Did you know that there are enough clothes on the planet right now to last four generations?! And, that there's one bin lorry full of waste clothing being incinerated every second.
On this episode of Ecolution, we are looking at how people are bringing back the art of fixing and mending things - we're talking everything from mending clothes to fixing bikes.
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The holidays are a time for rediscovering summer clothes, paddling pools and beach stuff. And often, a time when we realise that the things we’d put away at the end of last summer might now be too small, have holes in them, or they’re just a bit worse for wear. So, what can we do?
While hand-me-down clothes and furniture are always welcome, we live in a consumerist society where people throw away and buy new things instead of fixing and mending the things we already have.
There is a skills gap that means that many of us simply can’t fix the things we have, and those people who can fix them are rare and expensive. Plus, when it comes to utensils and machinery, you come up against built-in obsolescence. That's a big word! It's a business practice where products are designed with a limited lifespan or functionality, encouraging consumers to replace them sooner rather than later.
On the flip side, one of the best illustrations of how long things can last is the Centennial Lightbulb. It's an old fashioned, incandescent lightbulb that was first turned on at its home in California in 1901! Apart from a few instances where it was briefly turned off, it is still working to this day. This shows it is possible, if manufacturers get behind it.
Arran Murphy of the Rediscovery Centre heads the ReLove Fashion competition. It challenges people from 12 to 19 to make wearable clothing out of found and recycled materials. Upcycling clothes to give them new life in many ways, one of them being "Sashiko," a traditional technique begun in Japan where visible stitching is used to repair and reinforce fabrics, transforming flaws into decorative elements. A celebration of mending on its own.
As Arran says: "There's enough clothes on the planet already made for the next four generations! And there’s one bin lorry full of waste clothing being incinerated every second." So, anything we can do to extend the life of the things we have is a good thing.
We also headed to Mud Island Community Garden, where Nathalie Crowley has been running a Repair cafe on the last Sunday of every month alongside a gang of volunteers, all keen to help their community and give back. Fixing bikes, sharpening knives and tending to teddies too.
And we meet Lucy Buckley of ALLoT, A Library of Things. Supported by the ECCO project. She tells us why she set up a collection of everyday items, from tents to tools, that people can borrow to use instead of buying new only to leave them on the shelf.
In France, they have introduced an anti-waste law for a sustainable economy. Promoting the 'right to repair', it's aimed at making it easier and more affordable for consumers to repair products rather than replace them. As well as encouraging industry to be a lot clearer about how their products can be repaired and for how long they'll last. These laws are being expanded throughout the EU with a clear right to repair policy being adopted since last year. Hopefully, offering at least one path to a more sustainable, fixable future.
Ecolution is produced by Nicky Coghlan, with production assistance from Aoife O'Neill. It's hosted by young climate activist Evie Kenny.
Now, why not head over to the RTÉ Kids YouTube channel to hear from our panel of young climate activists.
