Fair Share Fabric Project

14 January 2016 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4 Year, 4.3 My Projects Tagged 08 New projects, 4.3 Fair Share Fabric, 5 Content Veiw 3 Comments

In 2015 I pledged to use no more than my fair global share of fibres. I was trying to determine what is a reasonable amount of clothing. After all one mans over consumption is after all another’s nothing to wear. But more importantly, the use of synthetic fibres is often promoted as a way to reduce the demand for natural and in that sense helps reduced pressure on the environment. I want to know if I can stay decent using only my share of natural fibres.

How Much

However there can be little doubt that we in the UK are consuming fibres in a hugely unsustainable way.
Heres how many textile fibres are produced annually: Total fibres, both natural & synthetic, around 8.5 million tonnes Rough calculations suggest that the average amount of fibres per annum, per person in the world, works out at 11.74 kg.

Global share 11.74 kg per person
of which 3.8 kg is natural fibres.
The rest is synthetics.
As I don’t like synthetics I try to stick to 3.8 kg of natural fibres.
Just so you know a kingsize double duvet cover from Ikea weighs in at 991 grams and a Marks & Spencer short-sleeved tee-shirt is 156 grams.

By Year Synopsis

To see an actual break down of my clothes please go to Past Years

2014 & What I started with

Rationing might not seem so much of a burden if I already had a hundred outfits and enough sheets to stock a small hotel. I didnt. You can see my original wardrobe listed at the end of the article.

Fabric Types

Dont know regenerated yarn from a synthetic fibre? no worries. Theres lots of information on fibres yarns and fabric HERE

Synthetic Versus Natural Fibres

One of the much touted benefits of plastic is that it reduces pressure on natural resources. Nowhere is this more true than in fabric and fibres.Producing natural fibres is certainly resource intensive. And synthetic fabrics have moved on since the early days of crimpolene and can now convincingly replace anything from wool to silk. They used to make the sheerest of stockings to the thickest and woolliest of fleece jackets. Dirty old fishing nets can be recycled into saucy bikinis.

And at a fraction of the price. So much so that synthetics now make up 60% of the market.

While using synthetic fibres means that less space is needed to grow cotton or flax, less pesticides are used and vegans can be pleased that less sheep need shearing and silk worms dont need to die for us.

But of course synthetics come with their own very real and severe environmental costs. Not least is that every time a synthetic fabric is washed it releases hundreds of tiny little plastic fibres these are washed out into the sea with grave consequences.

Some Will Have To Go Without?

If everyone on the planet was to have 35kg of clothes each year, production would have to triple.
This is unsustainable.
To replace all the synthetics with natural fibres would also have a huge environmental impact but synthetics need to be phased out.
So if we cannot produce more, we have to consume less. Or accept a huge global inequality where some have more clothes than they can possibly wear while others have a few rags.

Well not on my watch

Global Rationing
If we cannot produce more, we have to consume less. the purpose of this project is to see if I can live within my global share of natural fibres as produced at the current rate. And cut synthetics.

This is how the equation works for me:
We cannot exceed current levels of production:
We cannot expect others to want less than we have:
We cannot swamp the market with synthetics:
Therefore I have to live with my global share of natural fibres.

But can it be done? Cautious reply after 2 and a half years is yes it can.

Whats Sustainable Clothing?
Plastic-free, fair-trade, ethically made and lots more.You can read my clothing manifesto here
You can read more on the subject and check

Second Hand Clothes
Can I buy second hand clothes to supplement my allowance? No. I can buy second-hand but it has to count as part of my allowance.

Index Plastic-free July

24 June 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.5 Plastic Free People, Projects & Campaigns, 3.6 Media, arts & education Tagged 08 New projects, 3.6 #P-fU.K. Directory, 4.3 Plastic Free July 24 Comments

Of course every month is plastic free for me but plastic free July is a time to make a bit of extra effort, promote projects, look at my bin and join with other people all over the world who are taking this time to rethink their relationship with plastic.

What is Plastic Free July

The aim is to cut your consumption of one use plastic, for one month – July. If that sounds a bit much bear in mind that definitions of one use plastic can vary. And how much you choose to cut is up to you – read my take.
You can take this opportunity to tackle one item. Maybe get your self a milkman, buy (or make) some produce bags for loose veges or get a refillable water bottle.
You don’t have to do it all at once!

But whatever and how much you choose to do, he plastic you loose is more important than the plastic you use!

A bit of history

Plastic Free July started in 2011. It is an initiative of the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) in Perth, Western Australia and was developed by clever Earth Carers staff. In 2012 Plastic Free July expanded across Perth and in 2013 it went global. They have a great website and are all round good eggs.

My Plastic Free July

I cut all disposable plastics and just to remind you, that includes:
tins & cans:
tetrapaks:
glass jars with plastic/ plastic-lined lids:
Plastic lined cardboard:
Teabags:
Don’t know they had plastic in them? You can read all about sneaky plastics here
Plastic packed personal care and hygiene products. I will as ever be making my own. Sadly the ingredients came plastic wrapped but it can’t be avoided.
Any other plastic goods that I can’t think of right now.

Plastic I find myself using but Try not to
Booze. Itbis almost impossible to find plastic free booze to take out and there is usually at least one social occasion that requires a gift of alcohol.
If the morning after visiting said friends painkillers are required then they will be administered. As of course will any other necessary medicines.

Basically it’s what I do all year without the backsliding on the mayonnaise and wine front.

Keeping in Touch

Join in at the Plastic Is Rubbish Support Group where people share plastic free tips.
And Twitter @plasticSrubbish

Hashtags
I encourage UK participants to use the hashtag #pfjuk for British related posts. Mainly because it gets very dispiriting to hear of a fantastic bulk food store only to find it is based in Sydney.

U.K. Participants

Every year UK based bloggers have joined in.
It’s really important to link up with U.K. based plastivists who will be sharing throughout the month. While some solutions like solid shampoo from Lush can be accessed UK wide, many are local.

You can find a list of bloggers who have contributed here.

Follow My Progress

2018 just starting

Past Years

I am proof that you can do this anywhere no matter the constraints.
2014 I did it while travelling in a van. Here is how I did.
2015 I did it with a backpack check out Plastic free Mongolia
2016 here
2017 On a desert island. read more here

More Resources & Info

Loads of plastic free products here… A to Z of plastic free products

And see all our past plastic free July posts here

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

SaveSave

Waste Less Live More Week

4 May 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4.3 My Projects Tagged 08 New projects, 4.3 waste less live more week 4 Comments

So proud to be a partner in the Waste Less Live More Week and be up there with some real waste heroes Check out the list. The week runs from the 22 – 28 September 2014 and has in the years past had a theme.

This great campaign has been organized by Keep Britain Tidy but it goes further than suggesting you put your rubbish in the bin. No, it posits that mindlessly consuming vast and often needless amounts of stuff is not just a reckless squandering of precious finite resources that results in huge amounts of problematic, difficult to dispose of trash…. but it doesn’t even make us happy.

Blimey! Well said you!

2016 and online celebration of local shops

2015 and I was being resourceful organising a online litter pick.

2014 we had to make it, borrow it value it and so on – see how my week went.

Press Release

Waste less, Live more Week is Keep Britain Tidy’s annual awareness week which brings together partner and supporter organisations who together host a week of events and activities around a theme

Plastic is Rubbish is joins up with charities, businesses and organisations to support this year’s Keep Britain Tidy resource initiative, Waste Less, Live More Week, to inspire new, creative and inventive ways to live better, within our environmental limits.

Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. We inspire people to be litter-free, to waste less and to live more. We are run programmes including Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches. To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy, our programmes and campaigns visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.

Press enquiries
Contact the Keep Britain Tidy press office:
Helen Bingham 01942 612617/07918 631682 helen.bingham@keepbritaintidy.org
Keep Britain Tidy Mobile (24 hours, 7 days a week): 07768 880016

Keep Britain Tidy has ISDN radio facilities for interviews
ISDN: 01942 322178
Please contact the press office in advance to make arrangements

Zero Waste Week

8 July 2013 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.5 Plastic Free People, Projects & Campaigns Tagged 08 New projects, 4.3 Zero Waste Week 1 Comment

For a number of years now I have been a zero waste ambassador. Here are some quick zero waste week facts!

Zero waste week is organized by Rae Strauss
It has been since 2008.
This year runs the first full week in September.
The aim is to cut the trash going to landfill.
Each year there’s a theme

Visit the website here.

Of course its not just me doing it- there are loads of bloggers doing all kinds of stuff. You can find them herded together in one easy to access place on the Zero Waste website and listen to them wittering – sorry twittering – on on the twitter hashtag #zerowasteweek

If you want to join in you can make a pledge here on the zero waste website. If you decide to blog about it you can decorate your blog or post with various buttons, if you don’t you can print off posters for your living walls (easy tiger!) with these links posters and pdfs

See how I did in …

2016
My zero waste week has been a celebration of loose and unwrapped food. As bought from supermarkets! Is that even possible? There followed a week of eating-plastic-free -but- only-buying- from – supermarkets. It can be done. You can read about it here

2015

Think you can’t be Zero waste when backpacking? I did it in China – see how here

2014
1-7th of September The aim this week wass to send nothing to landfill however I am nothing if not pedantic. Zerowaste means just that! So I sent nothing to be recycled either! You can see how I did here.

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