Anyone who’s roamed the streets of New York City the night before garbage collection knows that New Yorkers throw out plenty of perfectly good things. And it’s not just bulky items like the couch that wouldn’t fit in the new apartment, either — there’s also a whole lot of fashion that gets trashed. According to the City of New York Department of Sanitation (or DSNY), New Yorkers send 200 million pounds (!) of clothing, shoes and bags to landfill each year. That volume is enough to make the waste problem a concern not just for local city officials, but for anyone who cares about fashion’s impact on the environment. That’s why the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British charity dedicated to advocating for a circular economy, decided to get involved. On Monday, the Foundation announced a new campaign called #WearNext. While it’s spearheaded by the non-profit’s Make Fashion Circular initiative — which is predicated on eliminating fashion waste by pushing for products that can be re-used in their entirety in some other format after their initial use ends — it’s ultimately a collaborative effort between brands, city government and non-profits. Read more at Fashionista.
