A new report from Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) shows that clothing is “contributing more” to climate change than plastic.
According to the report, clothing is the most environmentally-damaging type of household waste, accounting for 32% of the carbon impacts of Scotland’s household waste despite only making up 4% by weight.
ZWS’s new carbon metric report highlights the “cost to the climate” of the items commonly thrown away from homes in Scotland.
New ZWS data suggests only 5% of people in Scotland are aware that clothing is the worst type of waste for the environment, with 61% saying it’s plastic.
The data also shows that 14% say they think about the environmental impact of a garment before they buy it.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, commented: “If we’re serious about tackling climate change we need to rethink our consumption of goods and materials.
If we’re serious about tackling climate change we need to rethink our consumption of goods and materials.
“The average Scot consumes more than twice the sustainable amount of materials per year, and our throwaway culture encourages that approach.
“The circular economy gives us the opportunity to do things differently without compromising on quality of life, evolving an economy that’s better for both people and planet in which goods and materials are valued and made to last.”
Following the report, ZWS is partnering up with creative partners, including online influencers and street artists, to highlight the problem. They include The Rebel Bear, who has created two large-scale public artworks based on world-famous paintings in Scotland’s Central Belt.
Hokusai’s The Great Wave is reworked as a tsunami of clothing waste which has been painted on a hoarding at the former Debenhams store at the St Enoch Centre on Glasgow’s Argyle Street.
In Dundee, another hoarding beside Slessor Gardens shows a new version of Munch’s The Scream with the well-known figure surrounded by piles of new clothing.
