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What is fast fashion and what problems does it cause? - Summary
Learn how clothes affect the environment and discover the impact of fast fashion. In this KS2 video from The Regenerators, pupils explore how clothing is made, why buying lots of new clothes can create environmental problems and simple ways to make more sustainable choices.
In this video, students will learn:
- What fast fashion means
- How clothing production affects the environment
- Why reusing and recycling clothes matters
- How children can make more sustainable choices
Classroom video - How can fashion be better for the planet?
Daz, Fatima, Kayla and Jack are calling… from the future! They want to thank today's children for acting responsibly and averting a climate crisis.
Daz is looking to source a sustainable fancy dress costume. He explains how the clothes we wear can affect the world around us.
Daz: Hey people in the past. It's your pal Daz here again saying thanks for being smart about what you wear.
Did you know clothes grow on plants? Well, not really but some of them kind of do because cotton does. Cotton is used to make clothes - and one cotton t-shirt needs about 2700 litres of fresh water to make. That's about the amount of water you drink in the next five years.
But you realised we can't keep using all that fresh water when there's drinks to make and food to grow. So the smart thing you did was you bought less new clothes and when your clothes got damaged you got them repaired. Or you got super smart and fixed them yourself.
I'm making a fancy dress costume at the moment, I'm down here getting here materials for it. Apparently some people in your day bought whole outfits just to wear once and then never again.
Clothes were made. Oh, hi!
Animated Costume: "Alright Daz?"
Daz: Clothes were worn and clothes went to landfill.
Animated Costume: "Oh, rubbish."
Daz: But you lot, the best people ever, got your clothes in much smarter ways. Like for my costume I got my dad to download a secondhand clothes app and we found the trousers, and I swapped a blue T shirt for a friend's red one. I found some boots in a charity shop and I'm renting the mask and cape from the shop I am in now. And after I've looked awesome at the party these clothes will go back to make someone else look awesome.
You see in your day, most new clothes contained plastic. Yeah, really weird. Well, it's true. Plastic is bad news for the environment. It isn't biodegradable and when it goes in the washing machine tiny bits of plastic break off and go into rivers and oceans. So you wore your clothes more before you put them in the washing machine.
This saved so much water, plus, plus, plus! Getting your family to wash your clothes at a lower temperature saved energy too. So thank you for being awesome, for taking care of your clothes and being smart about what you wear. You are all heroes!
Quick facts about clothes and the environment
- Most new clothes contain plastic.
- The fashion industry uses large amounts of water and energy to make new clothes.
- Buying second-hand clothes is a great way to give unwanted clothes a new life.
Let's discuss: What could you do with clothes you've grown out of?
Learn more about sustainability
Explore more lessons and content from around The Regenerators.
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