Extinction Rebellion has brought the climate urgency into sharp focus. Even my partner and kids are talking about reducing waste by not buying in the first place, much better than recycling.
I am hopeful this will see an end to “not so nice” raspberries in our fridge in November. What a waste of resources shipping them thousands of miles when we have a wonderful array of fruit weighing down the hedges in our garden; anyone want a sack full of apples?
This is also extending into the older kids’ shopping habits. Less Primark, more second-hand shops. It seems the habits of my parents’ generation (mend and reuse) are slowly being picked up by our children’s.
The UK aims to be carbon zero by 2050, but to be truly carbon neutral that has to include all the CO2 output in the production of everything we consume. Maybe if we priced in the environmental cost of offshoring and transport, Primark would be more expensive and locally produced products more competitive? For sure, this is idealistic, but see how quickly we are turning our backs on plastics! There is hopefully a real opportunity for UK-based firms to produce quality products with an ever reducing carbon footprint, be that food, garments or vehicles.
One of our clients, who supplies Tesco, has recently been able to secure an additional 10% price increase on its products because they manufacture here in the UK; even the cut-throat world of supermarkets is recognising the fast-changing sea.
How ready are you to embrace this opportunity?
The trend to manufacture overseas has not only decimated the jobs in British fashion, but is having a disastrous effect on the planet.
