Textile waste & fast fashion in Scotland

Textiles are one of the largest causes of pollution on the planet today.

According to Zero Waste Scotland, textiles make up 4% of waste by weight but account for nearly a third (32%) of the carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste.

And we are just one tiny country of about six million people.

Stacks of bundled clothing in a warehouse.

Fast fashion

43% of women in Scotland aged 18-30 admit to buying brand new clothes once a month or more (Zero Waste Scotland, 2023). This clothing is usually mass produced in factories in the Far East, out of poor quality fabrics which are not meant to last.

For more on the topic of fast fashion, please watch this video from Dr Serena Dyer & Bernadette Banner.

Woman shopping for clothes during a sale, with a red sale sign in the foreground and racks of colorful clothing in the background.

What can we do about it?

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

Rolls of neutral-colored fabric stacked horizontally, including beige, cream, and brown tones.

Recycling concept with a green recycling symbol surrounded by the words "Make," "Use," "Reuse," "Remake," and "Recycle."

Let’s slow things down a bit…

Have you noticed a drop in quality of the clothes you’ve bought over the last decade? I know I have. Holes appear so much more quickly in t-shirts than they ever used to. I’ve noticed that jeans are especially less well made than they have been preciously. Why? Because the producers want us to have to continually update our wardrobe and consume, consume, consume.

It doesn’t have to be like this, continually buying clothes and using up our earth’s precious resources unnecessarily. Let’s slowly make our own clothes, taking our time and using good quality material, made from natural fibres and not plastic. Handmade garments are more likely to stand the test of time, simply because they are made better.