The sustainable fashion hacks we can learn from Baby Boomers

Charities, news, Sustainability

Britons buy five times the amount of clothing they bought in the 1980s*, so environmental charity Hubbub and natural knitwear experts WoolOvers have come together to look at the generational differences in attitudes towards fashion among British women; To explore how attitudes differ by age and what knowledge can be shared.

The survey of 2,000 women by Censuswide, alongside a series of focus groups found that younger women can learn a lot from their mothers’ and grandmothers’ about what makes a good quality product, and how to extend its lifetime through care and repair.

Women aged 54 and above take a much more mindful approach to fashion, spending £49 each on average per month but spreading the cost and only buying a new item of clothing every 3-5 months. And almost two thirds (62%) expect their clothes to last for several years.

Whilst British women aged 16-37 (Generation Z and Millennials) spend on average £81 each per month, with 26% of Generation Z buying new clothing between 2-3 times per month. But not even half of these young women (47%) expect their clothes to last many years, with the quality of the design being prioritised much lower than price and fit.

So what is influencing this difference in attitudes towards buying and caring for clothes between the generations?

One of the biggest impacts is likely the shopping experience itself. A third of Baby Boomers (54-72 year-olds) and the Silent Generation (73 year-olds +), shop seasonally, only 18% of Generation Z do the same, as fast fashion allows them to shop 52 ‘micro seasons’ a year.

With the introduction of online shopping in the late 1990s, young women have gone from being influenced by their mothers and grandmothers on where to shop to having multiple avenues of influence via their phone from apps and social media. Generation Z’s spending is impulsive, with social media and the media playing a big part in influencing them on what to buy. They admit to feeling guilty about the money they have spent and are left stressed that they have spent more than they can afford.

It’s also clear that the implications of buying new clothes this way are not fully understood, despite there being concerns about the environmental implications of fashion, less than half (42%) of Generation Z women know what the term ‘fast fashion’ actually means, compared to more than two thirds – 67% – of Baby Boomers.  

Fast fashion items, which are produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends, are then consequently falling apart, and when clothing become damaged only 30% of Gen Z will repair it  themselves, with a quarter asking a friend of relative to fix it for them. Whereas more than half (51%) of Baby Boomers repair their own clothes. This was explored further in the focus groups, which resulted in women admitting that fashion had become so cheap that even sewing a button back on seemed like a useless skill. The main reason for not knowing how to repair clothing being down to whether or not they were taught how to by a family member or at school.  

Heather Poore, Creative Director at Hubbub, said: “In a world where sustainable living is so high on the agenda, the fashion industry is somehow still getting away with a ‘business as usual’ approach. While some retailers have introduced ethical lines, people still do not feel educated on the environmental impact of the industry and so are prioritising price and convenience over sustainability. Our research shows that the Baby Boomers and Silent Generation seem to hold the secret to how to buy good quality items and if needed, repair them to extend their lifetime. We need to get women across the UK talking and sharing these invaluable skills and insights, in a bid to tackle the damaging effects of fast fashion.” 

Mike Lester, CEO of WoolOvers, said: “The relationship between generations is important: young women often learn their first style lessons from their mothers and grandmothers while daughters educate their elders on new fashion trends. However, little is known about what older women’s think about the environmental impact of fashion and how and whether they are communicating on this with younger women, so it was something we were keen to explore. It’s clear just how much attitudes differ between the generations and the valuable knowledge mothers and grandmothers can pass on to young women to help them make a positive impact on both their bank balance and the environment.”

To help pass the knowledge on, Hubbub and WoolOvers have collated some of the Baby Boomers’ fashion advice in a series of tips and infographics, download Images and Infographics here.

Scary plastic content in Halloween costumes equivalent to 83 million plastic bottles

Charities, news, Sustainability

New research released today [18th October 2019] by the family nature charity Fairyland Trust, supported by the environmental charity Hubbub, estimates that UK Halloween celebrations this year will generate over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste from clothing and costumes alone. This is equivalent by weight of waste plastic to 83 million Coca-Cola bottles, over one per person in the UK. 

The October 2019 investigation of 19 retailers found that 83% of the material in 324 clothing items promoted through their online platforms was oil-based plastic. The retailers surveyed were Aldi, Argos, ASOS, Amazon, Boden, Boohoo, Ebay, H & M, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Matalan, Next, PrettyLittleThing, Sainsburys, Tesco, TK MAXX, Topshop, Wilko and Zara. 

The most common plastic polymer found in the clothing sampled was polyester, making up 69% of the total of all materials. The report issued today by the Fairyland Trust and Hubbub calls for better and consistent labelling as many consumers do not even realise that materials like polyester are in fact plastic.

The even more planet-friendly option is to create Halloween costumes from existing or second-hand clothing. The Fairyland Trust runs plastic-free nature events for families such as The Real Halloween which includes a No-new-plastic Fancy Dress Competition. 

Chris Rose from Fairyland Trust said: “The scariest thing about Halloween is now plastic. More costumes are being bought each year as the number of people participating in Halloween increases. Research by Hubbub estimated that 33m people dressed up for Halloween in 2017 and a shocking four in 10 costumes were worn only once. This means it’s vital that we all try and choose costumes that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Concerned consumers can take personal action to avoid buying new plastic and still dress-up for Halloween by buying from charity shops or re-using costumes to create outfits, or making their own from non-plastic materials.”

Hubbub is working with the All Party Parliamentary Group, chaired by Anne Main MP, looking into the environmental sustainability of the fashion industry.

Trewin Restorick, CEO and co-founder of Hubbub, said: “These findings are horrifying. The amount of plastic waste from Halloween costumes is similar to the weight of plastic waste generated at Easter in egg-wrappings. However the total plastic waste footprint of Halloween will be even higher once you take into account other Halloween plastic such as party kits and decorations, much of which are also plastic, or Halloween food packaging, most of which quickly becomes ‘rubbish’ and ultimately, breaks down to be plastic pollution. Retailers must take greater responsibility to offer ranges for seasonal celebrations that don’t worsen the already worrying impact of plastic waste on our planet.”

Tips for dressing up at Halloween without new plastic can be found here.

Treasure Your River!

Charities, news, Sustainability

Businesses, residents and organisations situated along five of the UK’s biggest rivers have an opportunity to join the largest ever collaborative effort to prevent and reduce the amount of litter entering our waterways, and subsequently the ocean. 

The Treasure Your River campaign will tackle the Rivers Avon, Mersey, Thames, Severn and Forth and their tributaries.  The campaign, which is being run by environmental charity Hubbub and funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation, will initially focus on prevention and clean-up activities on five major cities based on these rivers – Bristol, Manchester, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, which between them are home to 1 in 7 of the UK population.

Treasure Your River, due to launch in May 2020, will educate the public about how rivers are transporting rubbish from our streets and riverbanks to the sea. As well as tackling littering behaviour with engaging bins and eye-catching interventions, the campaign aims to remove 90 tonnes of litter from these five rivers and their tributaries over the next year.  

Trewin  Restorick  from Hubbub said, “The vast majority of plastics that end up in the world’s oceans are carried there by rivers. Cleaning up the river is one thing but preventing litter getting in there in the first place is really crucial. Until we change behaviour on land, this problem will just continue. 

“Our research showed that 81% of people believe businesses should be doing more to tackle the issue. We want all organisations along the banks of these rivers to come together and help halt the flow of litter into the sea. Whether you’re a sailing club, a school, a local business, a charity or a resident, we want to hear from you!”   

A network of volunteers from organisations including Thames 21, Keep Wales Tidy, Bristol Waste, Mersey Rivers Trust and Changeworks have already signed up. The plan is for the campaign to expand to further rivers and cities in the UK and Hubbub is keen to hear from potential partners in other locations interested in collaborating. 

According to the Canal and Rivers Trust, 500,000 items of litter make their way into the sea from UK rivers every year. However new research shows that 48% of people don’t believe that litter entering drains can easily end up in rivers and then the sea.  The survey of 2,000 UK residents* suggests -that 64% of people feel helpless about tackling the ocean litter crisis and 75% would like to do more to reduce the amount of litter ending up in the sea. 

Liz Lowe, speaking on behalf of The Coca-Cola Foundation, said “We are all aware of the terrible impact that ocean pollution is having on marine wildlife and the environment, and collaborative action is critical. Part of the approach to this is to raise greater awareness of the causes of ocean pollution, which is why we’re funding Treasure Your River – to not only help educate people about how rivers are transporting rubbish from our streets and riverbanks to the sea, but to also help with the clean up of these rivers.

“Water is fundamental to nature, communities and businesses. This is why Coca-Cola has long standing partnerships with organisations such as WWF to help protect rivers – in this country we’ve been working together for the last 7 years in East Anglia to help preserve chalk stream rivers through supporting farmers with on-farm interventions, such as installing silt traps to reduce sediment running off fields into waterways.”

Treasure Your River will engage the public on how they can make a difference through simple behaviour changes such as taking their rubbish home with them, two–minute litter picks and responsible disposal of fishing tackle. The campaign aims to create a legacy for each river, with an army of regular volunteers and litter-clearing infrastructure.

To find out more and sign up to the campaign visit www.treasureyourriver.co.uk

 

Borough Market to hold ‘Apple Amnesty’ for unique community cider

Charities, Food and Drink, news, Sustainability

London’s iconic Borough Market is celebrating the best of British harvest time this October half term (Thursday 24th – Saturday 26th October). In line with the Market’s commitment to sustainability and reducing food waste, Londoners are invited to take part in an ‘Apple Amnesty’ and bring in fruit from their gardens, allotments and school yards, as well as any sitting in fridges and fruit bowls that might otherwise go to waste, for a Borough Market led community cider and apple juice initiative.

Borough Market will be celebrating the UK’s rich harvest heritage over the three days from 11am – 4pm in the glass fronted Market Hall.  Displays will highlight the enormous number of different varieties of apple, squash and other harvest produce available as well as showing visitors the joy of ‘growing your own’ and providing plenty of Autumnal family friendly entertainment. As part of Borough Market’s drive to reduce food waste, there will also be live daily cookery demos showing how to cook up delicious dishes from the season’s haul of fruit and vegetables, including top tips on what to do with surplus.

During the Harvest Celebrations, visitors will be able to watch apples being turned into juice and hear how this will then be made into cider from Borough Market trader, The Cider House. The cider and juice will be available to buy from the Market in April 2020, with profits going towards supporting Borough Market’s community projects. Anyone who brings a pound of apples in for the community pot will receive a ‘£ for a pound’ token, entitling them to money off when the cider and juice are on sale early next year. 

There will be a wide range of activities throughout the celebration for the whole family, including demo kitchens from 1-2.30pm each day with Borough Market regular chefs: Angela Clutton (Thursday), Kate Young (Friday) and Luke Mackay with Beca Lyne Pirkis (Saturday). For children on half term break there will be a story orchard and demonstrations from fruit and vegetable trader Turnips on pumpkin carving – just in time for Halloween. On Friday (25th) Borough Market’s ‘Young Marketeers’ (children from local schools), will be selling their school-grown Harvest produce for food waste charity FareShare. Borough Market’s traders will of course be selling fresh, seasonal and sustainable Autumnal produce.

The celebrations will be kicked off by a short act of harvest worship at Borough Market on Thursday 24th, led by neighbouring Southwark Cathedral.

Darren Henaghan, Managing Director, Borough Market said, “Borough Market is a place where you can really feel the change of seasons, and the arrival on the stalls of the autumn harvest is such an exciting time of year. Our Harvest Celebration will give the community the chance to gather together to mark this moment, as they have done throughout the centuries. We’re looking forward to welcoming families to our story orchard and seeing what the Young Marketeers have managed to produce in their school gardens. Our community cider and apple juice initiative will really capture the twin elements of fresh, local produce and public participation—we can’t wait to make something seasonal and sustainable with a little help from all of our friends.”

Mary Louise Topp from The Cider House London gives her ‘Topp’ tips on storing apples and making juice/cider: 

Storing Apples 

For cider, we don’t like our apples polished! There will be an element of natural yeast on the skins of the apples and by rubbing them to polished perfection you will be taking all those airborne, natural yeasts with it, and they are vital for kickstarting our ferment. All that’s needed is a quick dunk in clean water and a gentle dry with a soft cloth.

Ultimately you want to be keeping the apples dry and with a good airflow, so do not store in plastic bags. After you have got all the apples nice and dry, store in an open cardboard box or wooden crate. Keep an eye on them for a couple of days, apples that have split or are badly bruised are likely to start to rot and that will spread through the whole harvest.

Making juice and cider: 

One of our secrets to getting a great tasting juice is to leave the mashed pulp a few hours or overnight and then press the following day. This allows all the pectin to break down in the apples resulting a fruitier, juicier pulp ready for juicing. 

Cider can take as little as thirteen weeks to fully ferment, however, we like to wait a little longer. We follow the old rule ’never drink the cider until you hear the first Cuckoo calling’ We like to be patient and allow the juice to fully finish its ferment and rest. We won’t touch a drop until we hear her sing in mid- April.

Borough Market’s three day Harvest Celebrations will run from 11am – 4pm in the Market Hall from Thursday 24th October until Saturday 26th October. For more information on the apple sellers and where to buy the cider at Borough Market visit http://boroughmarket.org.uk/ 

Woman in London Underground on way to work

British workers expect better from bosses on air pollution

Charities, featured news, news, Sustainability

Businesses urged to prioritise air quality as nine in ten workers are in the dark on policies to reduce air pollution 

Flexible working, sharing information about local clean air routes and incentivising active travel are just some of the ideas being put to businesses today as new research suggests employers need to do more to protect staff both in the workplace and on their commute.  

Despite growing public awareness of the harmful effects of air pollution, nine in 10 UK employees are in the dark as to whether their employer has policies to protect them from air pollution, both on their way to and from work and in the work place:  

  • six in 10 workers believe their employer has no policy at all  
  • two in 10 simply don’t know   
  • one in 10 thought their employer had a policy but it wasn’t communicated to staff   
  • less than one in 10 receive regular communication from bosses on the issues 

According to new research, released today by environmental charity Hubbub as part of its #AirWeShare campaign, and just ahead of London’s first ever ‘car free’ day this Sunday, more than two thirds of workers in the UK believe employers should take responsibility to ensure the air their staff are breathing in the work place is safe.  

Professional drivers and outdoor workers are among the most exposed professions, but office employees can also be exposed to high levels of pollution, if they’re commuting into busy urban areas and travelling to and from work meetings. Nearly half (46%) of those surveyed think employers should take more responsibility to protect staff on their commutes. 

Woman in London Underground on way to work

Health research is increasingly showing air pollution can affect all organs of the body across the course of a lifetime. Recent revelations include links to reduced cognitive abilities, diabetes and the first direct evidence of pollution particles in mother’s placentas. Given that the average British worker spends nearly 85,000 hours at work in their lifetime, and more than 14,000 hours getting there and backii, it’s clear businesses have a significant role to play in addressing this public health crisis.  

Today, Hubbub is calling on all employers to check, update – or even develop from scratch – their policy on air pollution to protect the health and wellbeing of their staff. As well as reducing exposure, policies should look at how businesses can reduce their own contribution to air pollution across their operations. Hubbub is also asking more businesses to step forward and join the #AirWeShare movement to accelerate the process of cleaning up the air in our cities.  

Trewin Restorick, founder and CEO of Hubbub, said: “Employers have a huge role to play in protecting their workforce from pollution, whilst in the workplace and travelling during the working day and on the commute. Our research suggests that many employers either have no policy on this or are simply not communicating it.  We want to empower workers to ask their bosses what they are doing to protect them and to request that changes are made if they are falling short. And businesses need to show that they are willing to take action to support and protect their workforce from the effects of air pollution.”  

When asked what their own boss could do to help them reduce their exposure to air pollution, the most popular ideas were: installing air purifiers in the workplace (47%), allowing flexible working or home working (42%) and cash incentives to encourage people to cycle, walk or take public transport to work instead of driving (40%). One in five workers would consider grouping online shopping deliveries with colleagues to avoid lots of polluting vans delivering individual parcels to their office.  

As well as the business benefits of a healthier workforce, tackling the air pollution problem could also support recruitment and retention; when job-hunting, nearly two thirds (64%) of workers would find a potential employer attractive if they had an air pollution policy in place.    

Craig McWilliam, CEO, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland said “We’ve introduced a number of new technologies to our London office to create a healthy space for our staff and improve environmental efficiency. A large living wall which spans two floors and green columns on every floor have brought our sustainability goals visibly to life and helped us reach 100% optimum air quality on readers we placed in our reception. As the first private sector organisation to join the London Air Quality Network, we are tracking our progress in reducing air pollution exposure on street for workers, residents and visitors and are proud to be on track to cut carbon emissions on our estate in half by 2023.” 

Top tips for businesses: 

  • Think flexibly: Consider allowing employees to work from home on some days, or stagger their start/finish times to avoid the roads during the most polluted hours. 
  • Incentivise active travel: With pedestrians and cyclists being shown to be less exposed to air pollution overall than those that used cars or public transportiii, incentivise staff to walk or cycle to work or between meetings, where possible. Consider signing up to the ‘cycle to work’ and providing cycle safety training. 
  • Celebrate quiet ways and green spaces: Taking back routes can reduce exposure by 50% on average, so share information about local clean air routes with employees so they can avoid areas of high pollution. Celebrate local green spaces and tranquil areas.  
  • Green up deliveries: Streamline deliveries and servicing, and consider using an ultra-low emission supplier. Reduce personal deliveries to the office by encouraging employees to use ‘click & collect’ services. 
  • Green up your building: Conduct an energy review and include the impact of pollutants. Upgrade and fine tune your Building Management System and consider installing low NoX boilers. 

The #AirWeShare campaign provides businesses with an opportunity to take the lead, exploring what they can do individually and collectively to best engage policy makers, clients, employees and the public. Over the coming months, Hubbub will be working closely with partner businesses to introduce well-being activities that address air pollution with their employees and act as a source of inspiration across the UK.  Businesses interested in joining the growing collaboration working to tackle this issue should email hello@hubbub.org.uk or visit www.airweshare.co.uk/businesses  

Birmingham crowned winner of the UK’s first ‘plastic fishing’ competition

Charities, news, Sustainability

Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country awarded with its own plastic fishing boat to help tackle plastic pollution in local canal and river network

Birmingham has today been crowned winner of the UK’s first ‘plastic fishing’ competition by environmental charity, Hubbub. Following a UK-wide tour, the Poly Roger – a 12-seater punt made from 99% recycled plastic – has been awarded to the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country after it beat organisations in three other cities to win the boat, built to help clean up plastic pollution in UK waterways. 

The Poly Roger’s plastic fishing tour started in April, visiting Manchester, Scotland, Bristol and Birmingham, where Hubbub partnered with local organisations and volunteers in each location who had nominated their area to join the tour as part of a competition in partnership with the Daily Mirror. The tour saw residents being taken out on plastic fishing trips to raise awareness of the growing levels of plastic pollution in UK waterways and encourage more people to recycle their used plastic.  

© Lucy Young 2017

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country was chosen as the winner after 138 volunteers took part in collecting 28 bags of litter in just six days. In the coming months the organisation will use the Poly Roger to offer plastic fishing as part of its ‘Wild Work Days’ initiative which encourages businesses to give something back to the local area.  The Trust will use the boat to help it measure biodiversity in the region and to educate schools, community groups and members of the public further on the issue. 

The plastic fishing initiative has come from Hubbub and has been built using funds collected from Starbucks’ 5p charge on drinks purchased in a paper cup across its 950 stores nationwide.  The Poly Roger is only the third boat of its kind in the world and the first to launch outside of London. 

The craftsman tasked with building the boat was expert boat-builder Mark Edwards MBE, who also built the Queen’s barge ‘Gloriana’.  The design is based on a traditional punt, but it’s made from the most modern of materials – Plaswood, a hardwearing alternative to wood that is made entirely from recycled single-use plastic – and it’s powered by a rechargeable electric motor making it the most sustainable of boats. 

During its tour of the UK, the Poly Roger made 55 trips and took 599 volunteers plastic fishing. Overall, 2,233 plastic bottles and 192 bags of general litter were collected from the UK’s waterways. 

Jacob Williams, Community Engagement Officer from Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country said: “We’re delighted to have won the Poly Roger! Reducing plastic pollution in the oceans starts closer to home, in our local canals and rivers. It’s going to be a fantastic resource for us to engage communities all over Birmingham and the Black Country so we can work together to clean our waterways whilst showcasing and protecting the vibrant nature and wildlife found around them.” 

Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director of Hubbub, said: “Plastic pollution in our waterways is widespread so it’s been fantastic to see the Poly Roger go on tour to help tackle and raise awareness of the issue. We were really impressed with the way the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country brought people together to promote plastic fishing in Birmingham during their time with the boat and are really excited to see the good work continue over the coming months. We hope the Poly Roger will make a real difference to the local waterways in Birmingham and act as a constant reminder of the importance of recycling plastic.” 

Jaz Rabadia, UK senior manager of energy and sustainability, Starbucks Europe Middle East and Africa, said: “Minimising our environmental footprint and making a positive difference to the planet is a big focus for our business which is why we continue to support Hubbub and initiatives including the Plastic Fishing tour. The tour has been a great success and we’ve been so impressed with how the public has responded and with the organisations involved. The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is a very deserving winner and we’re looking forward to seeing how it uses the Poly Roger to help tackle and raise awareness of plastic pollution.”  

To find out more about plastic fishing across the UK and how to get involved in Birmingham visit www.hubbub.org.uk/plastic-fishing-tour. 

V&A goes to Market – One Day Sustainable Food Pop-Up at Borough Market

Charities, featured news, Food and Drink, news, Sustainability

Turnips Borough creates unique dish from mushrooms grown in V&A exhibition

On 14th August Borough Market trader Turnips Borough, a family-run fruit and vegetable retailer and wholesaler, created a special dish – for one day only – using oyster mushrooms grown in the V&A from used coffee grounds. The mushrooms are a highlight of the V&A’s current exhibition FOOD: Bigger than the Plate, and the collaboration aims to take the project beyond the museum for visitors to sample while shopping at London’s oldest produce market.

In an installation designed for the V&A by social enterprise GroCycle, oyster mushrooms are grown in the gallery from bags filled with used coffee grounds, including grounds from the V&A Benugo café where visitors drink 1,000 cups of coffee a day. The mushrooms are later harvested and return to the museum café as ingredients, closing the nutrient loop and challenging the notion of coffee grounds as ‘waste’ materials. The mushroom farm is one of over 70 contemporary projects in FOOD at the V&A, which is sponsored by BaxterStorey and explores how innovative individuals, communities and organisations are radically re-inventing how we grow, distribute and experience food.

This collaboration saw the V&A redirecting their mushroom harvest to Borough Market for a day, providing 7kg of pink, yellow and grey oyster mushrooms for Turnips to create a delicious mushroom and spelt risotto. 10% of the sales were donated to Plan Zheroes, a zero-food waste charity that Borough Market has worked with since 2014 to redistribute top quality surplus produce from traders to charities across London. To date, Borough Market and Plan Zheroes have saved in excess of 67,000 kilograms of surplus food from going to waste – providing over 135,000 meals for Londoners in need.

Waste reduction is central to Borough Market’s drive to promote a responsible, sustainable approach to food production and consumption and this collaboration is part of the Market’s wider commitment to sustainability that includes the provision of public drinking fountains, a ban on single use plastic bottles, a corn starch alternative to plastic bags and a recycling scheme which ensures zero waste goes to landfill.

Borough Market’s approach chimes perfectly with Turnips’ pioneering tackling of food waste. 15 years ago, before food waste became the hot topic it is today, Turnips began finding new uses for fruit and vegetables which, while perfectly good, could not be sold. This included the making of juices and smoothies with this produce. Today, Turnips Kitchen’s team of chefs use a range of seasonal produce to create incredible street food every day, including their rich mushroom risotto made with organic British spelt from Sharpham Park and topped with generous amounts of parmesan – the dish that inspired this collaboration.

Darren Henaghan, Managing Director, Borough Market, said: “Waste reduction in all its forms is fundamental to the culture of Borough Market. The community here has long been at the forefront of sustainability best practice, and customers are encouraged to eat with the seasons, question the provenance of ingredients, buy only what’s needed and eat every bit of it.  This collaboration with the V&A is an exciting development and showcases innovative approaches to both food growing and waste reduction – the end result being a delicious dish for visitors to sample thanks to one of our longest established traders.”

Charles Foster, Turnips said: “We love what V&A and GroCycle are doing with this exhibition so it seems natural to collaborate in this way. We have been battling with sustainability and waste reduction for years, our wild mushroom risotto is a particularly successful vestige of that battle and using these innovative oyster mushrooms in our risotto will be hugely exciting!”

Catherine Flood and May Rosenthal Sloan, co-curators of FOOD: Bigger than the Plate at the V&A said: “FOOD: Bigger than the Plateexplores a range of different ideas for creating a food future that is sustainable, fair and delicious. GroCycle’s innovative method of using coffee ground to grow oyster mushrooms demonstrates the possibilities for creating closed loop systems and changing mind sets around waste. They have so far taught the technique to more than 1,000 people in 50 countries. It is a smart form of urban farming because while cities don’t always have good soil, they do have an abundance of used coffee grounds that are still rich in nutrients. It is great to be able to bring the project to Borough Market to share the ideas and the mushrooms outside of the museum.”

Summer is the Silly Season for Fast Fashion

Charities, featured news, news, Sustainability

Summer is the season for occasion wear, special outfits purchased for weddings, BBQs, holidays and festivals. Millions of these outfits are bought new every year and never worn again, damaging people’s purses and the planet. That is why Barnardo’s is asking people to think ‘pre-loved’ before buying new and check out the gems to be found at their local Barnardo’s store.

According to a new poll conducted by Censuswide for Barnardo’s* this year Britons potentially will spend an extraordinary £2.7 Billion on fashion that will only be worn once.

Brits spend an average £79.76 on a wedding outfit, nearly 10m of which are expected to only be worn only once, meaning they are potentially forking out nearly £800 million on single-use wedding outfits alone. But by far the biggest indulgence is outfits for holidays, Brits spend over £700 million on 11 million outfits brought purely for the holiday and never worn again. See table above for details.

This is wasteful, expensive and unsustainable – both in terms of the environmental costs of making new outfits and the tonnes of wasted clothes which then end up in landfill.

Buying new is not only costly to purses and the planet, you are also more likely to see someone else in the same outfit – 26 per cent of people polled have turned up to a special occasion in the same outfit as another guest. Barnardo’s are suggesting this is the year to turn to charity shops to find a unique and beautiful vintage piece instead,

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “Choosing to buy pre-loved clothes for a special occasion from a Barnardo’s shop means you don’t have to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same outfit.

“It is also kinder to the environment and your wallet, getting more wear out of clothes which might otherwise only be worn once and end up in landfill.

“Buying from Barnardo’s also means you will be helping to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the UK.”

Currently a quarter (25 per cent) of people would be embarrassed to wear an outfit to a special occasion such as a wedding more than once – this rises to 37 per cent of young people aged 16-24 although just 12 per cent of those over 55 feel this way. This needs to change.

It’s not all bad news however, 55 per cent of people would like to get more use out of the clothes they buy to reduce their impact on the environment, and four in ten (40 per cent) have worn a second hand item to a wedding.

What’s more 46 per cent of people think you get good value for money by shopping second hand and a further 45 per cent believe it’s more affordable than buying new – with 28 per cent saying they can find designer bargains they wouldn’t have been able to afford at full price.

But with more than half (51 per cent) of people say buying new clothes for a festival or holiday adds to the excitement of the build-up, Barnardo’s are launching a special in store booklet with tips on finding and styling occasion wear from its stores. There is also a short film with tips from sustainable fashion experts Paloma in Disguise, and Jade from NotBuyinNew.

OCCASION NUMBER OF SINGLE USE OUTFITS BOUGHT MONEY SPENT
BBQ 6,368,240 £197,606,487
FESTIVALS 7,400,928 £247,931,088
OTHER 8,724,845

£329,188,401
BALL OR OTHER FORMAL EVENT 6,837,473 £491,545,933
WEDDINGS 9,997,636 £797,411,447
HOLIDAYS 11,052,809 £711,137,731
TOTAL 50,381,931 £2,774,821,087

1 in 10 Parents Admit Throwing Dirty Nappies in the Recycling

featured news, news, Public Sector, Sustainability

A new campaign has been launched today to encourage parents to dispose of used nappies in their general rubbish bin, after one in 10 UK parents of under 3s admitted to putting them in with the household recycling.North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has revealed how lorry-loads of recycling have to be thrown away because they have so many nappies in them. The scourge of nappy contamination also forces recycling centre workers to pull filthy nappies off conveyor belts by hand so the rest of the recycling can be processed properly.NLWA wants to help parents do the right thing with used nappies and avoid causing these problems. Disposing of nappies properly not only helps the environment, it also helps reduce the staggering £1.5m cost of contamination met by north London taxpayers every year.The #BinYourNappy campaign reminds parents to put used nappies in their general waste bin.

NLWA has launched the campaign after carrying out new research, which found there is widespread confusion about correct nappy disposal; 10% of parents of under 3s think nappies should go in a bin other than general waste. And of those who have put nappies in the recycling, more than a third say it’s because the outer packaging shows the ‘recycling logo’, whilst a fifth say it’s because they are termed ‘disposable’.

With labelling on nappy packaging at the heart of the confusion, NLWA is calling on manufacturers to make it clearer on-pack, and through their marketing communications, that nappies must go in the general rubbish bin.

Chair of NLWA, Councillor Clyde Loakes, said: “It’s hard to overestimate the scale of this unsavoury problem. We know parents want to do the right thing. That’s why we’re asking parents to put used nappies in the general waste bin. Contamination of recycling damages the environment, is costly for taxpayers and leaves recycling centre staff having to remove soiled nappies by hand.

“Our research shows that there is huge confusion about the labelling on packs. We’re calling on nappy manufacturers to come on board and make things clearer for their customers and help parents’ understanding.

“The estimated cost of dealing with contaminated recycling in the next year in north London alone is nearly £1.5million – money which I’m sure most taxpayers would prefer was spent elsewhere.”

Steve Oulds, National Commercial Manager at Biffa Waste Services Ltd, a Materials Recovery Facility which deals with recycling from households across north London, said: “We see millions of nappies arrive at our facility each year. Contamination is the single biggest challenge we face on a daily basis.

“Nearly half of parents in the survey didn’t know that recycling is sorted by hand. I hope that this knowledge helps encourage everyone to dispose of every nappy in the general rubbish bin.”Further confusion has been found around nappies marketed as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’, with half of all respondents believing these are recyclable in some form. Some respondents also thought whether a nappy is clean, wet or soiled makes a difference to whether it can be recycled. In fact, it is not currently possible to recycle any type of nappy through mainstream council recycling services.

The ‘Green Dot’ symbol (two intertwined arrows forming a circle) has been shown to be the most baffling for parents. Of those surveyed, 55% thought that this meant the outer packaging could be recycled and 13% thought it meant that either clean or used nappies could be recycled. In fact, the symbol only indicates that the producer has made a financial contribution towards the recovery and recycling of packaging in Europe and does not mean that the outer packaging or its contents are recycled or recyclable.

At the heart of the #BinYourNappy campaign is a video which helps explain the problem to parents – set to the tune of a familiar nursery rhyme.

As well as working with nappy manufacturers, NLWA will be enlisting the help of health services, toddler play centres and parenting groups to help spread the #BinYourNappy message. You can watch our campaign video, which explains the problem of nappy contamination here.

Visit wiseuptowaste.org.uk/binyournappy to find out more about the campaign.

Starbucks and Hubbub launch first ever airport reusable cup trial with Gatwick Airport

Charities, featured news, news, Sustainability

Today, 10th June 2019, Starbucks and Hubbub have launched the first airport reusable cup trial in partnership with Gatwick Airport. The trial will offer drop off points for Starbucks reusable cups throughout the international airport’s South Terminal to help cut paper cup waste and address throw-away culture.

This trial aims to offer a new approach to reuse, helping customers reduce disposable cup usage within closed environments such as travel hubs. Customers at the Starbucks store, which is operated in partnership with SSP, will have the option to borrow a free reusable cup for their drink instead of using a paper cup, which they can then drop off at one of five ‘Cup Check-In’ points throughout the airport before they board their flight.

Over 5.3 million of the seven million paper cups used at Gatwick each year are already being recycled but as recycling requires empty cups to be placed in the dry recycling bins, Starbucks and Hubbub have identified the potential to increase reusable cup options as well to limit the number of cups used in travel hubs where on-the-go packaging is prevalent.

The aim of the trial is to put 2,000 reusable Starbucks cups in circulation throughout Gatwick’s South Terminal, which could drastically reduce the number of paper cups being used each day. For example, if only 250 customers opted for reusable each day, it could see over 7,000 paper cups saved in one month.

Starbucks. South Terminal. Gatwick Airport,
Photo: Zute Lightfoot

Jaz Rabadia MBE, UK Senior Manager of Energy and Sustainability at Starbucks, said: “The purpose of working with Hubbub and Gatwick is to help create a new culture of reuse on-the-go by giving customers the option of a reusable cup instead of paper for free. We are optimistic that the ‘Cup Check-In’ points around the airport will provide enough places for customers to return their cups on the way to their gate, but also recognise this might not for everyone. Our goal is to save 7,000 disposable cups over the course of the month to find out the best ways to drive reuse where it is typically harder to do so – such as airports.”

Rachel Thompson, Sustainability Lead, Gatwick Airport said: “There is strong public support for measures to reduce waste and we are delighted to support one of our retailers with an innovation that can help travellers do that. We are looking forward to seeing how the trial goes and what we can learn to improve the solution.

“This trial fits well with Gatwick’s own circular economy ethos, which sees us utilise as many recovered resources as possible from within the airport estate.  By redesigning and investing in new waste collection and sorting facilities, and also in training to raise awareness about our journey toward zero waste, we have so far managed to hit a waste recycling and reuse rate of 70% this year. This includes all empty coffee cups and plastics and we also send zero waste to landfill.”

How It Works

  • Starbucks customers will be offered the option of having their drink in a reusable cup when they get to the till
  • Customers keep hold of the cup for the time they are in the airport
  • Before boarding, cups can be returned to one of five ‘Cup Check-In’ points located throughout the terminal, including at the Starbucks store
  • Cups will be collected by Gatwick’s waste management team to be washed and sterilised in line with the airport’s safety standards and returned to Starbucks ready for customer consumption
  • Any customers wishing to choose a disposable paper cup are still welcome and able to do so and will incur the 5p paper cup charge that is live in all Starbucks stores.

Trewin Restorick, CEO and Co-Founder, Hubbub said: “We know that people care about waste, but it’s often hard to ‘do the right thing’ when travelling. We want to find out whether people will get on board with reusing cups, if we make it easy and convenient. The airport is the ideal environment to trial a reusable cup scheme, as it is a closed loop environment and has the potential to reduce large volumes of paper cup waste. What we learn here will provide valuable insight into how to deploy a reusable trial in not only other airports, but many other environments.”

This trial is part of Starbucks and Hubbub’s on-going partnership and commitment to reducing paper cup waste. After introducing a 5p charge on paper cups in 2018 to encourage reuse, Starbucks has donated all proceeds to Hubbub to carry out environmental projects and research that increase sustainable consumer behaviour, such as this Gatwick trial.

Borough Market showcases pioneering spirit of new traders at Food Futures Market

Charities, Food and Drink, news, Sustainability

This weekend (31st May and 1st June), London’s iconic Borough Market is showcasing traders and social enterprises who are innovators and disrupters in their field, at its Food Futures Market.

Borough Market has long been committed to working with its traders to identify and support a more sustainable way of shopping and living for its customers. The traders joining the historic Market Hall this weekend highlight the pioneering spirit that Borough Market embraces and supports. These innovators are at the forefront of a new generation of high quality, ethical and environmentally friendly food, drink and household products. 

Featured traders for the Food Futures Market include innovative stalls from London based Breadwinners, who provide training and jobs for refugees across their London farmers market stalls and Storimarket, the world’s first farm-to-fork trade platform for smallholder farmers. Storimarket connects ethical and sustainable smallholder farmers and producers in Africa with customers in a way that rewards farmers for producing food that builds their community and cares for the environment. Zero waste, vegan, toxin free cleaning and household products will also be available from Green Boutique. 

Sustainable food will be available from Hackney based vegan cheesemongers, I AM NUT OK. Vegan and gluten free nut butters by Jake’s Boost. Raw fermented nut cream cheeses handcrafted in Crystal Palace by Palace Culture. Nutritional and delicious snacks by Oh Lily! made from water lily seeds which have been used for centuries in ayurveda medicine for their nutritional value. Push chocolate, which is vegan and free from dairy, gluten, nuts and refined sugar. BEASTFAST make delicious granola with gluten free oats and free from refined sugar. myTEA is Mighty! make plant based ready meals, free-from gluten, nuts, palm oil and pesticides. 

Drink traders include Binary Botanica, whose ground-breaking infusion of hop leaves and wine yeast make a vegan and gluten free ‘table beer’. Mitch’s Kitchen will be providing natural, vegan tea lattes real-brewed with Fairtrade tea leaves and organic ingredients.  

Fashion retailers leading sustainability trend by trialling new business models

news, Public Sector, Sustainability

The London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) and QSA Partners have today announced that they are working with a number of fashion retailers to develop and pilot a range of new circular economy business models such as clothes hire, product resale, repair and rental services. The retailers – including Ted Baker, Farfetch and FW – will be exploring more sustainable ways of operating through the Circular Fashion Fast Forward project.

Each retailer will explore its own bespoke approach to becoming a more circular business, developing new business models which will be trialled and ultimately, if successful, brought to market. Projects like this also create great opportunities for learning, so case studies will be created and shared once the project is complete to help other fashion retailers and brands develop and adopt their own circular business models. 

More and more businesses are realising the competitive advantage that circular business models can bring.  Consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable options from the brands they love, and circular approaches offer companies a real opportunity to create more value and profit whilst reducing their environmental impact.

Resale is a particularly strong growth area for fashion businesses to consider: a recent report by thredUP1 puts the value of the second-hand market at $24 billion, a figure which is expected to double in the next five years. The Business of Fashion report, “The State of Fashion, 2019”2 highlights that resale is growing nine times faster than traditional retail and The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that an industry-wide move towards circular fashion could add €160 billion in value by 2030.

Brands connected to the project are motivated by the chance to prove the benefits of circular business models. Thomas Berry, Director of Sustainable Business at Farfetch, says: “Circular models like resale or rental are big commercial opportunities for Farfetch. They are a very natural extension of our long-standing vintage offer, and we have started to pilot a few new models. Since 2018 our Browns retail store has been in partnership with rental platform Armarium, and we have just launched Farfetch Secondlife – a handbag resale service for our customers. We are excited to be working with LWARB and QSA to build the business case to accelerate our work in this area.” 

Customers are also the main motivation for Kate Wakeling, Ted’s Conscience Manager at Ted Baker, who says: “Ted Baker are excited to be exploring opportunities within the circular economy and are pleased to have teamed up with QSA Partners and LWARB. Ted’s wholly unique way of looking at things means we look forward to delivering something very special and meaningful for our customers.”

FW is an exciting new outdoor brand launching in Autumn 2019. Anna Smoothy, FW’s Senior Marketing Manager, emphasises that sustainability is at the core of what they want to achieve: “FW’s approach to sustainability is an open-ended conversation. We are constantly searching to refine our materials and reduce our impact. At FW, quality is sustainability. We make products to last while incorporating eco-materials that are proven to be durable like Oxford Recycled Yarn. We are not just making eco-friendly products destined for landfill – we would like to underline the fact that we are developing a Repair Program with QSA and LWARB so that our fans invest in FW for life.” 

Megan McGill, Programme Manager for the C&A Foundation, is pleased to see these important projects underway: “The fashion industry needs to rapidly adopt new business models that increase the use of clothing and stop the use of unsustainable materials. This is a critical step towards a circular fashion sector. The Circular Fashion Fast Forward project and the participating brands will demonstrate what can already be done today and inspire more industry players to follow.”