Islington Climate Centre, in collaboration with Loanhood and Islington Council has hosted the first swap shop in the borough over the weekend to tackle London’s clothing waste problem.
Londoners threw away 142,700 tonnes of clothing in 2019, according to a report by ReLondon. This amounts to roughly 44 items of clothing per person. Of this waste, 10% goes to landfill. Islington is one London borough trying to tackle this environmental issue on a local level.
Bel Jacobs, founder of the Islington Climate Centre, said: “Waste is an absolutely chronic problem and a symptom of our assumption that the world is here for us to use and dispose of without consideration.”
The centre hopes the swap shop will encourage people to view their clothes as more than waste, but as items to share.
Clothes were donated by shoppers in return for tokens that could be exchanged for new wardrobe items. (Credit: Tia Tokatly)
What is a swap shop?
Clothes swaps are opportunities to circulate clothes between other members of the community. Shoppers donate their old clothes in return for tokens, which they use as currency to update their wardrobes with new items.
Jade McSorely, one of the co-founders of Loanhood and organisers of the swap shop, said over 850 items have been swapped so far.
Her company, Loanhood, was set up with the intention of ‘fixing fashion’ whilst ensuring people still get their fashion fix.
Tackling the problem of clothing waste
Throwing clothes away not only wastes money and resources, but it can take materials around two hundred years to decompose in landfill.
Rachel Singer, a circular economy adviser at ReLondon said: “If we swapped 12 items of new clothing for second hand clothing instead and repaired 5% of what was in our closets, then we can reduce the city’s footprint by 30%.”
The clothes swap shop in Islington had queues of eager shoppers ready to refresh their wardrobes.
Speaking about the festive period, she said: “There is a lot of evidence to support high waste levels during Christmas. However, solutions to tackle this problem include swapping, buying second hand, repairing and upcycling pre-existing wardrobe items.”
Loanhood plan to run further clothes swaps in the future to promote climate conscious shopping.
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HeadlineIslington residents fix fashion whilst getting their fashion fix at Christmas clothes swap
Short HeadlineIslington residents shop climate consciously at Christmas
StandfirstLondoners dispose of 44 items of clothing a year, but the borough says it's ready to tackle this.
Islington Climate Centre, in collaboration with Loanhood and Islington Council has hosted the first swap shop in the borough over the weekend to tackle London’s clothing waste problem.
Londoners threw away 142,700 tonnes of clothing in 2019, according to a report by ReLondon. This amounts to roughly 44 items of clothing per person. Of this waste, 10% goes to landfill. Islington is one London borough trying to tackle this environmental issue on a local level.
Bel Jacobs, founder of the Islington Climate Centre, said: “Waste is an absolutely chronic problem and a symptom of our assumption that the world is here for us to use and dispose of without consideration.”
The centre hopes the swap shop will encourage people to view their clothes as more than waste, but as items to share.
Clothes were donated by shoppers in return for tokens that could be exchanged for new wardrobe items. (Credit: Tia Tokatly)
What is a swap shop?
Clothes swaps are opportunities to circulate clothes between other members of the community. Shoppers donate their old clothes in return for tokens, which they use as currency to update their wardrobes with new items.
Jade McSorely, one of the co-founders of Loanhood and organisers of the swap shop, said over 850 items have been swapped so far.
Her company, Loanhood, was set up with the intention of ‘fixing fashion’ whilst ensuring people still get their fashion fix.
Tackling the problem of clothing waste
Throwing clothes away not only wastes money and resources, but it can take materials around two hundred years to decompose in landfill.
Rachel Singer, a circular economy adviser at ReLondon said: “If we swapped 12 items of new clothing for second hand clothing instead and repaired 5% of what was in our closets, then we can reduce the city’s footprint by 30%.”
The clothes swap shop in Islington had queues of eager shoppers ready to refresh their wardrobes.
Speaking about the festive period, she said: “There is a lot of evidence to support high waste levels during Christmas. However, solutions to tackle this problem include swapping, buying second hand, repairing and upcycling pre-existing wardrobe items.”
Loanhood plan to run further clothes swaps in the future to promote climate conscious shopping.
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