What is Fast Fashion like in New Zealand

Fast Fashion is defined as  ‘ inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.’ Fast Fashion is a global problem, and affects both us and our environment negatively, from high energy consumption, excessive water use, toxic chemical discharge, to waste generation, fast fashion’s environmental and carbon footprint is significant, more specifically the fast fashion industry is responsible for approximately 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of waste water. From resource extraction and energy-intensive manufacturing to logistics and waste management, every stage of the fast fashion life cycle contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating global warming.It also poses a threat to biodiversity. Textile production’s demand for raw materials leads to habitat destruction, soil degradation, and water pollution, affecting a variety of species.

A solution towards Fast Fashion is Eco-fashion.  Which is best defined as ‘the production, distribution and re-use of clothing and other types of garments which were firstly produced by methods not harmful to the environment.’

New Zealand embraces Eco-Fashion in various ways.

Photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash

Donating/ Thrifting-In New Zealand donating is something we do very well. There are clothing bins which can be found near places such as community centres, and anyone can place clothes (that are still in good condition) that either they don’t need anymore or their children have outgrown or lost interest in, and they are then delivered to charity shops. We also have shops such as the Salvation Army, who are another charity where people can drop off many things- not only limited to clothes or shoes- and then they resell them to anyone who comes into the store. However the best thing about the salvation army is that their sales from the donations go towards helping people going through hardships, and help with their services.  It is a great solution towards the problem of throwing out clothing, and in this way many Kiwi families can also benefit from the donations. 

Eco Brands-

There are also many New Zealand brands such as 

• Ovna Ovich: Website 

•  ReCreate: Website 

• Kate Sylvester: Website

• Ruby: Website 

These are ethical and eco brands who use lower-impact materials including organic cotton, and incorporate textile cutoffs to insure less waste.

Conclusion

Fast Fashion is a major global problem, however countries around the world such as New Zealand are turning to more environmentally friendly solutions such as donating and thrift shopping, and eco fashion labels. Although it isn’t perfect and Fast Fashion is present, it is a start. 

Spreading Eco-Fashion Awareness with a Fun Twist: The Eco-Fashion Jeopardy Game!

Hey there, eco-fashion enthusiasts!

I’m Ayush Sankaran, a 14-year-old passionate about sustainability and the founder of Youth4EcoFashion.com. Today, I want to share something exciting—a Jeopardy-style game I created to spread awareness about eco-fashion as the head of the Ecotopia thrift club at my school! I introduced our middle schoolers to key concepts of thrifting, and then used the jeopardy game to test their knowledge. And we had a lot of fun playing it!

If you're like me and believe in revolutionising fashion while protecting our planet, this game is a fun way to spark meaningful conversations about the fashion industry's impact on both people and the environment.

Why Eco-Fashion Jeopardy?

The idea for the game sparked when I was tasked with teaching middle schoolers in my school about the darker side of fashion—fast fashion. It’s easy to see a cool t-shirt online, click 'buy,' and have it delivered to your doorstep. But do we ever stop to think about the journey that t-shirt takes to get to us? Who made it? Under what conditions? And what happens to it when we throw it away?

The Eco-Fashion Jeopardy game tackles all these important questions in a way that’s engaging and interactive. Whether you’re playing with your friends, classmates, or even family, it challenges players to learn about the harsh realities behind the fashion industry while empowering them to make more eco-conscious choices.

Here is where you can play the game.

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/2024-08-21-101

What's the Game All About?

The game has five categories:

1. Exploitative Labor in Fashion: This category highlights the people behind our clothes—often underpaid, overworked, and working in unsafe conditions. Questions focus on labor exploitation in fast fashion factories, fair wages, and how eco-fashion brands ensure ethical production.

2. Environmental Impacts of Fast Fashion: We explore how fast fashion pollutes our planet, from the massive water consumption and toxic dyes to the waste produced by the constant turnover of trends. Think of this as the environmental wake-up call we all need!

3. Key Fast Fashion Terms: Understanding the lingo is crucial to making informed choices. This category helps players learn essential terms like "greenwashing," "slow fashion," "microplastics," and more.

4. Fast fashion and Eco-Fashion Brands Across the World: Not all brands are created equal. In this section, we highlight fast fashion brands to avoid and eco-friendly alternatives that prioritise both people and the planet.

   
   

How Can You Use This Game?

I see the Eco-Fashion Jeopardy game not just as a fun trivia challenge but a powerful educational tool. Here are some ideas for how individuals and schools can use it to spread awareness:

• At Home: Play it with your friends and family! It’s a fun way to spend time together while also learning about the fashion industry’s impact.

• In Schools: Teachers can use this game in classrooms or eco clubs to get students thinking about the importance of ethical fashion. It could be the perfect way to introduce concepts like thrifting, eco fashion and fast fashion to your middle schoolers which could later turn it into more actionable activities, like students coming up with their own eco-fashion designs or organizing thrift exchanges.

• At Events: Hosting an event to promote sustainability? Incorporate this game as a fun activity. It’s a great way to get people engaged and thinking about how their shopping habits affect the planet.

• On Social Media: Share the game’s questions and answers on social media to engage your followers. Start conversations about why certain brands need to be boycotted or how we can switch to eco-friendly alternatives.

  
  

Let’s Change Fashion Together!

This game is just one way we can spread awareness about the fashion industry’s impact. It’s fun, educational, and most importantly, it challenges us to think critically about the clothes we wear. So, gather your friends, family, or classmates, and let’s use this game to start meaningful conversations about how we can all be part of the eco-fashion revolution.

Want to know more or host your own game? Head over to Youth4EcoFashion.com where I’ll be posting downloadable templates and resources for you to get started!

Together, we can make a difference—one question at a time.

Why youth4ecofashion?

I am Ayush Sankaran, an enthusiastic 9th grader who has always been concerned about the environment and wanting to make a change to the world by doing my bit to help achieve the UNSDGs. One of the topics I am very passionate about is how fast fashion is leaving its impact on the world. One the one hand, I saw my mother and grand mother always speaking about clothes as being durables and how we should buy minimally, on the other, I saw my peers in schools and communities buy clothes and accessories as and when they like.

I wanted to dig deep into this topic and an opportunity presented itself when a global forum for teens called "Buddies without borders" announced discussions on the topic "Fast fashion to eco fashion". I applied and was one of 4 participants from India to get selected to participate in the forum.

The forum was a great opportunity to dig deeper into the topic of fast fashion and learn how we as teens can make a change by bringing behaviour changes to youngsters in our schools and community. I got to mingle with a like minded teens across the globe and get perspectives from across different countries which was an eye-opener for me. I was part of a three member team who had to research the topic, present our ideas in the form of a presentation and executive summary document to global leaders in the field. Our hard work paid off, and our team won the Best paper from judges and the people choice award and I won the top 5 award and was nominated for the pioneer award as well. You can read our outcome report here.

Next, I wanted to translate my learnings into action and hence I used the thrift club in my school to share my learnings with my peers. We have done activities through the year like donation drives, upcycling clothes, educate students on circular fashion, garment lifecycle etc, and are looking at many more in the coming year as well.

I wanted to share my learnings from the forum and thrift club activities with the world, so I started this website named youth4ecofashion, where you can find all the details you need to start your own thrift club in your school or community with like-minded friends. I plan to continue adding more activities, educational quizzes/games to the site which would be an apt way to engage youth to understand the nuances of fast-fashion. I have also started the process of forming a community of like-minded students doing similar work in Norway, New Zealand, Japan, US etc through my connects from teen global forum. I plan to do a lot more in this topic to raise awareness, and am excited to click off my blog series as well.

I strongly believe that as a community we can achieve much more than as an individual!