We went to Parliament

Last month marked a watershed moment in Give Your Best history — we went to Parliament! 

Alongside Baroness Hayman of Ullock, we hosted a roundtable discussion in the House of Lords on clothing poverty and fashion industry waste to a room of MPs, fashion brands, activists, and journalists from outlets including Vogue and Business of Fashion. 

Our goal? To better understand the biggest hurdles fashion brands face with their clothing waste so we can create solutions that clothe as many people in need as possible. Sounds simple enough, right? 

Well, not really. Clothing poverty is a huge issue in the UK. According to a 2021 Sharewear study, an estimated 5.5 million people are currently experiencing clothing poverty in the UK (which means when they are unable to buy two or more pieces of essential clothing). That’s almost 13% percent of the population and Covid-19 only made matters worse. Oxfam saw its online orders increase by 111% in 2020 compared to the same month the previous year, while clothing prices continue to rise. 

Why then, when there are so many people in need, does the UK continue to send an estimated 23 million garments to landfills each year? Why is 25% of global fashion waste incinerated? Why do most of us have closets full of clothes we don’t wear? And why are we still conditioned to consume, consume, consume by an industry characterized by overproduction but offered no real responsible way to dispose, dispose, dispose? It’s a mess, to put it bluntly. But change is coming. And we’re part of it, as are you. 

Over the coming months, we’ll be diving deeper into the work that goes on behind the scenes at GYB and the changes we’re hustling to make. Until then, here are the four main takeaways from our roundtable discussion that we think are important to share with you. 

We Need to Talk More About Clothing Waste & Poverty

There is still widespread mis- or lack of understanding of what constitutes clothing waste and how huge the impact of this waste is. Additionally, the level of clothing poverty experienced in the UK, as outlined above, is rarely discussed. At Give Your Best, we’re always asking: Why, when fashion always talks about “reuse, recycle, repurpose,” is redistribution always left out of the conversation? And, more to the point, as Mother of Pearl’s creative director Amy Powney queried, Why does clothing poverty persist in the UK at all? In addition to discussing the need for taxation, Powney proposed introducing clothing education in schools, which would help to shift perspectives and understanding as well as drive action. 

The UK Is Lagggggging Behind EU Regulations

As anti-greenwashing and responsible production legislation shifts across the EU, countries are implementing laws that require brands to take EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) very seriously. They will become fully responsible for the entire lifecycle of textiles and there are large penalties for non-compliance. France, for example, is currently writing in a €10 per fast fashion item tax which will be fully actioned by 2030. In the UK however, as Fashion Roundtable founder Tamara Cincik pointed out, there haven’t been any significant governmental conversations about EPR. Taking action here is paramount. 

Mental Health Impacts of Clothing Poverty Are Monumental 

The mental and social impact of clothing poverty is profound. Our guest, fashion psychologist Dr Dion Terrelonge, highlighted many devastating consequences of clothing poverty including negative impacts on education, employment, and social integration. A lack of access to clothing (particularly to clothing that you have chosen yourself) adversely impacts mental health, self-esteem, dignity, and confidence. In other words, all levels of well-being and self-actualization are negatively affected by clothing poverty. 

During the roundtable, our spokeswoman Kemi Ogunlana shared how having access to clothing and choice through the Give Your Best platform not only gave her dignity but made her feel like a “whole person and not just the sum of [her] problems.”

Collaboration Is Key 

There is no one-size-fits-all solution here. Working together is vital if we’re going to make a positive impact — to stop overproduction and modern slavery and clothe people in need. The government will benefit from working with fashion brands, retailers, and NGOs like Give Your Best to understand the biggest hurdles and help us implement actionable solutions, while industry players will benefit from having solutions to choose from that enable them to produce (and dispose) responsibly. As the saying goes, we’re better together. 

As always, if you have anything to add or would like to work with us, please get in touch! 

We’d love to hear from you: partnerships@giveyourbest.uk