#MoveTheDate
5
Days
Halving our Ecological Footprint of clothing would move the date of Earth Overshoot Day 5 days.
What is the solution?
Finding ways to use our clothes longer, including second-hand use. Clothes are made from biological and petroleum based fibres, both of which are resource intensive. Cotton is a water-intensive crop and wool requires pasture land.
How does it #MoveTheDate?
If we can double the lifetime use of our clothes, we can reduce the resource demand by half. Maintaining our existing wardrobe by buying pre-owned, repairing, and upcycling increases the lifespan of clothing.
How is it scalable?
Clothes are discarded well before they are worn out, especially in affluent areas, leaving a large margin for improvement.
What is the solution?
Finding ways to use our clothes longer, including second-hand use. Clothes are made from biological and petroleum based fibres, both of which are resource intensive. Cotton is a water-intensive crop and wool requires pasture land.
How does it #MoveTheDate?
If we can double the lifetime use of our clothes, we can reduce the resource demand by half. Maintaining our existing wardrobe by buying pre-owned, repairing, and upcycling increases the lifespan of clothing.
How is it scalable?
Clothes are discarded well before they are worn out, especially in affluent areas, leaving a large margin for improvement.
It is estimated that, in 2011, 80 million tons of textile fibres were produced. This breaks down to over 10 kg of textiles per person every year. Of all fibres produced, 61% were synthetic, 31% cotton, 6% from cellulose, and wool was just 1.5%. Back in the early 1960s, less than 3% of all fibres were synthetic.
The impacts of fibre production, whether biological or synthetic, are not limited to sourcing; the many resources production requires, such as water, cropland, or fossil fuels, increase its impact on the planet. Energy and chemicals (which are subsequently added to the waste stream) are used in the production process. The process can also be harmful to the workers due to the use of many chemicals. So the benefit of using our textiles longer goes beyond reducing overshoot.
For more details, consult: Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu, (2020) Assessing the Environmental Impact of Textiles and the Clothing Supply Chain (Second Edition), Woodhead Publishing, Elsevier, UK.
There’s no benefit in waiting!
Acting now puts you at a strategic advantage in a world increasingly defined by ecological overshoot. Countless solutions exist that #MoveTheDate. They’re creative, economically viable, and ready to deploy at scale. With them, we can make ourselves more resilient and #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day. If we move the date 6 days each year, humanity can be out of overshoot before 2050.