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 (22nd 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. Our 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.
With 550 clothing and accessory shops nationwide, the BHF offer everything from hidden vintage 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 help the BHF fund vital research to improve the lives of the millions of people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.
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 know 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.”
Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:
“We hope fashion lovers up and down the country will get behind our national appeal in celebration of World Earth Day.
“After so much talk about the negative effects of fast fashion, it’s time to put words into action and trade in our fast fashion habits for charity shopping.
“Not only will wearing pre-loved clothes cut down on waste, but it will also support our 550 clothing shops nationwide to raise funds for life saving research.”
Use the hashtag #BoughtatBHF to be featured on the British Heart Foundation’s online photo wall.
To find your nearest store click here: www.bhf.org.uk/shop
