‘What Happens Next?’: Is It Time to Rethink Our Wardrobes?
When the question “What can individuals do to help address the climate crisis?” comes up, the same answers are thrown out again and again – turn out the lights when you’re not using them, reduce the amount of meat you consume, take the bus instead of your car.
These are all fairly obvious fixes. But there’s one massive issue that many of us overlook, even though it surrounds us – textile waste.
Take a look around – you’re surrounded by textiles right now. From furniture and home decor to toy manufacturing, medical supplies and more, textiles are literally the fabric of our lives. Unless you’re a dedicated nudist, you’re covered in them from head to toe. And when it comes to truly making a difference for the planet on an individual level, our wardrobes are a great place to start.
Read: When it comes to sustainable fashion, one size doesn't fit all
Consider your t-shirts, for example. According to the Circular Stories Working Group, part of the Monash University Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), more than 15 billion t-shirts are produced worldwide each year. More than half of these are disposed of in under 12 months, contributing to more than 315,000 tonnes of textile waste per year in Australia.
When the entire supply chain of a single item of clothing is taken into account, including supplies, labour, and eventual disposal, our casual attitude towards clothing is truly shocking. It's time to reconsider our relationship with clothing.
What Happens Next? returns this week with a new topic – slow fashion. How is the way we currently consume fashion pressuring the environment and supply chains? Where will we find ourselves in 50 years if our behaviours don’t change? And importantly…what will we wear?
“I think here we've had... such a good life, for a long time, where we've forgotten the true cost of our products and everything that we have. And so I think we need to stop, and we need to reconnect, and we need to remember that everything comes from somewhere.”Julie Boulton
This week on Monash University’s podcast, host Dr Susan Carland is joined by MSDI’s Aleasha McCallion and Julie Boulton; Dr Eloise Zoppos, an applied researcher at the Australian Consumer and Retail Studies Unit in the Monash Business School; fashion editor Janice Breen Burns; and designer and Instagram influencer Nicole McLaughlin.
What Happens Next? will be back next week with part two of this series, “Can We Slow Down Fast Fashion?”.
If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and rate or review What Happens Next? to help listeners like yourself discover it.
What you wear isn't just a fashion statement. Your clothes, shoes and accessories all make a statement on your outlook on the health of the planet. The fashion industry has a tremendous impact on our environment.
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, you’re invited to the Monash Speaker Series: Sustainable Style Studio on Thursday, 27 April 2023 at The Count's on the Monash University's Clayton campus.
This free event includes an upcycled clothing workshop at 2.30pm, followed by a keynote and panel discussion with television's Craig Reucassel, of ‘The War on Waste’, and Dr Susie Ho, Director of the Monash Innovation Guarantee and Course Coordinator for the Monash Master of Environment and Sustainability.
Register to join us.