clothing isn’t the only action you can take to be more sustainable - consider mending and fixing clothes before discounting them as worn out, and if they are beyond repair, donate them to textile recycling bins.

The fashion industry produces 10% of global Carbon Dioxide emissions according to an IPCC report, and uses around 1.5 trillion litres of water annually, making it the second largest polluter after the oil industry. The UK is particularly bad for our wastefulness, buying more items of clothing per head than any other country in Europe. It is perhaps the element of our life where we can make the biggest changes, and simple commitments such as repairing clothes, or indeed buying second hand, can really make a big impact on our personal carbon footprint. Whilst being more self aware of our own environmental impact, it is worth focusing on the entities that cause the most significant increases in pollution, namely large multinationals. By writing to firms and policy makers, alongside focusing more on buying locally, we as consumers can send a strong signal to brands that the level of environmental exploitation associated with modern corporatism isn’t acceptable or tenable. 

The social impact of fast fashion is no less severe than its environmental toll. The outsourcing of global fashion production to countries like Bangladesh and India with lower living wages and less stringent labour laws has allowed corporations to shroud their supply chain and exploit workers - in Bangladesh garment workers start earnings at £25 a month for days 12 hours long or more. This is an inherently feminist issue as well, with 85% of garment workers being female. The fashion industry knowingly takes advantage of the desperation of global workers in conditions that the European Parliament has likened to Slave Labour. 

It is also naive to assume these issues are a failing centered in the developing world; the recent news surrounding factories in Leicester where workers are paid as little as £3.50 an hour to make clothes for Boohoo and other brands draws attention to the issues at home in the UK. The recent Covid crisis caused major order cancellations by fast fashion brands; this has also shown that Western corporations are willing to continue perpetrating this exploitation, resulting in Remake (a non profit organisation that campaigns to put an end to fast fashion) launching their ‘Pay Up’ campaign to call on brands such as Primark, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 to honour their contracts and pay workers. It is the breadth of social and environmental issues unique to the fashion world that has led to the increased focus on the industry and sparked the growth of movements such as Fashion Revolution.

Born out of the aftermath of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, where more than 1,100 people died and another 2,500 were injured, Fashion Revolution aims to target abuses of human rights and environmental degradation. Since its inception, Fashion Revolution has partnered with over 500 organisations to engage 112 policy makers in 18 countries, reaching an audience spanning over 60 countries. Their most notable campaign, ‘Who Made My Clothes?’, encourages participants to contact their favourite brands by email or through social media, to ask for transparency in their supply chain and encourage disclosure. 

On campus, GUFR was reestablished in 2019, and since its rebirth has hosted events such as repair workshops, charity shop ‘crawls’ and swap shops. The society has regularly collaborated with other groups on campus such as GU Amnesty, Student Action for Refugees and GU Green Planet Society to host second hand sales and club nights to raise awareness of Fashion Revolution’s campaign. This year, the committee on GUFR have come back ready and excited for the year ahead. Already off to a strong start, GUFR is joining the pledge to shop Second Hand for September, and encourages anyone else interested to join GUFR in their pledge! Follow their social media pages to stay tuned to the activities GUFR is hosting throughout the year: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gufashionrevolution/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gufashionrevolution).