Slovaks throw away a pile of 460 kilograms of clothes every ten minutes. (source: Barbara Jagušák)
Have you ever thought about what to do with your clothes when you don’t like them, they’re torn or do not fit anymore?
That is one of the questions that people who stand behind Fashion Revolution Week ask. The worldwide movement that celebrates its fifth anniversary worldwide now returns for the fourth time to Slovakia.
Fashion Revolution Week is regularly organized during the week of April 24th to commemorate the 2013 tragedy known as Rana Plaza when the factory in Bangladesh collapsed. During this deadly accident, 1,138 people lost their lives and 2,500 people were injured.
“We love fashion, but we don’t want our clothes to come at the cost of people or our planet,” is the main idea of Fashion Revolution.
Wasting clothes
This year, more than 100 countries all over the world are involved, including Slovakia. In total, Slovaks buy 67 tons of textiles per year. This amounts to three football stadiums filled with clothes at a height of seven floors, according to organization Priatelia Zeme (Friends of the Earth).
Slovakia produces 55,000 tons of textile waste every year; clothes are 40 percent of this amount. Slovaks throw away a pile of 460 kilograms of clothes every ten minutes.
How does one get rid of clothes and ensure they do not end up in a waste dump? Upcycling is an option for skilful people, but it’s also possible to give clothes to people who need it. The last option is recycling.
When recycling clothes, it’s best to put unwanted pieces into containers owned by second-hand stores to ensure that clothes will be recycled, advises Miroslav Futrikanič, a director of the clothing recycle company.
