Fight fast fashion and go vintage this Earth Day

The British Heart Foundation is calling on the public to wear pre-loved clothes this World Earth Day

Whether it’s to wow your friends with your latest charity shop finds or to simply encourage others to cut down on waste, World Earth Day, Monday 22 April, is the perfect opportunity to don your finest pre-loved garments.

This year the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is calling on fashion lovers across the North West to swap their ’bought new’ clothes for a day of showing off their second-hand treasures, amid growing awareness of the environmental damage of fast fashion.

World Earth Day is an annual event that seeks to educate people of the importance of looking after the world we live in. In the past year public awareness about the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry has increased, with consumers keen to find a more sustainable way to be fashion conscious while protecting the planet.

Charity shops provide the perfect solution for those looking to make a positive change to their shopping habits. Last year, the BHF saved over 70,000 tonnes of items from landfill; including 17,000 tonnes of pre-loved clothes.

Statistics from the Charity Retail Association show that, charity shops are able to reuse or recycle more than 90 per cent of donated clothing, with the average customer transaction amounting to a budget friendly £4.05. Statistics also show that half of the UK population say they don’t have time to donate their unwanted clothes and household goods to charity, simply because they don’t realise how easy it’s become to donate to charity.

Charity shops in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale offer everything from hidden gems to one off pieces for a fraction of the ‘bought new’ price.  As well as cutting down on waste, by buying pre-loved shoppers can support local and national charities.

Each year heart and circulatory diseases kill around 18,000 in the North West and currently 930,000 people in the region are living with them. It’s essential that we continue to accelerate research into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these terrible conditions.

Sustainable Stylist Alice Wilby will be wearing pre-loved on World Earth Day. She said: “I’m a lifelong fan of second hand shopping and love the thrill of not knowing what you might discover when you go into a store.

“If lack of predictability puts you off charity shops, simply go shopping with a plan. Set out with a specific item, style or colour theme in mind and you’ll find it much easier to hunt down what you really need.

“We have such a wealth of amazing clothing already made, there really isn’t any need to shop for new. Buying second hand saves garments from landfill, so by choosing to wear clothing from The British Heart Foundation on World Earth Day, we can actively support life saving research into heart disease as well as helping protect our planet.”