Sustainable fashion is not a trend but the future
The fashion and textile industry in its current linear business model is one of today’s most unsustainable global businesses with textile production alone contributing to climate change by producing an estimated 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 annually.
We are now living in a climate-conscious era and the charity store stands at the forefront of reuse and sustainability. At NCBI Retail, our sustainability and circular fashion operations across our stores nationwide embed our commitment to a net carbon society by 2050. Our environmental metrics through these processes confirm charity retail is a key player in the fight against climate change.
Quick Facts on Fast Fashion
- 100 billion items of clothing are produced each year.
- Three out of five fashion garments end up in a landfill within a year of purchase.
- The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, just after the oil industry.
- Over a third of all microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles.
- It is estimated that only 4% of clothing and footwear is recycled.
- Half a tonne of clothing every minute is dumped into a landfill in Ireland. That amount produces over 12 tonnes of carbon emissions – the same as driving 65,000 kilometers in a car.
- Buying just one white cotton shirt produces the same number of emissions as driving 56 kilometers in a car.
The end of the ‘Throwaway clothes’ era is something we welcome with open arms.
NCBI, like other charity shops are beacons towards saving the planet: 95 percent of clothing donated to us is recycled or sold for reuse.
Every time you donate or buy any goods at our charity shops, great things happen:
- You stop waste from going to landfills.
- This saves your local authorities from paying landfill tax.
- Helps the environment by reducing CO2 emissions.
- Helps in slowing down fast fashion by promoting upcycled, preloved, and vintage fashion.
- Raises money for our services to empower people who are blind or vision impaired living in Ireland.
